The Gist of Freedom Preserving American History through Black Literature . . .

Ida B. Wells Great Grandson- Dan Duster, Talks Anti-Lynching legacy. Join Dan on The Gist of Freedom Tuesday at 8pm with host Dr. Weldon McWilliams.  Ida never feared the lynch mob, she had faith in God to protect her: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalms 23:4). A threat to her life was not going to stop her from her crusade.     Dan Duster educates people about the legacy of Ida B. Wells (his great-grandmother anti-lynching advocate) as well as the struggles and triumphs of other leaders in African American history. He also talks about his career as a top corporate salesperson and prosperous entrepreneur.  Dan draws parallels to all of those experiences to help others feel empowered and create solutions to the obstacles they face today.  http://www.danduster.net/  Listen to Dan on The Gist of Freedom Radio Blog ~ www.BlogTalk Radio.com/TheGISTofFReedom WWW.BlogTalkRadio.com/BlackHistory

"Ship of Souls!" Author, Dr. Zetta Elliot, will talk to Dr. Weldon M. McWilliams on The Gist of Freedom, Sunday February 26 at 6pm. Zetta will discuss her wonderful books, Ship of Souls, Birds and A Wish After Midnight" Review ~ Some authors are writers while others are storytellers. I think this short novel attests to Elliott’s skills as both. The events flow flawlessly, without contradictions or miscues. Historic elements are woven into the story from the American Revolution to 9/11 which speak to the presence of so many ethnic groups in the creation of America and the historic misinterpretation of their contribution. Water, trees and birds are magical elements of nature that serve as portals between the physical world and other dimensions. And then there’s Nyla and Keem, two supporting characters who are developed so well that we cannot help but wonder what more will happen to them, alone and/or together.

New push to restore Paul Robeson Theater! Rick Davy, one of the volunteers from the civic group, 500 Men Making a Difference, will talk to The GIST of FREEDOM about The Paul Robeson Theater Restoration. Davy along with other members, worked for 72 hours straight, on Martin Luther King’s birthday. Helping to fulfill the wishes of the prominent obstetrician who delivered Malcolm X’s six children, Dr. Josephine English, the founder of the theatre. The building was deemed unfit in 2004 and Dr. English died in December at the age 91. Join us tonight at 8pm EST.www.blogtalkradio.com/TheGISTofFREEDOM

Join Guest Host, Attorney Activist, Michael Coard, Sunday at 8pm on The Gist of Freedom, as he talks with Investigative filmmaker Keith Beauchamp. Beauchamp, the producer of the documentary, The murder of Emmett Till, examines recent suspicious hanging deaths in his television show The Injustice Files. Were they modern-day lynchings? Watch The Injustice Files, Tuesday at 8pm! http://investigation.discovery.com/videos/the-injustice-files-sneek-peeks/

Join Tony D. Johnson, is  The State Superintendent of Vocational Education in Washington D.C. and The Gist of Freedom host Dr. Weldon McWilliams, Acting Director of Call Me Mister, Cheyney University. Listen as these gentlemen discuss school reform, policies, federal funding and the regulation of charter schools. 

  Navarrow Wright, entrepreneur featured CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O'Brrien fourth Black in America: Silicon Valley The New Promised Land.  She profiles a unique, technology-focused "accelerator" developed to help African American digital entrepreneurs secure funding to establish their business.  The accelerator, NEWme selected eight strangers to live together for nine weeks in Silicon Valley as they worked on pitching their ideas. Navarrow Wright was one of their four coaches. Editor’s Note: Navarrow Wright is the chief technology officer of Interactive One. He was chief technology officer of BET.com and co-founder of GlobalGrind.com with Russell Simmons. Wright is on Twitter @navarrowwright Last month, Navarrow presented the CNN documentary at a Screening In the D.C. Area, to watch click here.

Artist Lou Grant, History of Black Baseball,  Opening exhibit ~Lou Grant’s oil paintings and wood engravings of on field action and idealized portraits of historic     Negro Leagues baseball players are a remembrance of the spirit of another time.  George Preston's Museum of African Art and Origins,

  A special Super Bowl Show!  Join The Gist of Freedom as we welcome Mr. Briscoe the first black starting quarterback in the NFL. As a rookie quarterback with the Broncos, Mr. Briscoe set a record by throwing 14 touchdown passes in 11 games. He played on the only undefeated team in NFL history & won two Superbowl rings 1973-74 w/ the Dolphins.

  Tonight, join Dr. Weldon McWilliams and Hampton University's very own, Dr. Earle Williams. A Clinical psychologist, Dr. Williams gives an in depth perspective of his book Psychology from Scripture: Bridging the Gap. This excellent book is a unique blend of Science and Christianity. Dr. Earle Williams points out how psychological theories are compatible with and often supported by Biblical truths. This easy to read guide can help anyone faced with meeting personal challenges, making decisions, setting goals, choosing a mate or surviving the stresses of everyday life. It presents methods for identifying problems as well as ways to solve them through focus, hard work, prayer and spiritual relaxation. Dr. Williams will also talk about his upcoming projects. YouTube Video

