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African American history

July 4, 2023

“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

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Abolitionist Frederick Douglass’s priceless speech on July 5, 1852 as depicted by James Earl Jones

He was photographed more than Mark Twain and President Abraham Lincoln. He was born a slave and gained freedom, the skills of reading and writing, became a journalist, photographer, orator, author, abolitionist, father, husband and so much more.

With his earned standing in the United States and worldwide abolitionist movement, Frederick Douglass’s words are heeded then and today.

Happy Fourth of July to all. Celebrate it by hearing the sobering and engaging words of Frederick Douglass through the voice of famed, award-winning Actor James Earl Jones. You can download the video or audio versions. Here’s the transcript of this broadcast:

Transcript

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: Today, in this special broadcast, we begin with the words of Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery around 1818, Douglass became a key leader of the abolitionist movement. On July 5th, 1852, in Rochester, New York, Frederick Douglass gave one of his most famous speeches, “What to the Slave Is Your Fourth of July?” He was addressing the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society.

This is James Earl Jones reading the historic address during a performance of Voices of a People’s History of the United States. It was co-edited by Howard Zinn. The late great historian introduced the address.

HOWARD ZINN: Frederick Douglass, once a slave, became a brilliant and powerful leader of the anti-slavery movement. In 1852, he was asked to speak in celebration of the Fourth of July.

FREDERICK DOUGLASS: [read by James Earl Jones] Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? And am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?

I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you this day rejoice are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence bequeathed by your fathers is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak today?

What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days of the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is a constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to Him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy — a thin veil to cover up crimes that would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation of the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour.

At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. O! had I the ability, and could reach the nation’s ear, I would, to-day, pour forth a stream, a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and the crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced.

AMY GOODMAN: James Earl Jones, reading the words of Frederick Douglass.

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June 30, 2023

We were asked to share this great news

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‘Reconstructing the Black Archive’ Aims to Create a More Complete Picture of History in South Carolina

29 Jun 2023 9:22 AMAnonymous

Twenty-four scholars from across the country will spend three weeks in South Carolina, learning how to teach and tell a more complete picture of American history, thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

“Reconstructing the Black Archive,” a summer institute run by Furman University and Clemson University, will send the scholars, most of whom teach undergraduate students, into churches, historical associations, museums and other sources to learn to recover missing, often intentionally buried, histories.

“These are vibrant sources that tell a history lost to many earlier generations. It’s exciting and thrilling to behold,” said Gregg Hecimovich, Furman professor English, who directs the institute with Furman’s Kaniqua Robinson, assistant professor of anthropology, and Clemson’s Susanna Ashton and Rhondda Robinson Thomas, both professors in the Department of English.

The scholars’ itinerary takes them to sources at Clemson University and the city itself, Columbia and Charleston where they’ll learn from a cast of expertsincluding archivists, literary critics, prize-winning authors, poets and historians, people who have forged the tools for reassembling the scattered shards of information that give a fuller picture of the past.

You can read more in an article by Tina Underwood  published in the Furman web site at: https://tinyurl.com/hbxpt2ey.

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June 30, 2023

Freebie Friday: Genealogy and ancestry courses for your research weekend

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We love freebies, especially when it helps our genealogy and ancestry pursuits. Here are a few great free workshops, seminars and other events:

  • Indexing for Beginners. It begins today, Friday, June 30, 2023 at 3 p.m. EST. Presented by St. George FamilySearch Center. To join a zoom class, do the following:
  • • Navigate to this webpage on the date and time of the class you would like to join (we recommend joining classes 5-10 minutes before they start to resolve any connection issues).
  • • Click on the red link: “JOIN CURRENT CLASS”
  • • From the screen that pops up select “Open Zoom Meeting”
  • >> DO NOT SELECT “Launch Meeting”
  • • Select “join with video” and “join with audio” when and if prompted to do so.
  • CLASS DESCRIPTIONS AND HANDOUTS CAN BE FOUND AT:
  • www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/St_George_Utah_FamilySearch_Center/ClassList_Handouts
  • NOTE: Sometimes our schedules or instructors change so please check this site regularly for updates as well as for information & the link on how to join classes.
  • For details see www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/St._George_Utah_FamilySearch_Center/Classes
  • Introduction to Genealogy: Vital Records (Birth, Marriage, and Death) – CGS Free First Saturdays Program on Saturday, July 1, 2023. Presented by California Genealogical Society. It begins @ 1:00 PM EST. “Not sure how to get started with your family research? Interested in refreshing your skills? Our four-part series is ideal for getting started with genealogy or for advanced researchers to revisit principles of good research. Join us for a FREE Introduction to Genealogy class the FIRST SATURDAY of every month from 10 am – 12 pm. This is a four-session “Intro to Genealogy” class series. The first class offers an overview of genealogy research. Each of the next three sessions offers a more in-depth focus on the following topics: Census, Vital Records, and Organization. The classes may be taken in any order, and participation in one class is not required to attend others in the series. See below for dates and topics:
  • Jan 7, May 6, Sep 2 Genealogy Basics Overview
  • Feb 4, Jun 3, Oct 7 Using the Census
  • Mar 4, Jul 1, Nov 4 Vital Records (Birth, Marriage, and Death)
  • Apr 1, Aug 5, Dec 2 Organizing Your Family History Work
  • (July and September may be rescheduled due to the holiday weekends)
  • Note: Separate registration required for each session.
  • www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-intro-to-genealogy-1st-saturday-free-overview-and-focused-topics-registration-430667336597

