History Shows Us

A SOTU speech being ripped up is not the most divisive thing in this country. There are bigger issues. 

Just five things centered around Black History Month!

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What if when you learned your ABCs, you also learned why slavery was horrible? The Anti-Slavery Alphabet did just that and was published in 1846. In this episode, I discuss what else was happening in America around this time (because, as I always say, history is not isolated) and I read the entire alphabet and what each letter stood for. I also talk about issues with children's books, textbooks, and curriculum that sugarcoat and don't tell the truth about history, and why educating children about slavery today is crucial for a firm foundation of not just our country, but the world we live in.

Mentioned in the episode:

"The Anti-Slavery Alphabet: Teaching Slavery's Evils in 1846" - from my Sincerely, Lettie blog!

One of this week's Friday Five is to stop telling Black people how to feel about racism. You want to hear the other four. Trust me!

Happy Friday! If you're saying nothing, you're saying something. The film "Just Mercy." Listening to Black voices and people of color. Appreciating those you have. Challenge yourself to do something different.

Georgia Gilmore played a pivotal role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. After vowing to never ride the buses again because of racism and segregation, she later started the Club From Nowhere which was a grassroots project to provide food and funds for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., other civil rights leaders, and thousands of other people were fed by Ms. Gilmore, partaking in soul food, fellowship, and a sense of community while being part of the resistance. A meal was much more than staying nourished. It inspired political and social change and, in this case, is more evidence of black resilience in America. 

Tune in to learn more about this history and how black women like Ms. Gilmore were the unsung heroes of the boycott, the civil rights movement, and continue to be at the forefront of the fight for racial justice. 

Friday Five will be a podcast addition that appears each Friday where I take 10-15 minutes to share five things I've come across or thought of during the week. It'll be a little bit of everything! Tune in to this first Friday Five episode to see what I mean!

Happy New Year! In this first episode of 2020, and season 3, I discuss what New Year's Eve and Day meant for enslaved people and why this grim history puts things into perspective. Knowing this history, and the separation of families on a day we now celebrate joyfully, is important when viewing what is currently happening in our country. I also share my two words for this year and why I chose them.

Instagram: @sincerely.lettie

In this episode I reflect on 2019 and some confirmations and affirmations that I'm so grateful for. I also just give some words of empowerment and encouragement for you as you go into 2020.

Public spectacle lynchings. The black body as souvenir. I read lynching accounts and, I warn you, a few of them are graphic. The legacy of lynching as capital punishment. I discuss all of that and more in this episode. It's a heavy one, but oh so necessary. 

If you haven't listened to part 1 of this episode, please do so! 

Also, please email me at [email protected]