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