Wake Up Sleeping Giants-BOMA Minute 5-9-17

Glitz & Glitter-BOMA Minute 5-8-17

Foreclose On All War - BOMA Minute 5-7-17

America claims to be the strongest nation on earth yet it cannot win any of the wars it declares. And there seems to be no exit strategy to any of them. Is it me, or does it seem like the same people are backing both sides of these wars. Who’s funding the War on Poverty? Who’s on the front line of the War on Drugs and pray tell me, who is backing the War on Terror? Dr. MLK Jr said, ”Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind.” We need to… 

Buzzard to Brilliant - BOMA 5-6-17

May 6, 1991 - The Smithsonian Institution approved the creation of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. To demonstrate how far we’ve come in America, the following is an excerpt from the manuscript entitled: THE HISTORIC ADVENTURES OF LIGHTNIN’ GRAY-THE CAKEWALKER 

Lightnin’ was affectionately given that name because he was struck by lightning on at least two occasions and lived to tell it. One of the remarkable results of those lightning strikes is, that he can now remember, word-for-word, every story that was ever told to him. This is one of them…

Real Gangsters BOMA Minute 5 5 17

The Congress just voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act in an attempt to denigrate any and everything with President Obama’s name on it. I got to thinking about the floor of the House, the floor of the Senate and who the real gangsters are in this country. I wrote this piece 11 years ago, every line of which was true then, and I realize how appropriate it is for right now. The numbers may have changed slightly, but Trump and his troop are REAL GANGSTERS

What Happened To the Passion - BOMA Minute 5-4-17

What Happened to the Passion?

What happened to the passion

that used to be

seen in most eyes

as we struggled to be free

When Malcolm could ignite us

cause our blood to rush

and Martin, with one word

the multitude would hush

I wonder where the passion went

When we had a cause

did our passion go in peace,

with the passing of some laws

Has the flame of our passion

been blown out by drugs

or was our passion stolen

by some corporate thugs

What happened to the passion

that once prevailed

even though you knew

protest meant jail

Was our passion checked

at the door with our coats

or was our passion strangled

by the gold ‘round our throats

When we marched for freedom

what was it for

To give it all back

at the designer store

What happened to the passion

in our neighborhoods

What happened to our quest

for the common good

What happened, can you tell me

Please explain

Did our passion leave

on a west bound train

Or has that one-eyed Lucifer

called the TV screen

sucked our passion into it

drained us clean

I wonder where our passion went

Does anyone know

If you find it, please tell me

‘cause I miss it so

September 1997

Caint See To Caint See - BOMA Minute 5-3-17

From Cain't See to Cain't See

Prelude To Fatherless By Design

Bill O'Reilly recently accused African American males of being irresponsible because statics say that 70% of black households don't have fathers in them. While these stats may or may not be true, there is much more driving these numbers than is discussed. The United States Government has been complicit and has conspired to make sure there  were no fathers in black households. Just Google "Man-In-The-House-Rules" you will see that we have indeed been-Fatherless By Design...

Sweet Melanin - BOMA Minute 5-1-17

My 40 Acres - BOMA Minute 4-30-17

My 40 Acres & My Mule

There are some issues need addressing

some sins that need confessing

Truth is I’ve been used like a tool

for all these years I’ve worked

yet I’m still being jerked

Where are my 40 acres and my mule

The Pope confessed his dirt

to the millions the Vatican hurt

to the Jews who lost there lives in the holocaust

but not once has he mentioned

its slave-trading dimension

or the 100 million African souls lost

Tell me how long will these nations

continue their starvation

of those on whose backs they were built

How long will white lies

flourish while a black dies

Tell me, how much more blood must be spilt

I’m tired of playing the fool

What happened to the golden rule

Tell me, where are my 40 acres and my mule

Where’s my 40 acres and my mule? 

April 2000

PHEN/Fend For The PROSTATE

Guns Aside - BOMA Minute

Deferred Dreams - BOMA Minute

“What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up

like a raisin in the sun?”

-Langston Hughes, Harlem (1951)

One Man - BOMA Minute

One Man

If one man would make up his mind

to everyone he meet’s be kind

and fix his heart on that which is true

If one man would be so bold

as to embrace the gospel and hold

just think what a million men can do

If one man changed his thought

each time the tempter brought

some selfish scheme that would his neighbor undo

If he thought for just a minute

just where is the kindness in it

just think what a million thoughts like that can do

If David could slay that giant

though huge and extremely defiant

and Solomon had the wisdom to think things through

If Shadrach could walk through fire

and his entire village inspire

just think what a million Shadrach’s could do

If Noah could build that ark

though some people thought it a lark

and Jesus could cure those deaf and blind men too

If Sampson’s strength was that of ten

ordinary men

just think what a million Sampson’s can do

If Muhammad could move a mountain

and cause rocks to spew like fountains

and Drew Al could start a movement true

Just think what a million of us could do

If one man would take a second

when his needy neighbor beckoned

and followed literally Moses’ tenth command

With spirits filled and nourished

our neighborhoods would flourish

how quickly peace would spread throughout the land

If one man made up his mind

to no matter what, be kind

No matter what others might put him through

The strength of that man’s resolve

would all our problems solve

And just think what a million men like that can do

-Ty Gray-EL 

Mexican American War - BOMA Minute 4-25-17

On this date, April 25th  in 1846 the Mexican American War began. 

