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