Always consult your government sources for free genealogy and ancestry help. After all, if you pay taxes, you’ve paid for these great services. Here’s one of my favorite, basic sites. The details are great refreshers for many of us. For the newbies to the vast research involved in tracing our ancestors, this U.S. National Archives site is terrific, albeit it appears to be complicated. Happy hunting!

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June 19, 2023

Part Two: The rest of the short story about the U.S. freedom order in Texas

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Editor’s note: The first part of this blog was published on the Good Genes Genealogy sites two days ago. Here is the rest of the preview of our upcoming Juneteenth audiobook.

The Galveston Tri-Weekly News, which printed General Order No. 3 on June 20, 1865, the day after it was issued. Texas Newspaper Collection, Briscoe Center for American History, UT Austinhttps://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/juneteenth

General Granger was assigned a difficult task that became worse for him after delivering the freedom message in Texas. According to historians, General Granger “became extremely unpopular among many whites in the state of Texas. He was blackballed and ostracized by many Whites, so much so, that after only six months in command of the Department of Texas, Granger was relieved of his command on August 6, 1865. On October 31, 1865, he was placed in command of the District of New Mexico.”

General Granger’s health also declined after his transfer in command. Source: https://seattlemedium.com/gen-gordon-granger-the-man-behind-the-juneteenth-message-of-freedom/

Texas came a long way from being the last state to recognize the Emancipation Proclamation to becoming the first state in 1980 to declare Juneteenth as an official holiday. With the determined, multi-year lobbying effort by famous Texan Opal Lee, in 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law the nation’s official holiday of Juneteenth.

Several miles north of Galveston near the Navasota River in Groesbeck, Limestone County, Texas, General Granger’s Order No. 3 reached the homestead. The Pleasant Retreat Plantation was owned by Logan Stroud, a slave owner who inherited the property upon the death of his father, Ethan. The father and son had acquired plantations that resulted in 5,000 acres used for raising cotton, corn, oats, wheat, hogs, sheep and it served as a ranch. At the time of Civil War, the younger Stroud was the largest slave holder in Limestone County, owning more than 100 slaves. It was recorded that he had 150 slaves on the day now known as Juneteenth.

According to the property records, the Emancipation Proclamation was read in Limestone County from the porch of the Pleasant Retreat Plantation, on Saturday, June 19, 1865.

On Saturday, June 19, 1865, in Limestone County, Texas, plantation owner Logan Stroud stood on the front porch of this house to tell more than 150 of his enslaved workers that they were free. | Photo: Historic American Building Survey. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Newly freed Blacks in Texas set the tone for celebrating the early days of June 19th with recognitions of their former lives and the memories of their loved ones who endured enslavement. However, there were some Blacks who thought the Juneteenth and Emancipation Day celebrations should put the awful days of slavery behind and instead, look forward with celebrations of hope and aspirations. During the years of Jim Crow, Juneteenth celebrations were confined to the Black communities from coast to coast in the United States.

The photos (see below) are from Mrs. Grace Murray Stephenson, a lady who recorded her June 19, 1900 day of celebration. She sold her diary to the San Francisco Chronicle, which printed her memories.

While awaiting the arrival of the Good Genes Genealogy’s Juneteenth audiobook, learn more about the June 19th holiday and the other “Black” holiday, August 1st. Check out our e-book that is available on all book buy sites.

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June 15, 2023

In honor of Juneteenth: Pick up an e-book to learn about the other “first” Black holiday

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Good Genes Genealogy Services’ first e-book describes August 1st and Juneteenth as Black Holidays

Our first e-book about African American historical and ancestry achievements, is highlighted with lively research about Juneteenth and August First. In honor of this year’s celebration of the nation’s official holiday, Juneteenth, pick up a copy from your favorite online store.