  Join Photographer Wendell White for a candid conversation with The Gist of Freedom's guest host, Roy Paul, please have your pen and paper in hand as these gentle discuss very little known facts about Historical Black Towns, like GouldTown,NJ. Established in 1690, Gouldtown is the oldest Black Town in the United States. WWW.BlogTalkRadio.com/TheGISTofFREEDOM Over the past 13 years Mr. White has been toting his camera through the state's southern reaches, documenting the existence of a handful of small all-black communities that still survive there. In his back road travels, he has also unearthed the rich African-American history of several towns that are now largely populated by whites.   Mr. White's online photographs depict little-known aspects of the nation's past: communities formed by blacks in the 19th and early 20th centuries as havens from racism. Many of these enclaves, where African-Americans could raise families and build careers, were in New Jersey. For Mr. White there has been some urgency to document these insular towns before they change even further or disappear completely. "Even if they don't physically go away, the nature of the communities is disappearing," Mr. White said. "What we're seeing is the last bit of the 19th century."       The book is available on line, Free! http://books.google.com/books?id=wDCxQrWlf4UC&lpg=PA1&dq=gouldtown&pg=PA7#v=onepage&q=gouldtown&f=false   Ebony Magazine  http://nativeamericansofdelawarestate.com/MoorsOfDelaware/Ebony1952.htm

  Join award-winning television news anchor Cheryl Wills  and The Gist of Freedom host, Dr. McWilliamsTuesday January 17th at 8pm.  When Ms. Wills discovers that her Great-great-great grandfather, Sandy Wills, was a runaway slave who joined the historic fight for freedom in the American Civil War, she embarks on an gut-wrenching search to learn more about the courageous ancestor who demonstrated the same courage that she knew in her beloved father, an intrepid New York City firefighter, who died when Cheryl was thirteen, and who never knew his family's notable legacy. Die Free stretches from Tennessee, in the 1860s to New York City in the twentieth century. Cheryl also exhumes the spirit of her great-great-great grandmother Emma Wills, an illiterate lionhearted widow, who was discriminated against as she fought to obtain her husband's Civil War pension and unwittingly dictated her historic life, from slavery to freedom, in sworn depositions to a lawyer. The century-old pension papers become the Holy Grail for the newscaster who nails a scoop that has forever changed her life and that of future generations. A lesson in the pruning of one's imagination, Die Free takes readers on a haunting yet exhilarating ride through the side door of American history.

Join entrepreneur Navarrow Wright for a Special screening of CNN's Black in America"The New Promised Land: Silicon Valley" with panelists A'Lelia Bundles, Patent Examiner Patricia Sluby, and  Former Nasa Human Resource Administration, Lynda Sampson in  the D.C. area, January 14.  Only 9 miles from Martin Luther King's Monument- A great way to celebrate King's birthday weekend.  VIew the slide-show  Join us as we cross the valley of the digital divide on our quest to reaching the mountaintop of technology.  The Gist of Freedom will blogcast Navarrow's screening live, Sunday January 15th at the beautiful, african american operated, Underground Railroad Museum at The Belmont Mansion, hosted by Mrs. Audrey Johnson-Thornton.

Join Senator Eric Adams and Michael Coard on The Gist of Freedom. The senator was a litttle late but he was worth the wait.~ As a Captain in the NYPD, Eric Adams during his 20-year career in law enforcement, co-founded 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, a group comprised of law enforcement personnel and their supporters, to provide assistance and subsidies to community-based organizations that strive to improve their neighborhoods.  Eric Adams received his Masters Degree in Public Administration from Marist College and is a graduate of New York City Technical College and John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is a proud product of New York City public schools and resides in Prospect Heights.and he earned widespread praise for creating innovative programs on issues ranging from conflict resolution to child abuse prevention.              

Martin Luther King, Charity Funding the Cause Special Show in Honor of Martin Luther King's Birthday.  Riders Listen to a freedom rider's actual interview during the 1960's demonstration introduced by the legendary Ossie Davis. Additionally, we have a recently discovered speech given by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King at Bennet College, discussing Black fraternities' values and their consumption of Whiskey. Folklore, researched by Zora Neale Hurston. The Freedom Rides began May 1, 1961: Young black and white people in groups like CORE, SNCC, and SCLC began riding the buses to Alabama, and protesting segregation along the way.  Additionally, we have a recently discovered speech given by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King at Bennet College, discussing Black fraternities' values and their consumption of Whiskey. Folklore, researched by Zora Neale Hurston. The Freedom Rides began May 1 1961: Young black and white people in groups like CORE, SNCC, and SCLC began riding the buses to Alabama, and protesting segregation along the way. They were attacked.more than 60 different Freedom Riders. This month we proudly present to you The Roots of Silicon Valley, with Soledad Obrien's CNN documentary The New Promised Land: Silicon Valley, Presented by Navarrow Wright Co-Founder (Russell Simmons) The Global Grind. You're Invited to Attend a discussion of the historical origins of Blacks contributions to technology. This is an incredible opportunity to meaningfully celebrate Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday Weekend meeting and greeting at a technology based reception. Exchange Business Cards, Ideas, and Historical facts, with Madam C.J. Walker' (America's First Female Entrepreneur Millionaire) Great Grand-daughter, A'Lelia Bundles, Navarrow Wright, Patent Examiner Patricia Sluby and Technical Drawings Architect Ishan Rajab  http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs012/1103923442265/archive/1109054951650.html

Join The Gist of Freedom as we welcome Historian, Genealogist, and Radio host~ Angela Walton-Raji. Author, lecturer and researcher. Member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma Genealogical Society, Choctaw-Chickasaw Freedman's Association, Poteau Valley Genealogical Association and PAAC-Preservation of African American Cemeteries Mrs. Raji will discuss how African American's can use genealogy as a stepping stone to preserve African american history while simultaneously introducing  the youth to ther rich heritage, from a victorious perspective. Mrs. Raji will  examine  the  very short period in history whereupon our ancestors demonstrated the divine ability to overcome slavery and the barrage of other social ills they were forced to endure.    http://africanrootspodcast.com/