Part Two of Mikel Holt’s Signifyin’ of Feb. 21 MCJ
In Wednesday’s publication, I mentioned the lie that the first African slaves arrived in what became America in 1619. In truth, the first African ‘POWs’ were brought here in 1526. Following are 10 additional ‘His-storical’ clarifications:
1. President Abe Lincoln was not a humanitarian or lover of Black folks ‘his-story’ paints him as being. In fact, his initial emancipation proclamation (executive order) wasn’t issued out of a sense of Christian agape love. It was, instead, it came about via the advice of his military leaders who saw the order as a vehicle to undermine the Confederacy. Lincoln wasn’t a rabid racist, and some say his views evolved over the term of his presidency. But that doesn’t mean he was not as racist as most Americans were during that period. For example, in September of 1858, he said during a speech that Africans—free and semi-free–were intellectually inferior, should not be allowed to vote, and should never be allowed to marry Whites. And weeks before he issued the emancipation proclamation, he met with Black and White abolitionists and sought their approval of a plan to ship our ancestors back to Africa or to a proposed settlement in South America.
2. Speaking of the Emancipation Proclamation, it did not free the slaves, but only those held by the Confederacy. Juneteenth should be held in January to celebrate the 13th Amendment, which ended slavery.
3. The bible does, in fact, condone slavery, and neither Yeshua nor any prophet fought the evil of slavery. The Apostle Paul did proclaim for ‘owners’ to treat their slaves humanely, but that falls far short of emancipation.
4. Denmark Vessy’s and Nat Turner’s fight for freedom—called ‘rebellions;— were but the tip of the iceberg. There were over 250 recorded ‘uprisings’ (slave revolts), which means there were probably 10 times that actual number. There is an apparent reason why those attempts at freedom were not recorded—they could have sparked similar attempts. One of the largest revolts occurred in 1811 in Louisiana, prompting the intervention of the U.S. Army.
5. The Underground Railroad traveled north and south. The track ran through Georgia and Florida, where escaped slaves were accepted into Native tribes, who were also victims of White Supremacy. Fearful our ‘exodus’ would spark a mass rebellion, an army unit, led by future president Andrew Jackson, marched south. Their campaign culminated with the ‘Battle of Fort Negro.’
6. The Texas rebellion was fought to expand slavery into that Mexican land. Did you know that the Alamo ‘heroes’ included Davy Crockett, a supporter of slavery, and Jim Bowie (of the knife fame), who was a slave trader? The leader of the Alamo was Colonel Bill Travis, who brought along with him a slave named Joe despite a Mexican prohibition against slavery. In an ironic sense, the Alamo led to Joe’s freedom as he and the women and children at the Alamo were released by the Mexican army.
7. There was a model for Uncle Tom, but his name wasn’t Tom, and he was nobody’s uncle that we knew of. The fascinating book, “Road to Dawn,” details the life of Josiah Henson, who was the model for the main title character in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Henson did betray his fellow slaves, based on his misguided biblical tenets, but redeemed himself and led more slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad than Sojourner Truth. He also created a sanctuary in Canada and traveled throughout Europe to gain support for the emancipation of his brethren.
8. To suggest the civil rights movement began with Martin Luther King, Jr. is the most ridiculous and redundant falsehood in history. The first civil rights leaders battled their ‘owners’ in 1526. And there have been hundreds of ‘leaders’ and movements since. The list of leaders—from W.E.B. Dubois to Marcus Garvey, in the 20th century is too long to print. King is highlighted because he advocated for a strategy that was premised on non-violence.
9. Rosa Parks was not the first African American to fight segregated public transportation. Add the names of Leonard Grimes, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and 15-year-old Claudette Colvin, arrested nine months before Parks. In fact, Parks was not the first choice for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. That honor goes to another young lady who was rejected weeks before Parks when it was learned she had a child out of wedlock. Sad, but true.
10. Marvin Pratt was not the first Black mayor of Milwaukee. That ‘distinction’ belongs to the late Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Clarence Parish, elected by community residents as the ‘Black mayor.’ The election was intended to provide a voice for the voiceless.
Bonus Facts: Nat King Cole was the first African American with a national television variety show, although the program was not shown in many southern states. Betty Boop’s character was based on Black jazz singer Esther Jones.
A sister, Cathy Williams, served with one of the the famed Buffalo Soldiers calvary units. Some believe the first African American settlement—Teresa De Mose, Florida—was made up of descendants of escaped slaves who used the ‘underground railroad.’
William Tucker was listed as the first American-born African in 1624. Stevie Wonder was the first Black recipient of a Grammy Award in 1973.
The Quakers were the only American church to fight slavery. Anthony Benezet opened the first school for African Americans in 1772.
Hotep
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