Activists and Events Issue: April

This is Robin Lofton and I want to welcome you to rememberinghistory.com where are remembering history and we’re making it. Hello, habari gani, nangadef! I’ll explain that one a bit later. Right now, you are at a safe place to remember African American history, a quiet place to reflect on the African American experience and a powerful place to make history every single day.

I’m so glad that you’re here so we can share in this journey together. History should be a shared experience. So, let’s get started.

This is the month that we, at rememberinghistory.com, remember and acknowledge the activists who are working for a better world, we reflect on the importance of activism in the African American community and we resolve to keep up the work of the activists—past and present—to make changes in our communities, our country and yes even our world.

In April, we remembered the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (one of the world’s foremost activists) who, sadly, was assassinated on April 4, 1968. This year, 2018, marks the 50thanniversary of his death. His legacy definitely endures. However, the goals and visions that he had for a better world have definitely NOT been realized.  Poverty, injustice, economic, political and social inequality, violence, group supremacy. They are still a part of the American experience—the global experience, in fact—so we still have LOTS of work to do. And I’m so impressed with the constant, fearless of work of activists that are working and fighting to make a better world.

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Do you like movies?

I don’t really care for movies. But there are exceptions. I’ve noticed that there are more movies about history and cultural experiences.  And I really enjoy those kinds of movies. I’ve noticed, in particular, that there are more movies about African American history (or American history, actually) like Marshall, Loving, Twelve Years a Slave (based on the amazing book), Hidden Figures (again, based on the amazing book) and lots of others.  They always make me think a lot—then I start doing research. And I learn so much.

 I was asked to make a presentation about the movie, Selma. Remember that movie about the Bloody Sunday march—it happened on March 7, 1965, on the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama. (Yeah, that name should be changed; he was a Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan.) My presentation was simply to introduce the movie then we would watch the film and the audience would have a discussion about the importance of the march itself and voting rights in America.

To prepare for this presentation, I watched Selma. I had already seen the movie but I watched it again just to be more familiar with it. I had forgotten what a powerful movie that it was so I was kinda seeing it again for the first time.  Several things struck me about the movie.

First, the importance of the activists in the film. Yes, there was Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, John Lewis and SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee).  Yes, they were important and powerful.

But I was also impressed with people who showed up for the march for voting rights, the people who went to register to vote in Alabama like Annie Lee Cooper but was turned away by the registrar. By the way, Oprah Winfrey plays this role stunningly in the opening scene of the movie. I remember hearing so many people gasp when the registrar demanded that she name all of the judges in Alabama!  There was Jimmy Lee Jackson, a 26-year old woodcutter, army veteran and father.  Yes, he was a Black man. He had repeatedly tried to register to vote for many years and had been repeatedly denied.  In the movie and in real life, he (along with his mother and grandfather) participated in a night march to protest the arrest of another activist—James Orange—who was being held in the county jail. During that night march, the local police attacked the marchers and chased them through the night, beating them. Jimmie Lee and his mother and grandfather ran into a café to hide but police found them and continued beating them. As Jimmie Lee tried to help his mother who had been hit with a billy club, a state trooper shot him repeatedly in the stomach. Bleeding and in terrible pain, Jimmie Lee ran outside where troopers continued to beat him until he collapsed. Jimmie Lee died 8 days later in the hospital. That part was one of the most moving and difficult scenes of the movie.

By the way, it is commonly thought that the Bloody Sunday march was about voting rights. This is a misconception. The march was actually held to protest the shooting and murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson by the Alabama police. (Unfortunately, we’ve had a lot of those marches in the past few years too.)

Let’s discuss another activist from the movie: Reverend James Reeb.