As the current president talks about building a wall, too few of us know that most of America was once Mexico. Few know that the Mexican American War was the preamble to the Civil War and that Race; and more particularly, the enslavement of Africans was its principle instigator. Most northern Republicans opposed it; most southern Democrats supported it, fueled by their vehement belief in Manifest Destiny. 

The Democrats believed that the more Mexican land they possessed, the more slaves they could acquire; plain and simple. They supported the war in hope of adding slave-owning territory to the South and avoid being outnumbered by the fast-growing North. John L. O’Sullivan, editor of the Democratic Review, coined this phrase, “It is our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions.” In other words, we will overtake the entire continent to keep our bronze-skinned meal tickets. 

This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation and The Enslaved African’s Rain Garden Project… #WeMustNeverForget

Thutmose III - BOMA Minute 4-24-17

April 24th is set aside as the start of Thutmose III rule over Egypt. He was Egypt’s ruler for close to 54 years, from 1479 BC until 1425 BC. 

It should be noted that Thutmose III, or Old King Tut, was a black man of African descent. Why is that significant?

Over the years, due to the advent of white supremacy and the promulgation of racism the identities and legacies of far too many Africans have been stolen; going so far as to deface African artifacts for the purpose of distorting truth. 

In fact, Racist ‘alternative facts’ have caused whole continents to shift. Can someone please tell me how Egypt left the continent of Africa and moved to the Middle East. I would suggest that you look at a map of the PANGEA and realize that the term “Middle East” didn’t even exist before the 1850’s. Coincidentally, that is the same time-period when the man-made Suez Canal separated Africa from itself. and inserted it into the man-made continent called the Middle East.  

It’s time we Wake up…This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation and The Enslaved African’s Rain Garden Project… #WeMustNeverForget  

Reconciliation Journey - BOMA Minute 4-23-17

On this day, April 23, 1947 Bayard Rustin and George Houser were the principle organizers of the first Civil Rights Freedom Ride through the South. 

They titled it: “The Journey of Reconciliation”

Two organizations were the ride’s principal sponsors. The first was CORE, the Congress Of Racial Equality and the second was the Fellowship For Reconciliation. Sixteen men, 8 black and 8 white embarked on The Journey of Reconciliation. Created to force the United States to uphold the 1946 Supreme Court ruling that declared ‘segregated seating unconstitutional. Morgan v. Virginia was a landmark decision with a 6-1 ruling in favor of desegregation, declaring segregation on interstate buses illegal. 

However, when they rode through Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Judge Henry Whitfield had some of them arrested. Ignoring the Supreme Court Ruling, he sentenced the blacks to 30 days and the whites to 6 months on the Carolina chain gang.

This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

Goree Island -BOMA Minute 4 22 17

On this day April 22 we remember Goree, a small 45-acre Island off the coast of Senegal, West Africa. Goree Island became the golden gateway to the European Slave Trade with the first recorded slave transactions dating back to 1536. It is believed that the Portuguese were the first Europeans to set foot on the African Isle around 1444. 

However, the house of slaves was built by the Dutch in the late 1700’s. It is believed that between 1550 and 1850 upwards of 20 million Africans passed through the Door of No Return. Imagine 20 million, chained, shackled and manacled human beings confined, naked, 30 at-a-time, to an 8x8 concrete cell. Fed gruel once a day; forced to lie in their own excrement; waiting weeks at-a-time for their only relief, to be packed like sardines in the hold of a slave ship. Today Goree Island has become a tourist attraction, a Historical Museum where visitors swear they can see, hear and feel the spirits of those who passed through The Door of No Return.

This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

The Azor BOMA Minute 4-21-17

In 1877 the Liberian Exodus Joint Stock Steamship Company was established with $6,000. On this day, April 21, 1878 two hundred and six formerly enslaved, fed-up Black folk set sail from Charleston, South Carolina headed for Liberia, West Africa. They made their flight upon a sailing bark called the Azor. It is reported that more than 5,000 area folk, fed up with slavery and Jim Crow, applied for passage.

The naysayers said repatriation would never work but despite America never really supplying adequate support to its former meal tickets, there were some notable successes. By 1890, the Azor passengers were well established and had proven their worth. The Reverend David Frazier opened a coffee farm with 20,000 trees and was elected to the Liberian Senate in 1891. Mr. Clement Irons of Charleston, built the first steamship constructed in Liberia. Mr. Saul Hill established a successful 700-acre coffee farm. One passenger, Daniel Frank Tolbert was the grandfather of Liberia’s 20th President, William R. Tolbert, Jr.

This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

The Moses Lady - BOMA Minute 4-20-17

This day, April 20, 1853 is set aside as the first day Harriett Tubman started taking passengers on the Underground Railroad. On this first run she lead her own flesh and blood sister plus her two children out of bondage from somewhere around the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

She returned a year later to set her brother free and in 1857 she led her elderly parents to freedom. It is believed that over a 10-year span Ms. Tubman made upwards of 19 journeys and freed more than 300 men, women and children.

The following is a narrative of one of those episodes.

