 When Silence Reigns
As we tell Nancy Kendall’s story, we often see modern parallels. The recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II brought criticisms to the fore regarding the history of the monarchy and its brutal acts of imperialism as it built the Commonwealth. For those of us in the US, we cannot help but find similarities between those unspeakable acts of cruelty and those in which our young and growing republic engaged. As a developing nation, we were desperate to escape the rule of England, King George the III. We fought and paid dearly to break away from the monarchy. We subsequently wrote our own laws, both brilliant and flawed, to establish our hard-won independence. Everything about imperialism and colonization seems evil, particularly its treatment of the people whose homelands are gobbled up. For centuries, the British Empire was single-minded in its pursuit of reigning over subjects in far off lands. As we built our newly independent country, we also journeyed to foreign lands to capture and enslave human beings for our use. We treated them as property with no rights or respect, simply because people of color were considered lesser-beings, and “should” be subservient. We nearly succeeded in our efforts to wipe out the original inhabitants of this continent, along with their rich cultures. Our attempted destruction of Native Americans, and our kidnapping and enslavement of Africans, rank as similarly atrocious acts to the imperialistic takeovers committed by the armies of Britain at the behest of the monarchy. Nation building in any form is often cruel and unfair. We now watch in horror as the leader of Russia pushes ahead, seemingly no cost too great, in his quest to conquer Ukraine and its people. Both the US and the UK have only just begun the difficult discussions, not only to face the past with honesty, but also to amend the wrongs with reparations to the peoples the nations conquered. We must learn from our own acts of imperialism and vow never to repeat this part of our history. May the passing of the long reigning Monarch bring forth a new era of progressive thinking for the UK, the US and the rest of the world. To learn more about the monarchy and its dubious past, read:
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Rhiannon Giddens
Songs of survival. Songs of hope. Songs of a better life. Songs of identity. Songs of despair. And, songs as warnings for fleeing slaves along the Underground Railroad. The songs enslaved people sang, and those they sang after gaining freedom, tell their stories. And, singer-songwriter Rhiannon Giddens is making sure their stories don’t die. In an interview on the PBS series Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Giddens talks about her music and why telling these stories is so important. Although her music spans many genres, her album, “They’re Calling Me Home” is filled with songs based on the lives of the enslaved. With the most astonishing voice I’ve ever heard, Giddens is a joint Grammy Award Winner, composer, speaker and podcast radio talk show host. I urge you to check out her music, and in particular, “They’re Calling Me Home.” Giddens is also a writer, soon to publish a children’s book, “Build a House.” Preorder here. Did you know? Harriet Tubman, the Moses of her People, used a traditional Negro Spiritual to warn slaves to get into the water to deter the scent-sniffing dogs on their trail? “Wade in the water, wade in the water children Wade in the water, God's gonna trouble the water”  June 19, 2022 - A Day of Celebration for All Americans Enslaved people in Texas did not know they were free for two and a half years. On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his Union troops arrived in Galveston with the news. News traveled slowly then, but Texas slave owners knew. And, to get the most out of what they deemed their "property," they didn't tell. June 19 became the symbolic day of freedom for the enslaved. Juneteenth, a combination of "June" and "19th" is now a federal holiday. This year, Juneteenth is on a Sunday. Communities and homes across the nation will celebrate. Juneteenth has special significance for Black Americans, of course, but it is also a day of celebration, and learning, for all of us. As with most American celebrations, food is a big part of the festivities. Many popular dishes and drinks served now have distinct roots in traditional African fare. If you look at a list of delectable dishes and drinks, you'll see such treats as Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole and Chicken and Waffles. You'll also see some kind of red drink, made with cherries, strawberries, sorrel or other red natural ingredient. It can be made with alcohol or not, but it will be red and it will be on the menu. According to Smithsonian, the "red drink" refers to a variety of sweet, berry-citrus, ruby-colored drinks. Historians say the drink's roots go back four centuries to West Africa, where hibiscus flowers and cola nut were the main ingredients. As Africans began their forced occupations in lands they didn't choose, the red drink cultural tradition came with them. Not always finding familiar plants in these new regions, the displaced were forced to alter ingredients, but still found a way to keep their culture alive. From the 1920s on, red Kool-Aid, and sodas, like Big Red were sometimes used. Caribbean immigrants used hibiscus flowers to make their red drink. They called it sorrel. Jackie Summers, an African American distiller from Brooklyn who created a liqueur version of sorrel, explains, “Red drink’s got terrific cultural significance because it’s a story of perseverance, of people who refused to die and a culture that refused to die.” To make a modern, non-alcoholic version of the red drink, follow the recipe below, courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine. Red Delicious:  Red Sorrel Punch 1 cinnamon stick
