Roots

For this blog I am going to talk to you about the mini TV series Roots. Roots was developed in 1977 and was based on the book by Alex Haley, Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Roots was a groundbreaking event in the television history in the USA. Roots received 37 Emmy Award nominations, with a total of 9 Emmys and a Golden Globe.

Roots is discussing a baby boy borned named Kunta Kinte, who when reaches the age of 15 is sent with a bunch of other teenage boys, to a ceremony where they become men.
A ship full of white men come and take a whole bunch of men to become slaves. After several weeks the ship finally lands in America, all the Africans are sold as slaves.
Kunta Kinte struggles for survival trying to escape several times and never succeeds. He finally gets adapted to his new lifestyle on a plantation.

The whole series is about the struggles slaves had, and how they fought and fought to stay alive. Roots went back to where it all started, how sudden everything happened. How we were stolen from our homes and made slaves out of men. Roots shows us how the white men did not care about us, we were inferior to them even to their dogs.

Roots was a mini TV series, it is now a DVD series, it is also a novel, if you want to know the pain and suffering we went through I recommend watch it or even read it. They are amazing. In the movie, the slaves are talking English, but no one can understand them cause they are really supposed to be talking in their native tongue, it is just so we can obviously understand them.

Roots is very deep and makes you think how horrible people were actually treated, the novel and TV series, changed the way people thought about us. Roots made an impact and was a great deal in the American television history.

Underground Railroad

(Harriet Tubman (far left) standing with a group of slaves whose escape she assisted)

In this blog, I am going to talk about the Underground Railroad; without the help of some very kindhearted white people, we would not have the freedom we have today.

The Underground Railroad was the term used to transport fugitive slaves to Canada, underground without anyone knowing. The Underground Railroad became a network where men and woman would set aside assumptions about the other race and work together as a unit.

The Underground Railroad was very similar to an actual railroad, even though a railroad was never used. The terms used to transport a slave were the same terms used during a railroad journey; the routes from safe house to safe house where fugitive slaves were kept were called ‘lines’, stopping places were called ‘stations’, those who helped with the fugitive slaves were called ‘conductors’ and the fugitives themselves were called ‘cargo’.

The process of escaping takes a lot of time and planning. You have to be strong hearted and you have to want it very badly, that you would do anything to reach your destiny. It all starts when you decide to run away from your plantation with the help of a white ‘conductor’ or a former slave who got his freedom, came back, and pretended he was a slave so he could help other slaves get away. They will tell you where to go, what to do, whom to trust and from there, it is up to you. There is a very high risk of being caught and killed from the bounty hunters.

You are forced to run in the woods, move at night and hide during the day, you can barely stay in one place long enough to get comfortable, you are always on the go. There is bloodhounds tracking you if they catch you, you are finished. When you reach a safe house there is a lit lantern in the front lawn, all you have to do is trust the white home owners with your life. If you trust them enough to knock on their door, awaiting you is food and warm clothes. They are breaking the law, hiding fugitives in their house. When people come knocking on doors, you are forced to hide, and they will protect you as best as they can.

You were not always on your feet running, you were hidden underneath wagons or carts with false bottoms. Most of the time when you were being transported you were not comfortable, there could be up to five people hiding with you in the same spot. Stations were usually about 20 miles apart.

The Underground Railroad went through Kentucky and Virginia and across Ohio and Indiana. It went through Maryland and across Pennsylvania and then into New York and through New England. The best-known conductors that helped along the way were: William Still, Gerrit Smith, Salmon Chase, David Ruggle, Thomas Garrett, William Purvis, Jane Grey Swisshelm, William Wells Brown, Frederick Douglass, Henry David Thoreau, Lucretia Mott, Charles Langston, Levin Coffin, Calvin Fairbank and Susan B. Anthony.

