Primary Sources, Black History

Join The Gist of Freedom as we continue our reading -The Free Black Vote- Book Black Abolitionists, By Benjamin Quarles chapter 9.

Click and Listen to Lezlie wells Harper, owner operator of  Niagara Bound Tours Company located in Canada- Tonight on The Gist of Freedom with host Preston Washington!   WWW.BlogTalkRadio.com/BLackHISTORY   NBT is an attraction tour company established in 2004 in the Niagara region that specializes in quality, customized, early Canadian Black history attraction tours (Underground Railroad era) known as “The Crossing Point Tour”.   Our goal is to provide our clients with a unique insight into the migration of Afro-Americans as they escaped slavery in the mid-19th century and settled in southern Ontario, Canada.   We create experiences that capture the essence of what was faced by those forced to flee the slave states, while also giving the historical perspective where local stories will also be told. The success of Niagara Bound Tours is based upon our exemplary knowledge of the period as it relates to this region, our customer service and our tour content.   Our customized tours include a step on guide who is a direct descendant of a fugitive slave from Kentucky whom came to Canada in 1850 settling in the Niagara Region.   All of our tours are customized to suit all budgets, all time frames and all groups with special attention given to student tours. Lunches, dinners or bagged lunches may also be included.   Let Niagara Bound Tours take you on the Crossing Point Experience. Book your tour with us today.

Join us in NYC at The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial & Educational Center 

The Gist of Freedom is pleased to present in partnership with The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial & Educational Center and ILyasah Shabazz Enterprises: A Historic Film Screening "Slavery By Another Name" with Award Winning Filmmaker, Sam Pollard, Host, Ilyasah Al-Shabazz, Panelists Michael Coard, Dr.Walter Greason, Stephanie James Wilson and moderator Roy R. Paul! 

Saturday February 16th, 7pm

Dating from its origin, the Negro press printed the names of black informants,Freedom's Journal listing those of Moses Smith, formerly of Baltimore, and Nathan Gooms of New York, in its issue of November 7, 1828. The mere appearance of these names in the columns of the weekly was a sufficient deterrent to die other informers whose identity the editors threatened to reveal. When Martin R, Delany was editor of The Black Underground  Dr. Martin R. Delaney, founder of the Pittsburgh Mystery in 1842 and later was co-editor of the North Star.

In August 1858 two runaways were betrayed by John Brodie, who had promised to assist them in returning to Covington, Kentucky, to effect the liberation of relatives. Brodie's treachery nearly cost him his life.  He was seized by a group of Negroes, who proceeded to give him three hundred blows with a paddle, a stroke for each dollar he was supposed to have received from the slave-catchers. Only the presence of the influential Henry Highland Garnet saved Brodie from further punishment. The badly mauled informer delivered himself to the police authorities, to be placed in jail for safe-keeping

Join The Gist of Freedom as we welcome Filmmaker Keith Beauchamp (The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till)

returns to The ID Channel with– THE INJUSTICE FILES: HOOD OF SUSPICION

 Premieres on Wednesday, February @ 8 PM  

Keith Beauchamp, who has worked with us over the last three years on this deeply moving series. After exploring civil rights cold cases in 2011 and suspected modern “lynchings” in 2012, this year Keith returns with a thoughtful look at the continuing efforts of heroes who shockingly even today still need to fight for equal rights.”

Modern day self-defense laws, such as Florida’s Stand Your Ground law which was invoked in the Trayvon Martin case, and the Castle Doctrine – which states that a person has no duty to retreat when their home is attacked – continue to perpetuate the pattern of discrimination against African Americans. THE INJUSTICE FILES: HOOD OF SUSPICION examines three such recent cases, including: ROBBIE TOLAN: Bellaire, TX, REKIA BOYD: Chicago, IL and John McNeil

International Anti-Slavery Movement-Book Black Abolitionist chapters 7& 8! when the idea suddenly flashed across my mind of shutting myself up in a box, and getting myself conveyed as dry goods to a free state.

he did not think I could live in a box for so long a time as would be necessary to convey me to Philadelphia,

where I was again placed with my head down, and in this dreadful position had to remain nearly an hour and a half, which, from the sufferings I had thus to endure, seemed like an age to me, but I was forgetting the battle of liberty, and I was resolved to conquer or die.

