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