This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

Emanuel 9-BOMA Minute 4-19-17

This day, April 19, 1816 is celebrated as the day Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Charleston South Carolina opened its doors. In 1822 the Church was burned to the ground because one of its founders, Denmark Vessey, allegedly hatched a slave revolt. He was executed, along with 30 men for the plot. In 1834 all Black Churches were outlawed in the South so congregants worshipped underground until 1865 when Emanuel A.M.E. was formerly reopened. 

On June 17, 2015 a white supremacist sat through Bible Study and then shot to death, nine of its parishioners, including the Pastor. This is a tribute to the Emanuel 9.

Fort Pillow Massacre BOMA Minute 4-18-17

On April 18, 1864 - More than 200 Black Union troops were massacred by Gen. Nathan Beford Forrest and his Confederate forces at Ft. Pillow, Tennessee. My name is Lightnin Gray and I gotta question for you; is you ever heard the story of Martha Rainwater? She was a great large woman, stood most of 6 foot tall and her skin was dark brown, looked like Tennessee whiskey. She had a full rumbling voice sound like it was comin’ outta a deep old canyon somewheres, and she had a piercin’ gaze that make you think twice ’fore you spoke to her. But the thing that would strike you most ‘bout Martha, after you got past them eyes, was her hands. She had great big ole hands. Her hands was unusual large for a woman. Hell, they’s unusal large for a man, for that matter.  

But I’m gettin ahead of myself in this here story. Now she was born in Manchester (that is Eaglesville for you whippersnappers) in the year eighteen and thirty. Word was that she was part Chickasaw and that is how her family come by the name-o-Rainwater and also ’splain that whiskey tint to her skin. They say that Martha could swing a sledge hammer and drive a rail nail good as any man. But nail-drivin’ aint what give Martha the legend; it was them hands what did that.

At the Ft. Pillow Massacre that woman saved more than 50 men’s with them big ole hands…and I wish I had time enough…

This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

Gouldtown - BOMA Minute 4 17 17

On this day, April 17 1843, Theophilus Gould Steward was born in Gouldtown, New Jersey. Gouldtown just might be the oldest so-called colored settlement in America, In 1675 an Englishman by the name of John Fenwick purchased the land. The black township derived its name however, from a black man named Gould who married Elizabeth Fenwick, granddaughter of the wealthy colonist. Their union caused a scandal which rocked the New Jersey for miles around and inflamed Fenwick with shame and disgrace. Intermarriage between blacks and whites in those days was taboo and in some states, forbidden. However, the couple toughed it out and raised a family.

Theophilus was rare in that he was raised in a free black family in a  town owned by free black people in the mid-1800’s; rare indeed. In 1863, at age 20 he became an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Following the Civil War, Steward helped organize A.M.E. Churches in South Carolina and Georgia. He was also active in the Reconstruction efforts in Georgia. He graduated from the Episcopal Divinity School of Philadelphia. Later in 1881, he was awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree from Wilberforce University.

This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

BOMA Minute 4-16-17 Emancipation Day

Let me tell you another history fact. I worked on the rail when the first ‘lectric train come through here. The first trial run was done right yonder on the Bladensburg track in the year of our lord, 1867. I ‘members the years cause they run right long wit my age you, see. I ‘members they’s just start usin’ them new fangled battrys and the train speed reached almost 20 miles and hour! They’s a lot of fellas what died using them new fangled battries cause all you need to do what touch it wrong. I’s ‘lectacuted least maybe four or five times grabbing holt of them thangs, but the Lord let me live. 

They is one day I aint never gon’ forget long as I live, cause of the glory ‘ttached to it; the day of Jubilee. President Lincoln signed the paper. I members it was a fine spring day in April of ’62. Little Hollis Harvey used to fetch things from over to Washington from time-to-time. Little fella; he come barreling down the main road (Edmondston) on a big brown mare. It’s strange cause you ain’t seed much of colored men’s ridin no horses in them days. He’s standin’ straight up in the saddle shoutin’ “we’s free, we’s free, he done signed that mancipation, we’s free. Man you talkin bout some cake-walkin and mashin-drinkin that night. I recollect the rail station shut down and everything. I member’s we had a high time. 

This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

BOMA Minute 4-15-17 A. Phillip Randolph

On this day April 15, 1889 A. Phillip Randolph was born in Crescent City, Florida. He formed a small union of elevator operators while attending The Collage of New York City. Mr. Randolph later became the principle organizer of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. In 1925 he gathered the brothers together and explained how much of a commodity they were to the U.S. Railway system and how much more valuable they would be as an organized union. 

His was the first union of predominantly Black workers to be granted a charter by the American Federation of Labor. He wrestled with the Pullman Company for ten years before he won recognition as the porters bargaining agent. He convinced the company that the white folks train ride would not be as comfortable without the Pullman Porters and he was instrumental in persuading President Franklin D. Roosevelt to set up the Fair Employment Practices Committee. In 1957 A. Phillip Randolph was elected a vice president of the AFL/CIO. He was also one of the principle organizers of the historic 1963 March on Washington along side Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He lived to be 90 years old.