After the Bloody Sunday march, Dr. King had asked all people of conscience from around the country to come to Selma for another march across the bridge.  People of all faiths, races and ethnicities answered his call. Rev. Reeb was one of the people who didn’t hesitate to go to Selma to march for voting rights.  Rev. Reeb was a 38-year old Unitarian Universalist minister from Boston. And, yes, he was white. He was also a member of the SCLC. And he insisted that his four children go to integrated schools and his church was also integrated. He went to Selma—answering Dr. King’s call—to march. For various reasons, the march didn’t happen on the scheduled day. That night, Rev. Reeb and several other ministers when out to dinner at an integrated restaurant. On their way home, Rev. Reeb was attacked by white supremacists. He was viciously beaten and died several days later. The movie showed his murder—for which no one was ever convicted—and it was another excruciating scene to endure. Reverend Reeb was a courageous and principled person who believed in equality, justice and the nonviolent fight for justice and equality.

One activist who was mentioned in the movie but not shown for her courage and activism was Viola Liuzzo.  She was a 38-year white woman,  civil rights activist and mother of five from Detroit. Viola was also a member of the NAACP. She was not on the front lines of marches but played a supportive role by transporting people to and from marches, making lunches and even babysitting. She participated in the 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery.  After marching to Montgomery, she drove other participants home and was driving with 19-year old Leroy Moton back to Selma. Leroy was a black man who had also participated in the march. On a dark and lonely road, the Ku Klux Klan chased her and shot her in the head. The Klan thought that Leroy was dead so they left the scene.  

I know that a movie can’t show everything but I wished that they could have given more than a nod to Viola Liuzzo—she was a courageous activist, principled woman and a loving wife and mother. She deserves to be remembered. Well, that IS what we’re doing here today. We’re remembering the brave activists: Jimmie Lee Jackson, Reverend Reeb, Viola Liuzzo and many others who fought for justice and equality. And they made the world—our world—a better place.

Why do I bring up these stories?  Because this is April and we are focusing on activism and activists.  Not every story can be told and there are so many from the Civil Rights Movement that will NEVER be told, but these people risked everything to make demands of their government, in this case to demand the right to vote for themselves and for others. And they demanded justice for Jimmie Lee Jackson.   The word that comes to my mind: Respect.

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So, it’s time to look at the history calendar for this week.  I have two calendars that I use: One is called The Peace Calendar printed by the SyracuseCulturalworkers which is a progressive publisher committed to peace, sustainability, social justice, feminism and multiculturalism. The other is calendar is called A History of Racial Injustice, printed by the Equal Justice Initiative.  EJI is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society. Both groups are doing excellent work. Just to give them a shout out, you can purchase their calendars and other products at the rememberinghistory.com website. And, of course, you can make a donation to them to support their work. You’ll find the link at rememberinghistory.com. Hey, we gotta work together!

History is full of things that are interesting and uplifting as well as the disturbing and downright horrific and this week is no different.

Let’s start with the interesting: In the United States, this is National Library Week! So, this is a great time to visit your local public library and perhaps even thank a librarian. Where I live very few public libraries are still open, which is such a shame. As a child, I cherished the days that I spent reading and exploring in my neighborhood library.  So, this is a good week to visit a library—actually, every week is a good week to visit a library.

One library that I absolutely love is the African American Museum and Library in Oakland. This is a fantastic combination of historical exhibits with a fully functioning and very comfortable library. Yes, the focus is on the African American experience so the AAMLO (as it is called) offers speeches, jazz and blues concerts, activities for children and an excellent selection of books on African American history and culture. Highly recommended. Go to rememberinghistory.com for more information and links.

Next, we’ll look at this week’s uplifting event in history. April 10 is the birthday of Dolores Huerta--an American labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers.  Born in 1930, Dolores Huerta began her career teaching elementary school. After teaching elementary school, Huerta left her job and began her lifelong crusade to correct economic injustice:[2]

She is quoted as saying, “I couldn't tolerate seeing kids come to class hungry and needing shoes. I thought I could do more by organizing farm workers than by trying to teach their hungry children.”

