Celebrating Fredrick Douglas

On the 1st day of Black History Month Frederick Douglass is honored with the Google Doogle of the day. I'm sure you've seen it.

Did you know Frederick Douglass' birth name was Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey?

Today we encourage you to read one of his articles/writings titled Fighting Rebels With Only One Hand. This great abolitionist, speaker, and writer is definitely a hero and should be celebrated.

FIGHTING REBELS WITH ONLY ONE HAND
(Douglass' Monthly, September 1861)
        What on earth is the matter with the American Government and people? Do they really covet the world's ridicule as well as their own social and political ruin? What are they thinking about, or don't they condescend to think at all? So, indeed, it would seem from their blindness in dealing with the tremendous issue now upon them. Was there ever anything like it before? They are sorely pressed on every hand by a vast army of slaveholding rebels, flushed with success, and infuriated by the darkest inspirations of a deadly hate, bound to rule or ruin. Washington, the seat of Government, after ten thousand assurances to the contrary, is now positively in danger of falling before the rebel army. 

Maryland, a little while ago considered safe for the Union, is now admitted to be studded with the materials for insurrection, and which may flame forth at any moment.--Every resource of the nation, whether of men or money, whether of wisdom or strength, could be well employed to avert the impending ruin. Yet most evidently the demands of the hour are not comprehended by the Cabinet or the crowd. Our Presidents, Governors, Generals and Secretaries are calling, with almost frantic vehemance, for men.--"Men! men! send us men!" they scream, or the cause of the Union is gone, the life of a great nation is ruthlessly sacrificed, and the hopes of a great nation go out in darkness; and yet these very officers, representing the people and Government, steadily and persistently refuse to receive the very class of men which have a deeper interest in the defeat and humiliation of the rebels, than all others.

Men are wanted in Missouri, wanted in Western Virginia, to hold and defend what has been already gained; they are wanted in Texas, and all along the sea coast, and though the Government has at its command a class in the country deeply interested in suppressing the insurrection, it sternly refuses to summon from among the vast multitude a single man, and degrades and insults the whole class by refusing to allow any of their number to defend with their strong arms and brave hearts the national cause. What a spectacle of blind, unreasoning prejudice and pusillanimity is this! 

The national edifice is on fire. Every man who can carry a bucket of water, or remove a brick, is wanted; but those who have the care of the building, having a profound respect for the feeling of the national burglars who set the building on fire, are determined that the flames shall only be extinguished by Indo-Caucasian hands, and to have the building burnt rather than save it by means of any other. Such is the pride, the stupid prejudice and folly that rules the hour.

 Why does the Government reject the Negro? Is he not a man? Can he not wield a sword, fire a gun, march and countermarch, and obey orders like any other? Is there the least reason to believe that a regiment of well-drilled Negroes would deport themselves less soldier-like on the battlefield than the raw troops gathered up generally from the towns and cities of the State of New York? We do believe that such soldiers, if allowed to take up arms in defence of the Government, and made to feel that they are hereafter to be recognized as persons having rights, would set the highest example of order and general good behavior to their fellow soldiers, and in every way add to the national power.
        
If persons so humble as we can be allowed to speak to the President of the United States, we should ask him if this dark and terrible hour of the nation's extremity is a time for consulting a mere vulgar and unnatural prejudice? We should ask him if national preservation and necessity were not better guides in this emergency than either the tastes of the rebels, or the pride and prejudices of the vulgar? We would tell him that General Jackson in a slave state fought side by side with Negroes at New Orleans, and like a true man, despising meanness, he bore testimony to their bravery at the close of the war. 

 We would tell him that colored men in Rhode Island and Connecticut performed their full share in the war of the Revolution, and that men of the same color, such as the noble Shields Green, Nathaniel Turner and Denmark Vesey stand ready to peril everything at the command of the Government. We would tell him that this is no time to fight with one hand, when both are needed; that this is no time to fight only with your white hand, and allow your black hand to remain tied.
Whatever may be the folly and absurdity of the North, the South at least is true and wise. The Southern papers no longer indulge in the vulgar expression, "free n----rs." That class of bipeds are now called "colored residents." The Charleston papers say:

"The colored residents of this city can challenge comparison with their class, in any city or town, in loyalty or devotion to the cause of the South. Many of them individually, and without ostentation, have been contributing liberally, and on Wednesday evening, the 7th inst., a very large meeting was held by them, and a committee appointed to provide for more efficient aid. The proceedings of the meeting will appear in results hereinafter to be reported."

