Black History Month

I love reading historical documents like this one. After reading it, I had a great sense of what strength this man Jourdon must have had as a freed slave who had a dreadful master. On this first day of Black History, I thought this was something great to share.
To take a look at what appears to be a scan of the original letter, which appeared in an August 22, 1865 edition of the New York Daily Tribune, click here.

Dayton, Ohio,

August 7, 1865

To My Old Master, Colonel P.H. Anderson, Big Spring, Tennessee

Sir: I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten Jourdon, and that you wanted me to come back and live with you again, promising to do better for me than anybody else can. I have often felt uneasy about you. I thought the Yankees would have hung you long before this, for harboring Rebs they found at your house. I suppose they never heard about your going to Colonel Martin's to kill the Union soldier that was left by his company in their stable. Although you shot at me twice before I left you, I did not want to hear of your being hurt, and am glad you are still living. It would do me good to go back to the dear old home again, and see Miss Mary and Miss Martha and Allen, Esther, Green, and Lee. Give my love to them all, and tell them I hope we will meet in the better world, if not in this. I would have gone back to see you all when I was working in the Nashville Hospital, but one of the neighbors told me that Henry intended to shoot me if he ever got a chance.

I want to know particularly what the good chance is you propose to give me. I am doing tolerably well here. I get twenty-five dollars a month, with victuals and clothing; have a comfortable home for Mandy,—the folks call her Mrs. Anderson,—and the children—Milly, Jane, and Grundy—go to school and are learning well. The teacher says Grundy has a head for a preacher. They go to Sunday school, and Mandy and me attend church regularly. We are kindly treated. Sometimes we overhear others saying, "Them colored people were slaves" down in Tennessee. The children feel hurt when they hear such remarks; but I tell them it was no disgrace in Tennessee to belong to Colonel Anderson. Many darkeys would have been proud, as I used to be, to call you master. Now if you will write and say what wages you will give me, I will be better able to decide whether it would be to my advantage to move back again.

As to my freedom, which you say I can have, there is nothing to be gained on that score, as I got my free papers in 1864 from the Provost-Marshal-General of the Department of Nashville. Mandy says she would be afraid to go back without some proof that you were disposed to treat us justly and kindly; and we have concluded to test your sincerity by asking you to send us our wages for the time we served you. This will make us forget and forgive old scores, and rely on your justice and friendship in the future. I served you faithfully for thirty-two years, and Mandy twenty years. At twenty-five dollars a month for me, and two dollars a week for Mandy, our earnings would amount to eleven thousand six hundred and eighty dollars. Add to this the interest for the time our wages have been kept back, and deduct what you paid for our clothing, and three doctor's visits to me, and pulling a tooth for Mandy, and the balance will show what we are in justice entitled to. Please send the money by Adams's Express, in care of V. Winters, Esq., Dayton, Ohio. If you fail to pay us for faithful labors in the past, we can have little faith in your promises in the future. We trust the good Maker has opened your eyes to the wrongs which you and your fathers have done to me and my fathers, in making us toil for you for generations without recompense. Here I draw my wages every Saturday night; but in Tennessee there was never any pay-day for the negroes any more than for the horses and cows. Surely there will be a day of reckoning for those who defraud the laborer of his hire.

In answering this letter, please state if there would be any safety for my Milly and Jane, who are now grown up, and both good-looking girls. You know how it was with poor Matilda and Catherine. I would rather stay here and starve—and die, if it come to that—than have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters. You will also please state if there has been any schools opened for the colored children in your neighborhood. The great desire of my life now is to give my children an education, and have them form virtuous habits.

Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when you were shooting at me.

From your old servant,

Jourdon Anderson.

Why Is He So Cool??!