Ms. Huerta is a strong and persistent advocate for the rights of migrant farmworkers, directing the UFW during the historic national grape boycott from 1965 to 1970. That famous boycott led to the signing of a collective bargaining agreement for farmworkers. She also fights for consumer rights and women’s rights. As an advocate for farmworkers' rights, Huerta has been arrested twenty-two times for participating in non-violent civil disobedience activities and strikes, Huerta has been arrested 22 times and suffered severe beatings from law enforcement.  She remains[when?] active in progressive causes. This is an uplifting story about a courageous woman from humble beginnings who fought bravely for causes that improved the lives of one of the most vulnerable groups in the United States, the migrant farmworkers.  Her story is inspirational, uplifting, educational and still continuing. If you would like more information about Dolores Huerta, there is new documentary, called simply, Dolores, that aims to put Huerta where she belongs – alongside Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, and Gloria Steinem as one of the most important US activists and organizers of the 20th century. You can find the DVD or link to the download on the rememberinghistory.com website.

On to the disturbing. April 12 is National Equal Pay Day (in the United States). This important day was founded in 1996. That’s not disturbing. The disturbing part is that, in 2017, Women’s average pay in the United States is still only 79 percent of men’s pay for the same work! While I’m happy about the many advances that women have made, there is clearly more work to be done before we can start patting ourselves on the back or, even worse, getting complacent.  So, perhaps we shouldn’t celebrate or commemorate National Equal Pay day until we actually have equal pay. It is possible! Or as Dolores Huerta said, “si, se puede!” (She coined that term long before Barack Obama.)

Finally, to end with the downright horrific. April 14, 1906. A white lynch mob hangs and shoots to death Fred Coker (aged 20), William Allen (aged 25) and Horace Dunn (aged 20), three black men, before a crowd of 5,000 in a town square in Springfield, Missouri. They had been arrested for robbery and rape though they had strong alibis showing that they did not commit the crimes. The remaining African American population was forced to flee their homes out of fear of continued mob violence. Lynching was a form of racial terrorism used by whites to keep blacks under their thumb once slavery ended. Over 4,000 African Americans (AMERICANS) were lynched from 1877 to 1950. You can get more information on lynching in history and the modern forms of violence against African Americans on the Equal Justice Initiative website—www.eji.org.

BTW, you might feel that it does not make sense to mention people who were lynched, especially when it was so long ago—more than a hundred years ago in the cases that I just mentioned.  But I feel that it IS important. These were people. Individuals. And they were killed because of racism—hatred from the mob that killed them AND hatred from the criminal justice system that failed to punish the murderers and from the society that found it acceptable to kill people because of their race.  During those times, the NAACP would put up a sign outside of its window whenever they were notified that a person had been lynched.  The sign said simply, “A man was lynched today.”  We must not forget that it happened or ever diminish its importance no matter how long ago it was. Finally, this does make me think about the African Americans that we hear about very often that are killed by police, security guards or private citizens, the justice system that refuses to punish the offenders AND the society that finds it acceptable.  Gotta think about it.

This has been a busy week in African American history and we have just scratched the surface. I hope (like I said about movies earlier) that YOU will dig deeper, do more research and learn more.  There is always more to learn.

If you want more guidance or support in your efforts, you might want the services of a history coach. A history coaching service is available at the rememberinghistory.com website to help guide you through the material, answer questions, provide materials, make suggestions for your research or study approach, and support you every step of the way.

History is important but it is not always pretty or easy. And no one needs to approach it alone at rememberinghistory.com. The coaches are there to help and happy to work with you in whatever way suits you.

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At the beginning of this show, I greeted you with Habari gani. You might know that greeting from the Swahili language. The regular Rememberinghistory.com  listeners will remember it from the December show when we celebrated Kwanzaa.  I also greeted you with Nangadef.  That is a greeting that I recently learned when I visited Senegal. Nangadef is a greeting in the Wolof language that asks “how are you?” The traditional response is to say “Mangifi” meaning I’m fine.