It is now pretty well established, that there are at the present moment many colored men in the Confederate army doing duty not only as cooks, servants and laborers, but as real soldiers, having muskets on their shoulders, and bullets in their pockets, ready to shoot down loyal troops, and do all that soldiers may to destroy the Federal Government and build up that of the traitors and rebels. There were such soldiers at Manassas, and they are probably there still. There is a Negro in the army as well as in the fence, and our Government is likely to find it out before the war comes to an end. That the Negroes are numerous in the rebel army, and do for that army its heaviest work, is beyond question. They have been the chief laborers upon those temporary defences in which the rebels have been able to mow down our men. Negroes helped to build the batteries at Charleston. They relieve their gentlemanly and military masters from the stiffening drudgery of the camp, and devote them to the nimble and dexterous use of arms. Rising above vulgar prejudice, the slaveholding rebel accepts the aid of the black man as readily as that of any other. 

 If a bad cause can do this, why should a good cause be less wisely conducted? We insist upon it, that one black regiment in such a war as this is, without being any more brave and orderly, would be worth to the Government more than two of any other; and that, while the Government continues to refuse the aid of colored men, thus alienating them from the national cause, and giving the rebels the advantage of them, it will not deserve better fortunes than it has thus far experienced.--Men in earnest don't fight with one hand, when they might fight with two, and a man drowning would not refuse to be saved even by a colored hand.
(Foner, Volume 3, pages 151-154)

(At the Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society in Boston, April, 1865, Douglass delivered the following speech on the subject: The Equality of all men before the law; Note that this was given within days of the close of the Civil War and the assassination of President Lincoln.)

(Source http://www.frederickdouglass.org/speeches/)

Why We Celebrate Black History

Thank you for following COMAEANEWS throughout this month. To wrap it all up, here is a short video discussing the importance and why we celebrate black history. Did you have a favorite post from COMAEA this month? If so, please let us know. We hope that this will led to more dialogue relating to cultural enlightenment. Thank you and remember.....



WE ARE BECAUSE THEY WERE!

Malcolm and Martin - #BlackHistoryFact

 

Did you know that these two iconic leaders only meet once? On March 28,1964; after a press conference at the U.S. Senate, King has a brief encounter with Malcolm X. King writes in his autobiography "I met Malcolm X once in Washington, but circumstances didn't enable me to talk with him for more than a minute." The photos were taken because both men happened to be in the Capitol building that day to listen to politicians debate the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which would later pass.

King's use of nonviolent civil disobedience and Malcolm's "by any means necessary" stance were in direct contrast to each other.  So for many, photos from that date represent both the yin and yang of the black community. 

Malcolm X was assassinated before the two would ever be able to meet again.  Three years after Malcolm X's assassination, King would also be assassinated.  Both men were 39 years of age at the time of their deaths.

Harriet Tubman - Black History

Harriet Tubman became famous as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad during the turbulent 1850s. Born a slave on Maryland’s eastern shore, she endured the harsh existence of a field hand, including brutal beatings. In 1849 she fled slavery, leaving her husband and family behind in order to escape. Despite a bounty on her head, she returned to the South at least 19 times to lead her family and hundreds of other slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Tubman also served as a scout, spy and nurse during the Civil War.






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Lift Every Voice and Sing - Black History

"Lift Every Voice and Sing" often referred to as the "Black National Anthem" is a song that was written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson. His brother, John Rosamond Johnson, would later set the poem to music. In 1919, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) dubbed it "The Negro National Anthem" for its power in voicing the cry for liberation and affirmation for African American people.

Lift every voice and sing Till earth and heaven ring,

Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;

Let our rejoicing rise High as the listening skies,

Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us,

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun

Let us march on till victory is won.