This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

BOMA Minute4-14-17 Lincoln's Assassination

On this day April 14, 1865 an assassin’s bullet took the life of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. The War Between the States was taking its last gasp of breath and would fizzle out just 6 weeks later. More than a half million died because a few believed that the color of a persons skin determined their worth. On the evening of Friday April 14th just after 10pm John Wilkes Booth entered the balcony of Fords Theater on 10th Street NW between E and F in Washington DC and shot him, at point-blank-range in the back of his head,  with his wife sitting next to him. 

Mr. Booth was amongst those who believed that Abe Lincoln had ruined the country with 13th Amendment, which supposedly freed the slaves. Mr. Booth’s intention was to ‘make America great again’. We must remember how far and to what lengths some will go to ‘take their country back’ because they sincerely believe that black is inferior and white is superior. There have been a great many  casualties in the war over the souls of black folk and President Abraham Lincoln was one of them.

This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

The Colfax Massacre-BOMA Minute 4 -13 -17

On this date April 13, 1873, the Colfax Massacre  erupted in Grant Parish Courthouse in Colfax, Louisiana.

The White League, a paramilitary group intent on securing White rule in Louisiana, clashed with the almost all-Black state militia on Easter Sunday. The result left 150 families missing a loved one. Of the 150 black men that were slain, more than half of them were slaughtered in cold blood while just 3 members of the White League were killed. It should be duly noted that the League was a Democratic organization and noted again that the Democrats have not always been liberal supporters of Black causes.



Two laws that Southern Democrats hated were the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. The Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship to Blacks and declared that no state was to deprive them of "life, liberty, or property." The Fifteenth Amendment prevented a state from denying the vote to any person because of their race. Together, these laws guaranteed Blacks equal citizenship and the good people of Colfax just weren’t having it on Easter Sunday of 1873.



After the Colfax Massacre the federal government convicted three whites for the murders. But as fate would have it, they were freed when the U.S. Supreme Court declared that they had been convicted unconstitutionally.

This has been an educational Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

BOMA Minute 4-12-17 Civil War

BOMA Minute 4-11-17

On this day, April 11, 1881 Spelman College was established as The Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary in the basement of Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded by Harriet E. Giles and Sophia B. Packard who traveled to Atlanta from New Salem, Massachusetts for the express purpose of starting a school of higher education for black freedwomen. Pastor Frank Quarrels of Friendship Baptist donated the space and they started the school with 11 African American women and $100.

In 1882 the ladies returned to Massachusetts in search of funds to support the project and were introduced to John D. Rockefeller. He was so impressed with  their vision that he visited the school in 1884, which had now grown to 600 students and 16 faculty members.  It is reputed that Laura Spelman requested her husband to settle the debt on the land. Rockefeller's wife Laura, her sister Lucy and their parents, Harvey and Lucy Henry Spelman, were also generous  supporters of the school. The Spelman’s were longtime activists in the abolitionist movement. Thus, in 1884 the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary was re-named Spelman Seminary in honor of Laura Spelman, John D. Rockefeller's wife. 

This has been an educational Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

BOMA Minute 4-10 -17

On this day, April 10th we celebrate the birth of Jesse Binga, who at one time was considered the wealthiest black man in Chicago. He began amassing his fortune by cutting hair, working as a Pullman Porter and acquiring real estate. Born in Detroit Michigan in 1865, he moved from state to state settling in Chicago in 1893. As the African American population grew in the Windy City so did has bank roll. In the first two decades of the 20th Century Jesse Binga amassed enough to open his own bank. In 1921 the Binga State Bank opened with a $200,000. Within 3 years that had grown to over $1.3 million. 

His bank provided the African American community with an option. They didn’t have to deal with the predatory lenders who preyed on the black working class. Of course racism had to raise its ugly head as the white folk hated his success. His home was bombed no less than 5 times and forced him to close his bank at the beginning of the great depression. They trumped up charges on him and put him in jail for embezzlement in 1933. After his release, the once wealthiest black man in Chicago spent the rest of his life as a handyman. He died in June of 1950. This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

BOMA Minute 4-9-17 Paul Robeson

On April 9, 1898 - Paul Robeson was born in Princeton New Jersey.  There aren't enough adjectives in the lexicon to articulate the genius of this poet, author, actor, singer and human rights activist. This son of a formerly enslaved A.M.E. preacher won a scholarship to Rutgers when it was unheard of for a black man to do so. He became a champion debater and Phi Beta Kappa valedictorian. Twice an All American in football, he also lettered in baseball, basketball and track before graduating in 1919.

He was among the first successful black actors to star in motion pictures and was one of the most gifted poetical orators that God has given breath. His first film was produced and directed by the highly acclaimed, yet little known black filmmaker, Oscar Micheaux. He was featured in several  Hollywood films but was never satisfied with the treatment black people received in La La Land.

He began to focus on African studies and languages, speaking out on the black struggle for equality. He received death threats in the Deep South. His speeches put him in the crosshairs of the FBI and COINTELPRO, it’s counter intelligence program. Because of his loyalty to black causes he was brought up on charges and dragged before the House on Un-American Activities. Speaking up for Africans in America, according the Senate and Congress was an un-American Activity. 