I felt my eyes swelling as if they would burst from their sockets; and the veins on my temples were dreadfully distended with pressure of blood upon my head. In this position I attempted to lift my hand to my face but I had no power to move it; I felt a cold sweat coming over me which seemed to be a warning that death was about to terminate my earthly miseries, but as I feared even that, less than slavery,

I resolved to submit to the will of God, and under the influence of that impression, I lifted up my soul in prayer to God, who alone, was able to deliver me.

My cry was soon heard, for I could hear a man saying to another, that he had travelled a long way and had been standing there two hours, and he would like to get somewhat to sit down; so perceiving my box, standing on end, he threw it down and then two sat upon it.

The Gist of Freedom welcomes Ida B. Wells: Warrior For Justice presented by Safiya Bandele!    "The Review of Reviews announced that Wells, “a talented and resolute young lady of colour”, was on a pilgrimage around the British Isles to campaign on the subject of Negro lynching; they also published these Sadistic Statistics, "in 1893, excluding Sundays, a Coloured man was lynched every day from January to December."

I had bought a pistol the first thing after Tom Moss was lynched, because I expected some cowardly retaliation from the lynchers. I felt that one had better die fighting against injustice than to die like a dog or a rat in a trap…

I felt if I could take one lyncher with me, this would even up the score a little bit!

The Gist of Freedom welcomes Neva Smith, retired Insurance executive! Church Benevolent Society's Angel Becomes the first black millionaire in the country 

 

Prior to the Emancipation Proclamation, Free Blacks formed Mutual Aid, self help,Benevolent Societies to collect money

as a means to ensure no one would become impoverished. They served as a primary weapon of  resistance. These societies  were the central mechanism for collecting and disbursing shared pool of wealth.

 

 Unfortunately, In Georgia, laws were passed to mandate the level of reserves that all insurance companies had to maintain and this was a major problem for many of these black burial associations.

A church benevolent society unable to meet the $5000 reserve  sought out Alonzo Herndon, a successful barber and a former slave, to buy them out.  Herndon  owned three very successful barber shops and he made a fortune from this trade which he invested heavily in real estate. His success in barbering was spectacular, he acquired more than 100 houses,

 His arrangement with the Church's benevolent society led Herndon to becoming the most successful black businessmen, the first black millionaire in the country and the founder of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company;  Today, Atlanta Life has assets of over $200 million and operates in 17 states. The Atlanta Life Insurance Company is the  largest black-owned stockholder insurance company in America.

Join The Gist of Freedom as we present The Book Reading: Black Abolitionists By Benjamin Quarles~ Schools, Celebrations and International Emancipation Observed and Celebrated!

Vicente Guerrero, Mexico’s first black president

Texas President Sam Houston lamented that ". . . two valuable negro boys for which I had paid in cash $2100 previous to my visit to Nashville, ran away to Mexico.

Just two and a half months after Mexico abolished slavery Mexican officials attempted to curb the number of newcomers. In 1830, foreigners could not cross the border without obtaining a passport issued by Mexican agents.(6)

Texans did not respect the MEXICAN border in their pursuits of Freed Blacks.

In 1855, Captain James Callahan of the Texas Rangers under the orders of Texan Governor Elisha Pease entered Mexico in an attempt to recapture slaves. Callahan insisted that the purpose of his excursion was to pursue Indians rather than recapture fugitive slaves.

The Mexican government with the help of Native Americans, however, forced him to retreat and withdraw without the slaves; although not without leaving a small village in ruins.(23)

After the Mexican American War, Texas was admitted into the Union. The Republic of Texas declared slavery to be legal and in its ten-year existence, the slave population grew 450% from 5,000 to nearly 27,500.(16)

Join The Gist of Freedom as we discuss Benjamin Quarles' Book Black Abolitionists: With Dr. Walter Greason and hosts, Preston Washington & Ty El-Gray!

Chapter 5/6 Self Emancipations, Self Help, and Mutual Aid Societies: The Dorcas,  Sarah M. Douglass and Sarah Smith The Black Beauty

“Black, I am, oh! daughters fair,”

But my beauty is most rare;

Black, indeed, appears my skin,

Beauteous, comely, all within:

Black, when by affliction press’d

Beauteous, when in Christ I rest;

Black, by sin’s defiling flood.

Beauteous, wash’d in Jesus’ blood:

Black, I am in mine own eyes,

Beauteous, in my Lord’s I rise;

Black I am to men ’tis true;

Beauteous, in the angel’s view:

Black, if Jesus frowns awhile,

Beauteous, when I see him smile;

Black, while in the tomb I lie,

Beauteous, when I mount the sky!

Written from Solomon’s Songs