 

Stony the road we trod,

Bitter the chastening rod,

Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;

Yet with a steady beat,

Have not our weary feet

Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?

We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,

We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,

Out from the gloomy past,

Till now we stand at last

Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

 

God of our weary years,

God of our silent tears,

Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;

Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light,

Keep us forever in the path, we pray.

Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,

Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;

Shadowed beneath Thy hand,

May we forever stand.

True to our God,

True to our native land.

Wendell Scott - Black History

Wendell Scott (August 29, 1921 – December 23, 1990) was an American stock car racer.  Scott was a pioneer in the sport of auto racing as the first Black full-time driver on the NASCAR circuit. Acting as a driver and his own mechanic he gained the admiration of fans and fellow drivers through his grit and determination to be successful in a sport deeply-entrenched in the Jim Crow south.  Wendell had a very light complexion and blue eyes and as such many white people did not realize that he was Black. He was not immune to the ill effects of racism, however. Despite his enthusiasm and skill, racing was not easy for Scott as he faced numerous obstacles. Fans derided him on almost every lap and white drivers often did everything they could to wreck him, knowing that in the era of Jim Crow, he wouldn’t dare retaliate. Many other drivers, however, came to respect Scott. They saw his skills as a mechanic and driver, and they liked his quiet, uncomplaining manner. They saw him as someone similar to themselves, another hard-working blue-collar guy swept up in the adrenalin rush of racing, not somebody trying to make a racial point. "He was a racer -- you could look at somebody and tell whether they were a racer or not," said driver Rodney Ligon. "Didn't nobody send him [to the track] to represent his race -- he come down because he wanted to drive a damn racecar." Some white drivers became his close friends and also occasionally acted as his bodyguards.

In April 2012, Scott was nominated for inclusion in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and was selected for induction in the 2015 class, in May 2014. In January 2013, Scott was awarded his own historical marker in Danville, Virginia. The marker's statement reads “Persevering over prejudice and discrimination, Scott broke racial barriers in NASCAR, with a 13-year career that included 20 top five and 147 top ten finishes.”

A 1962 Chevrolet built by Scott for the movie Greased Lightning on display at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  Greased Lighting was loosely based on Wendell Scott's life. Richard Pryor played Scott in the film.

Wendell was Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on January 30, 2015.

Comic Book Hero: Lobo - Black History

Lobo, a western hero (he did not possess superpowers), is a former Union soldier who heads west after the Civil War. Upon being wrongfully accused of murder, Lobo sets out on a mission to fight injustice and to clear his name.

Lobo’s importance to comic history stems not only from being the first black comic hero to star in his own series, but also in that he is free from the racist stereotypes that plague other early black comic book characters. In fact, the comic doesn’t even make reference to the fact that Lobo is black.

Unfortunately, racist attitudes would ensure that Lobo would  be a very short-lived series. Although 200,000 copies of the first issue were printed, only about 10,000 – 15,000 copies were sold. This was largely due to many retailers refusing to carry a comic book about a black hero. What’s more, many of these retailers not only returned Lobo, but also every other comic shipped with it. The return of so many unopened shipments was a huge loss for Dell Comics and caused Lobo to be canceled after only two issues.

Although the brief series was a financial disaster, a comic starring a non-stereotypical black hero was a huge milestone for people of color in comics.








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Civil Rights Act of 1964 - #BlackHistoryFact

In this short video from the History Channel, the significance of this legislation is discussed. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

Vivien Thomas

Vivien Theodore Thomas was an African American surgical technician who developed the techniques used to treat blue baby syndrome. He served as supervisor of the surgical laboratories at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD for 35 years.  First, Thomas tested the techniques that would be used to treat blue baby syndrome on animals to make sure it would work.  In 1944, Dr. Alan Blalock performed the first successful "blue baby" operation.  Thomas advised Blalock through the operation. 

In 1976, Johns Hopkins University presented Thomas with an honorary doctorate.[2] Because of certain restrictions, he received an Honorary Doctor of Laws, rather than a medical doctorate, but it did allow the staff and students of Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to call him doctor. After having worked there for 37 years, Thomas was also finally appointed to the faculty of the School of Medicine as Instructor of Surgery.