Why do I bring this up? I’m reflecting on my trip to Senegal.  Travelling is a great way to learn about another culture, language and history.  There was lots of this in Senegal!  One of the main reasons that I went was to visit the island of Goree.  Goree was an important part of the TransAtlantic slave (or, rather, people) trade for more than 400 years. This is where many people where held—after they had been captured—to be transported to Europe and the Americas where they would be enslaved. More than 20 million people passed through the ominous “door of no return” for the three-month journey that ultimately ended with their enslavement in America, Brazil, the Caribbean, England or another country. Twenty million people!  And, I learned that another 6 million people died either on the island of Goree or on the journey across the ocean.  I saw the small, dark rooms where the men, women and children were held for months awaiting the terrible journey. The rooms were overcrowded, small, dark and damp.  People were let out of the room only one time per day to use the bathroom. I also saw the chains and leg-cuffs that were put on them and the punishment room. It was chilling. I stood at the Door of No Return where people left the island and boarded the ships headed to their enslavement in different parts of the world. Strangely, the island place was beautiful: the water was clear and blue, the ocean air was crisp and fresh and the sun was shining. But this was the last view that (at least) 20 million people saw before going below deck and emerging in a new country to be sold into slavery.  Goree is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and I highly recommend visiting this important place. While I have read a lot about the transatlantic people trade and the Isle de Goree specifically, I felt an emotional response when I actually visited the island. And I learned so much.

So, I’m reflecting on the importance of travel as a way of learning and experiencing and FEELING history.  Of course, there is a lot more to Senegal than the Island of Goree. And my guide took me to great places like the cemeteries where both Muslims and Christians are buried, great markets where local people are selling their products—not tourist products—but products for every day living like peanuts (or groundnuts), peanut oil, shea butter, clothes, fresh meats and so much more. We passed on the animal reserves—I’ve got nothing against animals—because we decided to visit the University of Dakar, which has 60,000 students. We weren’t able to sit in on a class but we visited some libraries and bookstores. Another campus is being built and I’m excited to return and visit it. Finally, we visited a Muslim mausoleum which was interesting for many reasons. One main reason was that women had to wear white head coverings and long white skirts. People were there to help you dress properly. When I saw myself dressed in that way, I was shocked. I had never seen myself in this manner and it was eye-opening and mind-expanding.  No, I don’t always want to dress in that manner. But I realized that travelling can help you to see yourself and the world in a different way. And I was grateful for the experience.  So, my reflection for this week is that travelling can be educational AND fun.  Try to leave the resorts and the beach, get off the bus, go for a walk, ask questions and be open-minded. And take it all in.

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It’s story time!

Storytelling is a great part of the African American experience, given to us from African cultural traditions. I am pleased to present this story (or fable) written by master storyteller, Eshu. The theme is purpose.

Let’s begin with taking a few deep, cleansing breaths to help us focus on this story and its important lessons.

Take a moment to get comfortable.

Now, breathe in through your nose then out through your mouth.

Let’s begin.

This story is called The Name of the Tree. Written by master storyteller, Eshu at folktales.net.

The Name of the Tree 

Once there was a terrible drought in the land of the animals. A kindly king came from over the mountain and planted a special tree. He told them that this tree would bear fruit all year round in any kind of weather. All they had to do to get the fruit was to speak its name. The name of the tree was Oowungalema.

The animals thanked the kind old king and he returned to his own land, which was far over the mountain. The animals then sounded the Great Drum to call everyone for miles around.

When all were gathered at the tree, the lion asked Anansi to speak the name of the tree.

"I thought you were going to remember the name!" said Anansi.

"I don't remember the name!" said the lion, "Someone must know it!"

They asked everyone who had been there when the old king planted the tree, but not one of them could remember the name of the tree. They decided to send someone to ask the king for the name. They were all very hungry, so they decided to send someone fast. They sent the hare.

The hare ran as fast as he could through villages, across the river, through the bush, over the mountain and straight to the court of the kindly old king. The king told him, "The name of the tree is Oowungalema."

The hare ran back, repeating the name to himself as he went along. On the way home, he stopped at the river to rest and take a drink. The water was nice and cool. It felt good after all that running. The hare splashed around for a while to cool himself off, then he got out of the water and started back to the tree.