“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection therefore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.” – U.S. Brigadier General Gordon Granger, Galveston, Texas,  June 19, 1865  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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April 1, 2023

Changing the world through the unsung missions of Black midwives

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Midwife in 1941 prepping for her next visit.
Delano, Jack, 1914-1997, photographer

About 80 miles southeast of Atlanta, Georgia, lies Greene County. In Greene County, Georgia as it was in Greene County, Missouri, and across the nation, Black women midwives were and still are highly regarded.

It was widely proved that midwives saved lives — babies and their mothers. They birthed presidents, preachers, teachers and several family members who will attest to their value in caring for mothers in many communities where healthcare facilities were miles away or nonexistent.

The worth of midwives is especially highlighted in recent data that was shored up with the release of 2021 data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that showed a sharp increase in infant mortality, especially among African American women. A century ago, the infant mortality rates were much more severe, yet midwives were credited in successfully bringing babies into the world and saving their mothers. Even slave owners knew this truth.

A study published by the National Library of Medicine found:

We estimated that, relative to current coverage, a substantial increase in coverage of midwife-delivered interventions could avert 41% of maternal deaths, 39% of neonatal deaths, and 26% of stillbirths, equating to 2·2 million deaths averted per year by 2035. Even a modest increase in coverage of midwife-delivered interventions could avert 22% of maternal deaths, 23% of neonatal deaths, and 14% of stillbirths, equating to 1·3 million deaths averted per year by 2035.

Nove A, Friberg IK, de Bernis L, McConville F, Moran AC, Najjemba M, Ten Hoope-Bender P, Tracy S, Homer CSE. Potential impact of midwives in preventing and reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and stillbirths: a Lives Saved Tool modelling study. Lancet Glob Health. 2021 Jan;9(1):e24-e32. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30397-1. Epub 2020 Dec 1. PMID: 33275948; PMCID: PMC7758876.

Midwives Matter

Early African American midwives were important members of their community, even among enslaved individuals. Slave owners used these medical practitioners to ensure the health of their reproducing enslaved women and their newborn infants to expand their labor force. It was also common for midwives to attend to the slave master’s wives during birth as well.

https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/historical-significance-doulas-and-midwives#:~:text=Early%20African%20American%20midwives%20were,to%20expand%20their%20labor%20force.

This midwife account describes the importance of recognizing Black midwives for their contributions to societal good: “… the story of a poor white boy delivered by a black midwife slave that grew up to be the president that freed 3.5 million black slaves in the United States, and was killed for doing so.” — From The Midwife Slave

“Aunt” Sally of Gees Bend, Alabama in 1939. She was the only doctor that anyone around the area ever knew.
Wolcott, Marion Post, 1910-1990, photographer

What ancestral researchers should consider

There are documentaries, articles, scholarly works and stories within families about the importance and legacy of midwives.

  1. All births — whether at home or in hospitals — are recorded in each municipality’s Vital Records Division. The attending midwife, parents and/or physician are allowed to sign the paperwork.
  2. Time frames are usually required to register births. If the time frames are not adhered to, or should errors appear on birth certificates based on sources authorized to make the changes, the municipalities are allowed to issue delayed birth certificates.
  3. Because midwives have more than records to report, their stories are important to learning more about families’ ancestors. Some midwives kept journals, shared birth stories with family members and were the keepers of intimate secrets, the midwives are great sources for breaking down brick walls.

Historically, Black midwives are archived among famous global citizens. Check out this site for more information.

Read more: Changing the world through the unsung missions of Black midwives

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March 30, 2023

Genealogy Find: Original Beat Box(es)

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Check out the oriiginal human beat box group. Their vocal moves are amazing.

One of the benefits of researching our ancestors is the “find.” In this case, find is pure gold through the super talented siblings who set the human “beat box” standards. They are the Mills Brothers.

While combing through the online ancestry files of the Good Genes Genealogy Services’ grandfather, Eugene Owen, Jr., this remembrance was round. Our grandfather left Omaha, Nebraska for Los Angeles, Calif. to pursue his dream of becoming a Mills Brother-like entertainer. It was the 1940s and he left a family behind in Omaha, including little girls who would grow up and become our mothers of Good Genes Genealogy Services team members.

Our grandfather’s goal was to form a singing group become as popular as the Mills Brothers, a musical team of siblings whose 40+ years of success began in the 1930s. Our grandfather never achieved the same fame. He likely broke the hearts of our grandmother, “Mama” Helen Wilkes Owen Douthy, and her children and other family members. There are joys and pains in researching our families’ histories and this is an example of wading through all of the materials to get to the truth.

Yet, each time we hear the Mills Brothers’ recordings and watch the more than 20 movies that they appeared in during their stellar career, we think of Grandpa Owen.

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