Without any education past high school, Dr. Thomas rose above poverty and racism to become a cardiac surgery pioneer and a teacher of operative techniques to many of the country's most prominent surgeons. He was the first African American without a doctorate to perform open heart surgery on a white patient in the United States.

Harlem Renaissance - Black History

artwork from the period of the Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance was the name given to the time period between the end of World War I and the mid 1930's in Harlem.  This period was a cultural, social and artistic explosion of African American works. Harlem became the go to place for writers, musicians, artists, photographers, poets and scholars during this era.  During the time it was known as the "New Negro Movement" and the "Negro Renaissance".  This era was looked at as a cultural awakening.  Participants sought to re-conceptualize "the Negro" apart from white stereotypes that influenced African American relationships to their heritage and each other.   Among those artists whose works achieved recognition were Langston Hughes and Claude McKay, Countee Cullen and Arna Bontemps, Zora Neale Hurston and Jean Toomer,  Walter White and James Weldon Johnson.


Jazz Musicians of Harlem Renaissance

While the renaissance did not achieve the sociopolitical transformation for which some had hoped, today it is clear that this movement marked a turning point in black cultural history; it helped to establish the authority of black writers and artists over the representation of black culture and experience, and it help those writers and artists carve their niche in western culture.

Pt. 2 Garrett Morgan - Saving lives one invention at time. #BlackHistory

Part 2! of Garrett Morgan! Garrett was the born to former slaves on March 4, 1877 in Kentucky. Please check out Part 1 of Garrett Morgan to find more about his other inventions.

While driving, Garrett witnessed a terrible car accident. After, Garrett replayed the situation in his mind and realized that the roads were dangerous. Garrett felt it was necessary to improve the current conditions... He came up with an invention that would be beyond beneficial. Garrett Morgan invented the automatic stop light. 

Although manually operated traffic signals existed at most major intersections, they were not as effective because they switched back and forth to either 'stop' or 'go'. 

Can you imagine the chaos they could cause. A light to say GO (Green Light)... and suddenly a light to say STOP (Red Light)! Garrett Morgan took it upon himself to create a warning light, better known as the Yellow Light! 

Check out his patent below! 

This was a live saving idea/invention! Garrett went on to sell his patent to General Electric for $ 40,000! 

Thank you Garrett Morgan for all that you've done!

photo source

Nancy Green aka Aunt Jemima - #BlackHistoryFact

Miss Green was born into slavery in 1834.  Nancy Green was a storyteller, cook, and one of the first black corporate models in the United States.  Green was hired by the R.T. Davis Milling Company to represent "Aunt Jemima".  Aunt Jemima was named after a song from a minstrel show that the owner of the R.T. Davis Milling Company attended and would resemble a mammy archetype.  Green became the world's first living trademark.  In 1893 the R.T. Davis Milling Company began an aggressive campaign that began with having Green demonstrate the pancake mix at an exposition in Chicago.  Green's cooking skills and warm personality made her a hit at the exposition. She was the ideal "Aunt Jemima" and proclaimed the "Pancake Queen".  Special policemen were assigned to her booth to keep the crowd moving. Green went on to tour the world promoting this pancake mix. Green signed a lifetime contract with R.T. Davis Milling Company and held her job until her death in 1923.  

Green was one of the organizers of the Olivet Baptist Church in Chicago.  Her career as "Aunt Jemima" allowed the financial freedom to become an activist and engage in antipoverty programs. 



With Green's help, flour sales soured during this period and people stopped looking at pancakes as just breakfast food. 

America the Story of Us: Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass, a former slave and eminent human rights leader in the abolition movement, was the first black citizen to hold a high U.S. government rank. He became one of the most famous intellectuals of his time. Douglass writings include several autobiographies where he details his experiences in slavery and life after the Civil War. Douglass served as a recruiter for African American troops during the war. He also advised President Lincoln on at least two occasions. For 16 years he edited an influential black newspaper and achieved international fame as an inspiring and persuasive speaker and writer.

Below is a short documentary on Frederick Douglass entitled "America the Story of Us: Frederick Douglass".
 
After the Civil War, Frederick Douglass fought for the rights of women and African Americans alike.