They revoked his passport, black-listed him and took away his ability to make a living. Paul Robeson frightened white America. He was a big, black, uppity, multi-genius-polymath who America silenced because of the color of his skin. He passed away in 1977… This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

BOMA Minute 4-8-17

On April 8, 1833 Charles Richard Patterson was born into slavery on a Virginia plantation. He escaped by climbing over the Allegheny Mountains, trekking through the hills of West Virginia and crossing the Ohio River to the Greenfield Underground Railroad Station.

He took a job with a Coach making company. Mastering the craft of making horse-drawn carriages and out shinning all his competition, he formed the C.R. Patterson & Sons Carriage Company and was awarded several patents. 

When C.R. passed in 1910 his eldest son took over the business. He began noticing more and more ‘horseless’ carriages. At a company board meeting he made this observation. “In 1902 there was one automobile to 65,000 people and by 1909 there was one vehicle for ever 800 people…I believe its time for us to build a Patterson horseless carriage.” On September 23, 1915 the first Patterson Two-Door Coupe rolled off the assembly line.  

However, not being able to compete with the Henry Ford Motor Company, the Patterson’s closed their shop in 1939…This has been another Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 4-7-17

The whole world agrees that Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. But very few know that it was an American of African descent that improved the device for public consumption and gave him the idea in the first place.  On this day April 7, 1885 - patent #315,368 “Apparatus For Transmission of Messages By Electricity” was awarded to Granville T. Woods by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Five months before that on December 2, 1884 he patented the “Telephone Transmitter” Patent #308,876

The History Channel website says “ …In March of 1876, 29-year-old Alexander Graham Bell receives a patent for his revolutionary new invention, the telephone.” No where in the history books have I found a mention of Granville T. Woods, nor his improvements to the Telephone or the Telegraph. There are more than 8 billion cellphones in use today, more phones than people and what’s sad about it is that none of us could have ever placed a call if it weren’t Mr. Woods.

Let the record reflect that not only has our labor been stolen but also our brilliant ideas. This has been another Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 4-6-17

Very few of us know of the New York Slave Rebellion starting on this night, April 6, 1712. Approximately twenty fed-up enslaved Africans and Native Americans armed themselves with knives, guns and swords then set fire to an outhouse on Maiden Lane near Broadway in Manhattan. They then shot and stabbed any man, white or black, who attempted to extinguish the blaze. 

When the smoke cleared more than six white men were beaten and nine were dead. On the morning that followed, the governor of New York commanded the militia to, in his words, “drive the island.”   Six escaped torture by committing suicide. It was known that only twenty were directly responsible but more than seventy were arrested. Of those seventy, twenty-seven were convicted and sentenced to death. Six were hung by the neck.  Twenty were burned at the stake and one was stretched to death on a breaking wheel. 

Shortly after the rebellion, New York’s legislature toughened its slave codes. If three or more blacks were seen congregating, they were subject to forty lashes with a cat-o-nine-tales.

This has been another Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 4-5-17

On April 5, 1839 Robert Smalls was born enslaved in Beaufort S.C. Hating slavery all his life, he determined early that he would be free. Working around Charleston’s seaport, he taught himself to read, write and pilot steamships. He learned to master tricky currents. He maneuvered around the harbors and docks so well that the southern ship owners came to rely on his expertise. 

Early on the morning of May 13, 1862, twelves month into the Civil War, he secreted his wife, three children and 12 escaped slaves aboard the Planter, a Confederate Steamship. He piloted the steamer through Confederate waters flying the Rebel flag. Once he cleared the range of the Rebel cannon, making it safely to Union waters, he hoisted a white flag of truce and turned the ship over to the commanding officer of the Union fleet. 

Robert Smalls, his family and crew were welcomed as heroes and awarded their freedom. President Lincoln personally acknowledged his bravery making him a Captain in the U.S Navy. He later served in the South Carolina House of Representatives and was elected to the U.S. Congress. This has been another Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 4-4-17

One of the most significant episodes in the history of Africans in America occurred on April 4th 1968, when James Earl Ray gunned down Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the balcony of the Loraine Hotel in Memphis Tennessee. One of God’s drum majors for justice was brutally slain and it seemed as if a piece Black consciousness was sucked out of the atmosphere. 

I can still recall the horror that spread through our communities and the pain that consumed us. A pain so profound that we torched ourselves.  We must remember the sacrifices made by those like Dr. King and Malcolm and all who gave their lives that we might thrive. We Must Never Forget…

This has been another Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 4-3-17

On this date April 3, 1826 James Madison Bell was born in Gallipolis Ohio.  For more than 40 years as an African American Poet and Author, he performed public readings in verse. As a zealous abolitionist he would recite his poetry to all within hearing and on one occasion he spoke his mind in rhyme to the 21st president, Chester A. Arthur.

It is reported that he used his spoken-word abilities to raise funds for John Brown and his raid on Harper’s Ferry in 1859. His poems addressed the issues of emancipation and the abolishment of slavery. He was also active in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and was said to be an active conductor on the Underground Railroad. As a purveyor of the spoken word myself, I am especially proud of Mr. James Madison Bell…This has been another Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 4-2-17

On this day April 2, 1939 Marvin Gaye was born in Washington DC. He was an accomplished musician and silk-voiced balladeer who honed his skills under streets lamps in the District of Columbia. His talent was showcased in several singing groups around the country before he landed in Motown. His genius earned him a Grammy Award and ultimately led to his Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The poetry in the words of the first album he produced are as relevant today as the day he penned them, when he ask the the world: 

“WHAT’S GOIN’ ON”

Mother, mother, mother

There's too many of you crying

Brother, brother, brother

There's far too many of you dying

You know we've got to find a way

To bring some lovin' here today,

Father, father

We don't need to escalate

You see, war is not the answer

For only love can conquer hate

You know we've got to find a way

To bring some lovin' here today

Tragically Marvin became an ancestor and departed this life just a few hours before his 45th birthday on April 1st 1984.