6 cloves 1 cup dried sorrel flowers (available in Caribbean markets and online) 1 cup sugar 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced (optional) Place ingredients with 10 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and allow to steep overnight. Pour mixture through a sieve into a pitcher or glass bottle. Store in refrigerator and serve chilled. Drink within a week for the best taste. Take a look at more Juneteenth foods you can make yourself at African Bites: 24 Mouth-Watering Juneteenth Recipes. Juneteenth - a day for all Americans to celebrate freedom. Because when one of us is enslaved, we all are.  Guest Post by Kristine Schwartzman Like others who helped enslaved people on their journey for freedom, Nancy Kendall rarely knew what happened to the freedom seekers after they left her home. But she did hear from one woman she helped. She’d made it to safety. We often speak about the Emancipation Proclamation as a happy ending. But, for many freed people, the end of slavery was far from the storybook ending many imagine. An excerpt from the Library of Congress collection of recordings of former slaves, Voices Remembering Slavery: Freed People Tell Their Stories, Laura Smalley describes what happened: “We didn't know where to go. Mom and them didn't know where to go. You see, after freedom broke, they started just, like, to turn some of them out, you know? We didn't know where to go. They turned us out just like, you know, you turn out cattle (laughter), I'd say.” Smalley was a child in Texas when her parents and the rest of the enslaved were told they were free. It was not the “master” who told them. He’d kept their freedom a secret. She explains: “No, he didn't tell. They went there and turned them loose on the 19 of June. That's why, you know, we celebrate that day — colored folks celebrates that day — celebrates that day.”  Photo Courtesy Library of Congress Jim Downs' book, “Sick from Freedom: African-American Illness and Suffering During the Civil War and Reconstruction” outlines how the war and its aftermath led to the largest biological crises of the 19th century. Hundreds of thousands of freed people died. While the Emancipation Proclamation served as the catalyst for freeing people, no programs or services were offered to help them in the immediate aftermath. Some continued to work on plantations, some fled to lives of uncertainty, some starved to death, and many died of disease. The government finally established the Freedmen’s Bureau, which provided medical care, food, and other supplies to those in the South who needed help. Out of the chaos came demonstrations by the freed people themselves. Demanding civil rights, the vote, education, reunions with family, and opportunities for economic health, former slaves became advocates to improve their lives. It’s a battle still being fought today.  President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, but that was only the first chapter of a very long struggle with chattel slavery. Following the annexation of Texas from Mexico in 1845, the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) resulted in a treaty in which the United States obtained Texas and part of California. The United States paid Mexico $50 million for Texas and a section of California, the same amount that they paid France for the Louisiana purchase. Mexico was anti-slavery. Plantation owners from the south quietly slipped chattel slavery into Texas as the war for possession of the territory raged. The practice of owning people spread across the eastern two fifths of the state. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed on January 1, 1863, but slavery in Texas didn't end. For two years after the Proclamation, most slave owners in Texas kept quiet about the fact that the enslaved were, in fact, free.  It wasn't until June 19, 1865, now commemorated in the Juneteenth celebration, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston with the news – the Civil War was over and the enslaved were free.
I was gently reminded, by a good friend from Texas, that Texans have begun to sort out romanticized hero history stories. And of course, many events in our nation’s history have been glossed over and romanticized. Studying and recording our history with much more attention to accurate detail, as our teachers loved to remind us in school, is often a painful lesson. Discussions of cancel culture spark debates, but it’s truth that matters. Facing the reality of our past gives us a greater understanding, and a chance to work toward fairness and equity for all. 
Forget the Alamo
When I hear the names Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, William Barret Travis, Santa Anna and the state of Texas along with a whisper of John Wayne, of course I think of the Alamo. The story of the freedom fighters' bravery, courage and deaths as they fought to win independence from Mexico is legendary. But, how much of what we think we know is true?
A fascinating new book entitled, "Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth," examines what really happened, and explores how the heroic myth came about. Authors Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson and Jason Stanford, have written a provocative tale that not only speaks to the truth, but also looks at the surprising reasons the fight for independence began in the first place. In one of the most controversial findings, the authors explain that the battle for the independence of Texas began, at least in part, because of Mexico's anti-slavery stance. Plantation owners from the south had already settled in the region, bringing their slaves with them. Ending slavery would have brought an abrupt end to the plantation owners' lucrative cotton trade, and resulted in financial ruin. I won't give you any more spoilers, but I highly recommend reading "Forget the Alamo." To learn more, listen to this Politics and Prose discussion with the authors: This Fresh Air podcast covers many of the more fascinating aspects of the book as well: "Forget the Alamo" Author Says We Have the Texas Origin Story All Wrong" Do you plan to read "Forget the Alamo?" Let me know in the comments. Stay tuned for more. |
Nancy JeanNancy Jean is a woman of several lives and careers, including school teacher, homemaker, parent, amateur musician and writer. Read more... Archives
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