I love the President, First Lady and their children. I think President Barack Obama is the most swagged out President ever! Ok, I know some of ya'll might be thinking that Bill Clinton was pretty cool but be for real, have you seen President Obama walk to or from the podium for a speech??! SWAG! And to top it all off, he sings too! Check out our President singing Al Green's "Let's Stay together". If that doesn't get you out to vote this man back in the White House nothing else will...Well ok of course his policies are good but hey which of our other presidents was a Cold as Ice!

Let's Support

I have no idea why in 2012 emails and posts about supporting a Black movie must be made but since the US hasn't changed as much as we would like: Please go Support the new George Lucas movie "Red Tails"

I've gotten emails from just about every organization I'm in so I'm pretty sure this movie will be #1 over the weekend but to ensure that check out the trailer and go treat yourself to a movie this weekend. Red Tails has an all Black star studded cast and it's an action movie. Check it out:

Qoute of the Day

The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn't a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not disgrace to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim, is a sin.
- Benjamin Mays

How many of us are going through life without really giving thought to our purpose? Marinate on that...

Let's Get It Popping

Ok, I'm back again and it's like I never left. Every time I neglect my blog for a while and come back I also say I'm gonna post at least once a week, well I'm saying it again and I mean it this time thanks to my handy dandy IPad!

So I heard this quote just a few days ago and it really made me think:

"Set yourself on fire and the world will pay to see you burn." Don King

I think I'm ready to let the world see me glow...

A Great Article.

I read this yesterday and thought it was wonderful that someone took the time to put a spotlight on this young man.





At thirteen years of age, Stephen Stafford is causing quite a stir at Morehouse College. Stafford has a triple major in pre-med, math and computer science. Though he loves playing video games and playing his drum set, he is no typical teenager.

"I've never taught a student as young as Stephen, and it's been amazing," said computer science professor Sonya Dennis. "He's motivating other students to do better and makes them want to step up their game."

Stafford began his college career at the age of 11, after being home-schooled by his mother. Stafford's mother said that when Stafford began to teach her instead of being taught by her, she knew he needed to be in a college environment.




Now THAT'S what I'm talking about. Stephen Stafford, in my opinion, represents exactly what black men are about: Intelligence, ambition and high academic achievement. This is not to disrespect men in other walks of life, but the truth is that you will never see Stephen Stafford's accomplishments promoted like a rap music video.

We must, as a community, applaud and uphold this young man. We must cheer for him as if he averages 40 points a game. We should converse about his achievements as if he had released a platinum hip-hop album. He should get the same respect as every linebacker, point guard or hip-hop artist in America.

Corporate America will not blow Stephen's trumpet, but I will. I also want all the other Stephen Staffords to make themselves seen. There are hundreds of thousands of Stephen Staffords out there who've been convinced by a culture of thuggery that they should do their best to hide their greatness. Rather than acing math class, they've been taught to measure grams and kilos or to memorize football playbooks that are 100 pages thick. Our young men can analyze the triangle offense in basketball and break down a nickel defense, but then become mentally deficient when it comes to doing algebra, science and social studies. The time for mediocrity is over, since education is the key to making your dreams come true. Sports only creates more nightmares for most of the young men who sacrifice their education in order to be athletes (even those who become professionals). This doesn't mean that athletes don't deserve our respect; instead, it means that we've got to learn to separate the hype from reality.

Stephen will make more money than nearly all of his athletic friends, because education produces economic empowerment. He will also have more personal freedom and professional fulfillment. He will live the American dream, and I encourage all of you to make your own sons into the next Stephen Stafford.

The recipe for our kids is simple:

1) Spend as much time studying as you spend playing sports or working at fast food restaurant jobs. If a kid can work 8 hours for McDonalds, then he can study 4 hours a day in the library.

2) Don't let anyone convince you that you can't achieve whatever you put your mind to. No one has the right to define you or your child. Because my grades were horrible in high school, I was told that I wasn't smart enough to go to college and (like millions of black boys across America) recommended for special education. Later on, I became the only African American in the world to earn a PhD in Finance during the year 2002. I didn't earn the degree because I was brilliant. I actually earned it because I finally realized that I had the ability and determination to make my dream into a reality.