This has been another Breath of My Ancestors Minute brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation… #WeMustNeverForget 

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 4-1-17

On this day April 1, 1949 - Gil Scott Heron was born in Chicago Illinois. His scholarship and command of the spoken word made a significant impact on me personally. As a literary genius and a founding father of Rap and HipHop, he impacted the entire world.

He wrote his first book of poetry at age 13. He penned his first novel, ‘The Vulture’ when he was 19 and two years later released his debut album, “New Black Poet: Small Talk at 125th & Lennox” including his iconic, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”

Poet Extraordinaire, Gil Scott Heron passed away on May 28th 2011.

This is has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute-brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation-We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-31-17

On this day…March 31, 1988 - Toni Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize for the  novel ‘Beloved.’ The manuscript, set just after the Civil War, was inspired by the real-life story of Margaret Garner who escaped slavery in Kentucky to the free state of Ohio. However, the Fugitive Slave Act allowed slave hunters to cross state lines and retrieve slave holders property. But rather than return to the miserable state of slavery, she killed her two year old daughter.



The novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988, was a finalist for the 1987 National Book Award and it was adapted into a screen play starring Oprah Winfrey in 1998. This is has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute-brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation-We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3 30 17

On this day March 30, 1870 - The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified. It supposedly guaranteed voting rights to African Americans. In the War between the States we mustn’t forget that upwards of 620,000 soldiers died from combat, accident, starvation, and disease over the souls of black folk. 

In the neighborhood of 180,000  black men provided services to the Union Army and 20,000 more served in the U. S. Navy. In the pursuit of freedom and equality nearly 40,000 black soldiers died in the Civil War. And there is no way to count how many black women gave their lives in service. This is has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute-brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation-We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-29-17

Most folk haven’t a clue how much America owes its wealth to the genius of formerly enslaved Africans. On this day, March 29, 1849 Andrew Jackson Beard was born a slave in Jefferson County, Alabama. He obtained his freedom at the age of 15. He built and operated a flour mill. He invented his own version of the plow, patented it and sold it for $4000 in 1884, improved it in 1857 and sold it for $5200. He parlayed that money into $30,000 worth of real estate. In the early days of the railroad coupling cars together was done manually primarily by black people.  Mr. Beard invented a car-coupling device that saved thousands of lives. We need to recognize. This is has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute-brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation-We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3 28 17

On this day…March 28, 1882, the African American inventor Elijah McCoy patented the Lubricator Cup. The device dripped small amounts of oil onto moving engine parts, saving businesses time and money.His ingenious invention also worked with steam engines using a cylinder to activate pistons that released specified amounts of oil. He, thereafter, improved on his original model so that oil was released only when there was no longer steam in the chamber. Machinist and mechanics all over the world would take no substitute. They insisted on buying McCoy’s device and would settle for nothing less than what would become known around the world as, The Real McCoy.This is has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute-brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation-We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-27-17

On this day…March 27, 1924 the world renowned 4-time Grammy Award winning Jazz Vocalist Sarah Vaughn was born in Newark, New Jersey.

Ms. Vaughan is featured in a number of videos from the 1980s. Sass and Brass was taped in 1986 in New Orleans and features her working with jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie and Maynard Ferguson. Sarah Vaughan: The Divine One was featured in the American Masters series on PBS. She also performed with the National Symphony Orchestra. Earning nicknames like Sassy and The Divine One, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1985, and in 1988 she was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame…this is has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute-brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation-We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-26-17

On this day, March 26, 1815 we celebrate the birth of George DeBaptiste. He was an active abolitionist and respected businessman.

During the Civil War, he served as an organizer of Michigan’s Colored Regiment. He also served as the general manager of the Underground Railroad in Detroit, Michigan. On April 7, 1870 - two months after the 15th Amendment was ratified, giving us the right to vote, as part of the celebration, he hung a sign out that read, "Notice to Stockholders — Office of the Underground Railway: This office is permanently closed." The sign was later attached to his office building at Jefferson and Beaubien Streets. George DeBaptiste passed away in 1875…this is has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute-brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation-We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-25-17

On this day, March 25, 1815 Henry “Box” Brown was born into slavery in Louisa County, Virginia. In 1848 Henry’s family was sold down river away from him. Hating his condition, he became an abolitionist determined to escape his circumstance. He found an ally in a white shoemaker named Samuel Smith, who agreed to ship him, as dry goods, in a wooden “BOX”to the Philadelphia office of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society. He paid the shoemaker $84 for his services. He survived the ordeal and wrote his autobiography before ultimately fleeing to England to avoid America’s Fugitive Slave Act…this is has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute-brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation-We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-24-17