Plantation owners were getting angry and concerned with all the runaway slaves going to the north, so in 1850 they managed to sway Congress to create the ‘Fugitive Slave Act’. In the future any marshal that didn’t arrest a runaway slave would be fined $1, 000 and any one that was helping the fugitives were liable to six months in prison and a fine of $1,000. The ‘Fugitive Slave Act’ did not stop the Underground Railroad, Thomas Garrett, the Delaware station master, paid more than $8,000 in fines and Calvin Fairbank served over 17 years in prison for his anti-slavery actions. John Fairfield was known as one of the best white conductors and he was killed working for the Underground Railroad.

Even blacks that made it to Canada would help with the transport of fugitives, Harriet Tubman was a former slave who ran away from a plantation in 1849, but returned to help in the escape of many former slaves. She has never lost a passenger and she helped in saving many slaves. She made 19 secret trips to the South, which she led 300 slaves to freedom. She was a major threat to the slave system that plantation owners offered a $40,000 reward for her capture.

There were approximately 70,000 slaves who escaped to freedom with the help of the movement of the Underground Railroad. It was a major act against slavery and in the end it worked out for the best. There is a book called, Underground to Canada, by Barbara Smucker, which is an amazing novel, I believe you should read it if you fully want to understand how the Underground Railroad functioned.

La Amistad

Some of you might have heard of what I am going to talk to you about. La Amistad was originally named Friendship in Spanish, but then was renamed when it was bought by Spain. La Amistad helped the abolishment of slavery in 1839. La Amistad was used as a slave ship to transport Africans from Africa.

The story commences with the kidnapping of 53 people from Africa. They were sold in the transatlantic slave trade and transported to Havana, Cuba by the slave vessel Tecora. In Cuba they were falsely classified as Cuban born slaves.

The now called slaves, were illegally bought by Spaniards, they were now transported in La Amistad. The journey was awful, the captives were treated horribly, they were all handcuff in the basement, they were not able to go to the bathroom, everyday some one would come down and poor food in open hands, if your hands were not there you did not get anything to eat. They had to sleep on wood, if someone died beside you in the bed, they were not disposed of, and you had to sleep with the dead body. The women were thrown over board, all handcuffed together with a bag of bricks on the other end. The men that were old and weak would be thrown over also, most of which could not swim.

About 3 days after they left Cuba, the Africans took over the ship, killing everyone else on the ship. After 63 days, La Amistad was taken by the United States Naval Cutter USS Washington near New York. The ship was then towed to Connecticut harbor.

The Africans were help in jail in New Haven with charges of insubordination and murder. The case acquired a high profile when the President, John Quincy Adams argued in front of the United States Court on behalf of the Africans. After the hearing, it because a historical U.S Supreme Court ruling, which the captives won their freedom. In 1841 the 35 surviving Africans returned back to their homes in Africa.

La Amistad was one of the most important stories in black history. In the summer of 2006, they had a model ship of La Amistad at the Halifax harbor. You were able to walk on the ship to see how small it was underneath. It was very interesting; I was able to go underneath in the slave hold to see how you could not even stand up straight because the roof was so low. There is also a movie based on the story, the movie is very disturbing to watch, it is very sad and it makes you think about how we were treated back in the day. It was a horrible event and I am thankful that they were sent back to their homes. I have some ancestors who were brought over by ships also, it is not a great experience for them, but I guess if it was not for them being brought to Canada, I would not be alive today.

The first in black history…

This blog is going to inform you who the first blacks to do something were. The actions that were taken due to their success has changed the lives of many black individuals today.

Arnaldo Tamayo-Mendez was the first black man and Latin man in space when he set out on a mission on the soyuz-38 in September 1980.

On February 3, 1984, mission specialist Dr. Ronald McNair and some of his crewmen executed the first runway landing of the Challenger at the Kennedy Space Center. McNair was a laser specialist, with his knowledge he played a key role in the mission. On his last Challenger mission, McNair was responsible for the Spartan-Halley satellite, which would track the orbit Halley’s comet, giving scientists a closer look. In space, with his spare time he entertained his other crew mates with a jazz performance on his saxophone, which was also the first in space. That flight ended in tragedy on January 28, 1986.