When he got back, the animals all cheered. "Now we can have the fruit! " they shouted.

Hare went up to the tree to speak the name, "Oomagamoomoo, no, oobapadoopa, Noomooogamooga"

Try as he might, the hare just couldn't remember the name.

"We have to send someone else." Lion said at last.

So the springbok was sent. She ran all the way to the king over the mountain and tried to keep the name in her head all the way home, but coming through the forest, she tripped over a root and bumped her head. The name was lost again.

Next they sent Leopard, but on the way back he started chasing a monkey who was teasing him. He forgot the name as well.

Many others tried and failed until finally, the tortoise asked if she might go. Most of the animals laughed because the tortoise is so slow.

"Give her a chance!" Anansi said, "She may succeed where the rest of us have failed."

The tortoise went to her mother and asked, "What do you do if you must remember something very important?"

Her mother told her to keep repeating it no matter what happens. So the tortoise set out on her journey. When she reached the king over the mountain, he said, "The name of the tree is Oowungalema."

Tortoise kept repeating it over and over to herself all the way home. When the monkeys teased her in the forest, she only said, " Oowungalema."

When she passed by the river and the sound of the water made her thirsty, she looked at the water and said, "Oowungalema."

And when she got near her house and her children came running to her, she only said, "Oowungalema."

Finally, the tortoise came to the tree. All the other animals were anxiously waiting. The lion spoke, "Tortoise, please speak the name of the tree."

Tortoise said, "Oowungalema."

At last, the animals were able to eat the fruit. Everyone was grateful to the tortoise who kept to her purpose where every one else had failed. The end.

What did you think? Well, I liked this story—of course, I selected it because I like it—but I think that really showed everyone can get distracted away from their purpose. They get caught up in the busyness, thinking that their accomplishing their mission. Then what happens? They realize that they don’t remember how to say Oowungalema (like in the story), or they haven’t done their homework, done their regular fitness, spent time with their partner, written their business plan, done their meditation or whatever mission they set out to do. Or they sit around complaining about injustice, grousing at the latest silly thing that President Trump has said, or they watch CNN obsessively. But they don’t stick to their mission as ACTIVISTS.  It’s easy to get distracted; to forget one’s purpose or mission. And I think that this story shows it well. And even offers a solution to prevent it from happening.  I liked it and I hope that you did too. But I would love to hear your ideas about the story at the rememberinghistory.com website.

By the way, if you DID enjoy that story and found the history calendar events when we discussed great activists like Delores Huerta, Jimmie Lee Jackson and African American historical events and achievements, you might like to learn more—because they is lots more! Rememberinghistory.com is committed to bringing this information to you in a fun, educational and memorable way. I’m talking about our Black History Kits. These kits are designed to teach history through videos, games (crosswords), fun quizzes, recipes and books. These multi-dimensional kits will guide you step by step through learning different parts of African American history (like the slavery and reconstruction periods, Black activism and great achievements) as well as experiencing Black culture through making delicious recipes, listening to great music and reading African folktales. 

Learning history should be fun. And these Black history kits ARE fun, educational and unforgettable.  There is lots to choose from for adults, kids and families.  I hope that you’ll look at them on the rememberinghistory.com website. And mention this podcast for a free gift!

Now it’s time to come to wind things down. Let’s end by taking a few deep breaths to help you absorb and relax.

In through your nose then out through your mouth.

Again, in through your nose then out through your mouth.

Last time, and let’s make this a big inhalation through your nose, then slowly release your breath through your mouth.

That’s great.

If you like, you can stay for a 5-minute guided meditation to help you relax. Learning history is fun and interesting and definitely important. But it can also cause tension or stress and bring about emotions like anger or fear. And you might feel the need to relax and release some of the tension or difficult emotions.  So, I welcome you to stay for the relaxation meditation will begin immediately after this show. No pressure. No guilt. Everyone makes his, her or their own decision. And, if you don’t have time right now, you can always find this short meditation on the rememberinghistory.com website.

I’m Robin at rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history AND we’re making it. Every day!

Bye for now.

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