On this day, March 24, 1912 Dr. Dorothy I. Height was born. Among her many storied accomplishments is the conception in 1986 of the Black Family Reunion Celebration.  Created to celebrate accomplishments of black people globally, this multi-city cultural event attracted more than 12 million people within 2 decades. Dr. Height’s lifetime of achievement is a testament to her indomitable spirit and fierce determination to liberate African Americans. Known for her irrepressible advocacy for women’s rights and always donning a brilliant hat, she passed on to glory April 20, 2010 at Howard University hospital. In her own words, “If the time is not ripe, we have to ripen the time.” This has been another Breath of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-23-17

On this date, March 23, 1837 Frances Coppin was born a slave in Washington, D.C. An aunt purchased her freedom when she was 12 years old. They moved to Newport, Rhode Island, where as a domestic servant she used her salary to hire a private tutor three hours a week. She moved to Ohio to attend Oberlin College in 1860.

In 1863, while still a student, she founded a night school for newly freed soldiers from the civil war. Her reputation as an educator spread. Four years after she graduated from from Oberlin she became the schools principal. Only a few know that Coppin State University was named for a formerly enslaved African woman from Washington DC. This has been another Breath of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-22-17

March 22, 1845 is set aside to commemorate Peter Mott, a free Black abolitionist and preacher who’s home became a major station along the Underground Railroad, in the historically African-American town of Lawnside, N.J.  Built before the civil war, the house served as safe-haven to many escaped slaves. Mott was the first Sunday school superintendent at Mount Pisgah African Methodist Episcopal Church in Lawnside. Mott was born around 1810 and was one of the first agents of the Underground Railroad.

The house was restored as a museum and opened to the public in October 2001. This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-21-17

On this date March 21st, 1924 Charles Spurgeon Johnson held a meeting at the New York Civic Club bringing together Black poets, artist, musicians and forward thinking African American writers and publishers. The event became the maiden voyage of the Harlem Renaissance.

As a literary movement and social revolt against racism and Jim Crow laws, the Harlem Renaissance established the unique culture of African-Americans and redefined our expression. In the ten years after that social gathering more than sixteen black writers published over fifty volumes of poetry and fiction. African-Americans began to celebrate their heritage giving rise to poets like Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston and Paul Lawrence Dunbar. This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…We Must Never Forget…brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-20-17

On this day… March 20, 1883 - Jan. E. Matzeliger received the patent for his automatic Shoe Last Machine. When folk talk about making America great again or taking their country back they have no idea that they owe the very shoes on their feet to a black man of Suriname descent. His invention held a shoe on a last, pulled the leather down around the heel, set the nails, drove in the nails, and then discharged the completed shoe. It had the capacity to produce 700 pairs of shoes a day—more than 10 times the amount produced by shoemakers of that time. The Unite States commissioned a ”Black Heritage" postage stamp in Matzeliger's honor. This has been another Breath of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-19-17

On this day, March 19, 1897 Loretta Mary Aiken aka (Jackie Mom’s Mabley) was born in Brevard, North Carolina. She was the first Black woman to establish herself as a single-act standup comedian. From the chittlin' circuit to Vaudeville She rose to national recognition in the early 1960s. A pioneer of social satire, she strongly influenced top comedians like Richard Pryor and Whoopi Goldberg. Traveling the vaudeville circuit, she experienced overt racism and demeaning working conditions, yet she deflected her pain through her satire and wit and became one of the most influential comics in human history. This has been another Breath of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-18-17

On this day March 18, 1895, two-hundred formerly enslaved Africans left Savannah, Georgia headed back to Africa. The American Colonization Society proposed building a public-school system in Liberia, West Africa's first republic. Founded in 1822 as a result of efforts to settle freed American slaves in Africa, the society believed that the return of blacks to the continent was the answer to the problem of slavery in America. William Henry Heard lead the delegation and built the first African Methodist Episcopal Church in the city of Monrovia, Liberia. This has been another Breath of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…brought to you by the Institute of Radical Reconciliation

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-17-17

On this day March 17, 1806 Norbert Rillieux was born free in New Orleans Louisana. He was an African American scientist and engineer who’s patented inventions revolutionized sugar refining. Studying at L’École Centrale, in France, He became the school’s youngest instructor in the field of applied mechanics. Rillieux returned to Louisiana in 1840 and patented the multiple-effect vacuum pan evaporator, which  revolutionized the sugar industry and also escalated production of soap, gelatin, and glue. Some have called Rillieux’s evaporator ‘the greatest invention in the history of American chemical engineering.’ This has been another Breath of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-16-17

On this date March 16, 1827, the Freedom’s Journal newspaper was founded. It was the first Black-owned and operated newspaper in the United States.