Garrett Morgan invented the three-colour electric traffic signal light in 1923 that is now on every street corner worldwide. He also invented the “Safety Helmet” in 1912, which was used in the World War I, and was the prototype gas mask used by fire departments and emergency rescue squads. In 1916, a gas explosion in Cleveland trapped workers in a tunnel 250 feet below lake Erie. Morgan led a crew of firemen in the tunnel wearing his gas masks. They rescued six unconscious people, who would of died along with the other twenty-five casualties. Four white members of the rescue squad were awarded medals by the city and considered heroes, while Morgan’s bravery and intelligence earned him nothing. The government never recognized him for his inventions.

Joe Louis defended his heavyweight crown for the twenty-fifth time on June 25, 1948, when he knocked out Jersey Joe Walcott in the third round at the Yankee Stadium. He was also known as the “Brown Bomber”, he held the title longer than any other heavyweight title holder did, eleven years and eight months. He had twenty-five championship, twenty-one of them ending in knockouts. Louis is recognized as the fighter who opened up boxing to blacks.

Wilma Rudolph was the first Black American woman runner to win three gold medals in the Olympic Games. She was awarded the title of the “Worlds Fastest Woman” by winning the 100-meter dash and the 400-meter relay at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Rudolph suffered an attack of double pneumonia and scarlet fever as a child, which left her unable to walk without braces until she was eleven years old.

In the 1968 Olympics, track star Tommie Smith won the gold medal for the 200-meter dash and his teammate John Carlos won the bronze. Both of them appeared on the winners’ stage wearing black stockings and white soled track shoes. They were each wearing a black glove on a hand. While the “Star-Spangled Banner” played, they both bowed their heads and held their black-gloved fists up high. A black cohesion was displayed, their actions spurred a lot of criticism, while Smith did not think they did anything wrong. He stated, “White America will only give us credit for an Olympic victory. They’ll say I’m an American, but if I did something bad, they’d say a Negro. Black America was with us all the way through.”

In 1954, Dorothy Dandridge was the first black woman to be nominated for an Academy Award as best female actress for her small part in the movie A Day at the Races (1937). Dandridge became one of the first black performers to achieve star status in Hollywood, but she was offered very few roles. Her death in 1965, did not earn her any notification for her outstanding contributions for her acting. Thanks to, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte and Joel Fluelle, her star was implanted in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Bill Cosby was the first black actor to star in a TV series, when he appeared in the television show “I Spy” in 1965-1968. Cosby has also made numerous films and has won many Emmy and Grammy Awards. Halle Berry and Denzel Washington were 2002 Oscar Academy Award Winners for Best Actor and Best Actress, for the movies Training Day (Washington) and Monster’s Ball (Berry).

The most important and significant first thing done in history was the separation of the first Siamese twins. On September 7, 1987, pediatric surgeon Dr. Benjamin Carson, head of a John Hopkins Hospital surgical team, successfully separated Siamese twins who were joined at the Head. The intricate operation took five months to properly plan and it involved seventy doctors, nurses and technicians. The operation had a ten-page manual detailing each step of the process and the medical term rehearsed five times using dolls before actually performing the procedure. Newsweek stated that, “this could possibly be the most complex surgical procedure performed this century.”

Thanks to all the achievements, us black people can appreciate our pasts, and realize that many blacks have contributed to the Black History. We are as important as the first astronaut is and we should be getting all the recognition we deserve. The first black doctor, who separated the Siamese twins, has greatly influenced the doctors of today who might have to do the procedure again.