Just by studying 4 to 5 hours per day (less than the number of hours they would put in to working a minimum wage job), almost any child in America can get a college degree and become a doctor, lawyer or whatever they want. If George Bush can go to Harvard, then every kid in America can graduate from college if they choose to do so. I've taught college for 16 years, and I can tell you that the term "college material" needs to be abolished. Every child is college material if they want to be. That's the truth.

Really Though??

While listening to my favorite radio talk show host Gayle King, this morning, I heard to most thought provoking comment from one of the callers. The topic was race and specifically about Rep. Wilson's "You Lie" interuption of the President's address to Congress. The woman said she was a republican white lawyer and that she wanted to give the point of view from a white person; and that basically white people felt like President Obama's policies were stealing from them (white people) to give to minorities.

WOW!

The caller went on to say that she didn't think Rep. Wilson's comments were racially based but more so dealing with the fact that according to her white people feel like the President is taxing them more to give to the poor. I was just shocked at hearing her comment.

If this is true and the general consensus of white people is that the President is in office to take their hard earned money and give it to poor lazy minorities just because he is Half Black, what were Black people supposed to feel during the administration of all the other 43 White Presidents?

Last Night's Epiphany

Believing in yourself is really believing in God. Marinate on that...More tomorrow.

Look who's walking

Message for Mom

That Boy can Walk

Quote of the Day

I read this today on JD's site and it really made think.

“You can’t ask for what you want unless you know what it is. A lot of people don’t know what they want or they want much less than they deserve. First you have figure out what you want. Second, you have to decide that you deserve it. Third, you have to believe you can get it. And, fourth, you have to have the guts to ask for it.”-Barbara De Angelis

How Beautiful

Looking at things like this just amaze me. I don't know how anyone could look at something like this and not know that God is real.

This is a real picture of cloud formations near Mt. Rainer in Washington State. I wish I could have seen this in person too.

kanYe West : Blog : WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!

kanYe West : Blog : WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!

Check out the link. This is a mural painted on the street. One of the craziest things I've ever seen- well in a picture. I wish I could see that in person.

Quote of the Day

I am back and will be making myself post here at least 4 times a week this year. Boy for someone who want to write a whole book I have really been slipping and trippin' on my skills, huh? Any way I heard this quote in church on Sunday and it really spoke to me so I thought I would share:

God is, all by himself....

Just 5 words but it almost made me cry hearing it. God just IS. No one else can say that because we are all of God. No one person is doing anything all by themselves but God has created the Earth and every creature on this planet. Think about that! He created apples, dirt, air, stars, eyebrows. Just think of all those things and then think of every great idea that you might have had, and realize that He have you that too!

God is, all by himself...Wow

Bryce Walking with his toy

Quote for the Day

I just read this in an email and I thought I should share:

When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go, only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He'll catch you when you fall, or He'll teach you how to fly!

Marinate on that!

I haven't been around for a while

Hey, Those of you who know me, know that the latest addition to the house has left me sleep deprived and with a little less free time. I'm thinking this is why God hasn't given me my book idea yet since I've got other things occupying all my copious spare time. Well, I've decided that I'm going to make myself post at least once a week from now on and even though that's a really mediocre goal, I've got to start somewhere to get back in the groove of writing.

Well, I thought I'd start off my new posts with something exciting that I saw today. I love all things Tyler Perry and have been in anticipation of his new movie called A Family That Preys starring Alfre Woodard, Sanaa Lathan & Kathy Bates. The movie comes out on Sept. 12 and the trailer looks like Mr. Perry has made another smash hit. Any peep the trailer for yourself and make sure you go out and see the movie the opening weekend...Oh and make sure your ticket is for the right movie!

http://www.blackfilm.com/20080606/features/thefamilythatpreys.shtml

Happy Mother's Day we love ya!

part 3