Published in New York City, the paper refuted fake news and racist commentary in the mainstream press. The journal was established the same year that slavery was abolished in New York State. Samuel E. Cornish and John B. Russwurm served as its editors. The Journal provided news of current events, anecdotes, and editorials to encourage Black achievement, it featured biographies of renowned black achievers like Paul Cuffee, Touissant L’Ouverture, and poet Phyllis Wheatley. This has been another Breath of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-15-17

On this day…March 15, in 1738 the first recorded free black African settlement was established at Fort Mose in St. Augustine Florida, one of the original depots on the southern route of the Underground Railroad. Spaniards, Native Americans and Free Black Africans lived in relative harmony with over 100 black people forming the frontier community. More than a century before the Emancipation Proclamation, enslaved Africans from the British colonies were able to travel the original “Underground Railroad” which headed not to the north, but rather south to freedom back when Florida was a Spanish colony. This has been another Breath of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-14-17

On this day…March 14, 1977 the human rights movement lost an icon. Voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer passed away from cancer at the tender age of 59. She will always be remembered for her stirring political rhetoric and her tireless efforts in helping the poor of Mississippi. She co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in 1964 which was established to challenge Mississippi’s all-white anti-civil rights delegation. She will fondly be remembered for coining the phrase, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…We Must Never Forget.

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-13-17

On this day…March 13, 1773 - Jean Baptiste du Sable established the first permanent American settlement in the area now known as Chicago, Illinois. This courageous African merchant explorer also established trading posts at present day Peoria, Illinois; Port Huron, Michigan; and Michigan City, Indiana. Du Sable's log cabin home, formerly located at 401 North Michigan Avenue, became a national historic landmark and is considered a part of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. The Native Americans of the area revered him for his superior exploring skills. This has been a Breath of My Ancestor Minute w/Ty Gray-EL …We Must Never Forget.

Breath of My Ancestors Minute 3-12-17

On this day…Mar 12, 1791 - Benjamin Banneker was commissioned to lay out Washington D.C. Most of the credit for the survey, design and construction of our nation’s capital is given to Pierre L’Enfant.

It is a little known fact that a black man of African descent is principally responsible for the layout and construction of the District of Columbia.



Benjamin Banneker was an Astrologer, Astronomer, a Master Mathematician and the first known black man to publicly protest slavery in his prolific letter to then president, Thomas Jefferson. This has been a Breath Of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…We Must Never Forget.

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-11-17

On this day March 11, 1959 Lorraine Hansberry’s landmark play “A Raisin In the Sun” opened on broadway. The title of the play comes from the seminal poem by Langston Hughes called “Harlem”. He ask, ‘What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load or does it just explode? 

Its time to redeem our deferred dreams…this has been a Breath of My Ancestor Minute w/Ty Gray-EL …We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-10-17

On this day March 10, 1913 perhaps the most renouned freedom fighter in the annals of American history passed away. It is believed that Harriet Tubman was singularly responsible for the escape of more than a thousand enslaved Africans. She braved the dark of night and the demented of spirit to free her people. One of her most famous quotes: “I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other.” This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors 3-9-17

On this day Mar. 9, 1841 the U.S. Supreme Court set Joseph Cinquez and the Amistad mutineers free…In July of 1839 fifty-three captured Africans were stowed away in the hole of the Amistad off the shores of Havana Cuba. They mutinied and took over the ship. Having never been on a boat and not knowing how to steer, they wandered into American waters were captured and held captive in New London Connecticut jail cells until the the Supreme Court’s decision. The 6th president of the United States, John Quincy Adams, pleaded their case and the 34 survivors were escorted back to Africa…This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-8-17

On this day March 8, 1825 Alexander Thomas Augusta was born. During the Civil War he became the highest-ranking black officer in the Union Army.  He was also the first African American head of Freedmen’s Hospital in Washington DC and the first black professor of medicine at Howard University. 



Nevertheless, he was denied recognition as a physician by the American Medical Association. Despite his deep disappointment, Dr. Augusta encouraged young black medical students to continue their studies which helped turn Howard University into an early success.



 He was the first black officer to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery…This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…we must never forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-7-17

On this day March 7,1942 Major George ‘Spanky’ Roberts completed his aviator training  becoming one of the first 5 Tuskegee Airmen. He flew more than 100 successful combat missions for this country. During World War II the Tuskegee fighter pilots served as escorts for the bombers, they are credited with having among the most successful fighter squadrons in history. More than 1000 black pilots were trained at Tuskegee and it is the opinion of this writer that the war could never have been won without those black aviators. This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-6-17

On this day Mar. 6 1857 Judge Roger B. Taney handed down the Dred Scott Decision which basically said that  “...black men, whether free or enslaved had no rights that a white man was bound to respect." Moreover, the court ruled that a southern slave holder could take their property anywhere in the United States they liked.

Racism is a monster. Who started the race in the first place?

Imagine a world where

Content was king

And RACE was only a verb

Those now renowned 

Who made RACE a noun

Would be counted among the absurd

This has been a Breath of My Ancestors Minute w/Ty Gray-EL…We Must Never Forget

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-5-17

On this day March 5th 1770, on a cold snowy night  in Boston Massachusetts Crispus Attucks became the first casualty of the American Revolution. When some folk say they want their country back I wonder if they are aware that it was a black man that took the first bullet for America. I wonder if they realize how much we’ve sacrificed and that this country is as much ours as it is theirs? This has been another BOMA moment w/Ty Gray-EL…we must never forget.

BOMA Minute03042017

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-3-17

If COINTELPRO existed then what makes you think it doesn't exist now?
J. Edgar Hoover was Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III's hero.

Breath Of My Ancestors Minute 3-2-17

BOMA Minute03012017