Africville

Africville is a very important part of history for the black community. It is where most of the blacks were located, to try for a better life without racism or discrimination.

the story of Africville ;

Two men, William Arnold and William Brown founded Africville in 1848, they bought the land and built a town. Africville was a home of no more than 400 people, compromising 80 families. It was tucked away in the corner of Halifax, thought to be a ‘shack town’. Africville was located next to the city dump; there was no sewage, no electricity, and no running water, train tracks cut across the one dirt road leading into the area. The people, who lived there, had no education, very low incomes and were living there to get away from everything. But they still survived with their own school, church and post office. Africville was a place where the children could live without any worries about how they were seen.

In 1964, a plan for relocation was set by the city of Halifax, the people of Halifax thought Africville to be a waste of space. The city of Halifax built a slaughterhouse and some industrial sites all around Africville.

In1968, the relocation was a success, the government gave 500$ to each family that had proof that their property belonged to them. For the families that had no papers, they were just given 50$ for all their belongings. All the residents of Africville were relocated to housing in Mulgrave Park; their stuff was transported in garbage trucks. The bulldozers were sent at night, some people had to run out of their back doors, while the bulldozer was coming through the front of the house. The city of Halifax did not care about the residents of Africville; they were inferior to them.

Now more than 30 years later, the site where Africville was located is now called Seaview Park. Every summer, for one week in august, there is a big party to celebrate the, what used to be Africville. Everyone camps out and has a big party, bringing back the good times. In the middle of Seaview Park there is a Sundial, which has all the names of the first settlers to come to Africville.

Africville means a lot to me, I enjoy going to the celebration in august. I was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, so Africville is apart of me also. The interesting thing is, that my great great grand mother Newman was the owner of the store that was located in Africville. Some of my relatives were some of the original settlers of Africville. This is why I am proud to say I am black.

A Cry From A Black Man

I would like everybody to know how I feel about the way African Americans have been treated all over the years. These days, the way we’ve been treated are obviously a lot better than in the past. If some people really understood the way we actually feel, and how some of us pretend like it doesn’t bother us; but deep down it tears our insides apart. We were treated worst than dogs, handcuffed and chained in the bottom of boats, stolen from our homes, turned from men to babies; hiding in the shadows.

We could never stand up straight again, never able to look at any one else in the eyes. We lost all hope of ever being free, being able to walk down the street without being told what to do, or who to look at. Some important black people have changed the way we live our lives today, Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.

We will never be able to get away from the racism, there are some people who just don’t see more than color, doesn’t matter what there is deep down, they only see what’s on the surface. Some of it is our fault, we treat ourselves the same way the whites did when we were their slaves. We throw words around that imply that we are inferior; when the truth is we gave a lot to the world today and without our intelligence we would live in the dark( which I will discuss in a further blog entry)
The poem that is underneath is a poem that is written by a writer; CoCoMix45, which describes the way most people feel about African American people and how we should all smarten up and fix the problems around us.

A Cry From A Black Man
-CoCoMix 45

Every-time I wake up

I pray for that day

When Blacks can feel proud

And our past washed away

***

But I can't see a future

When we keep our eyes shut

And we continue to live

In the dark and in the smut

***

We're the only Race on earth

That takes pride in a word

That made slaves out of men

And stands for hate when it's heard

***

But we hear it everyday

And it starts with an "N"

Like drugs in our veins

Its use has no end

***

I can never understand

Why we embrace it with love

A word born out of Hell

We should not be proud of

***

You will never hear others

Insult them selves like we do

As we watch them succeed

While we're flush down the tube

***

We've been treated worse than dogs

And a lot is our fault

For we pass to our young

All the crap we've been taught

***

We will always be slaves

If we continue to use

That word we've been called

And we seem to abuse

***

How can we earn respect

In a world like today

When we keep ourselves down

And never change in our ways

***

It's time to turn things around

And break this chain that we bear

And stop living as fools

And put our ass into gear

***

We must instill in our young

They're the key to our change

Make education the rule

Let success be their range

***

And only then we will earn

The respect we demand

And stop living a word

That ties up our hand

***

So I say to my Brothers

And Sisters you too

Let's show pride in ourselves

For we're Gods children too