The Tubman Suite

I've been inspired recently to decorate our guest bedroom in sort of Early American. I'm calling it the "Tubman Suite" in honor of Harriet Tubman, abolitionist, who was born on the eastern shores of Maryland. I need to add a few more pieces to make it more nostalgic. I feel like this is the perfect opportunity now that Hollywood is producing an HBO movie on the life of Harriet Tubman starring Viola Davis. I'm excited! Listen, if you have any ideas, please let me know. Well, happy Mother's Day to all the mothers who read MC. Enjoy your weekend. Peace~

Holiday Letter

 

 

Hello my friend,

 

Gearing up for Christmas?  I need to get a tree. I haven't celebrated with a tree in years.  This year, I want to decorate.  The [above] picture is of last year's Christmas tree at my father's house in Atlanta, Georgia. The big gift you see under the tree was not mine. :-)  Anyway, I will find a more modest tree for our place in Maryland -- one that fits our life.  We'll see. 

 

I can't help but to think of the new year to come as well.  I'm looking to make some positive strides and "grown-up" decisions.  I pray God has a hand in it all.  Otherwise, I'm going to do as the late and great Mr. Frederick Douglass suggested and "pray with my feet."  In other words, I'm going to make moves and trust God.  That's the best I can do.  Well, I hope that you and your family will have a wonderful holiday season. Also, I'm going to make efforts to write on MC.  You know, just to talk.  Peace & Love ~

 

 

Onward and Upward,

 

Stephen





 

 

 

 

 

 

Frederick Douglass and his Winning Smile

Who knew that Frederick Douglass had a great smile?  Whenever I think of Slaves or Freedman, I think of individuals who have been mistreated and worn.  However, this is not true.  Read this description of Frederick Douglass around the time of this death:

His appearance on the platform was imposing. His height was over 6 feet and his weight was fully 200 pounds. His complexion was swarthy rather than black. His head was covered with a great shock of white hair. A large head, low forehead, high cheekbones, and large mouth, with gleaming white teeth, were some of the noticeable characteristics of his appearance. As a speaker he was characterized by his earnestness. He made but few gestures and used simple language.


My thoughts and imagination:
As I look at his face, I imagine him in a happy moment smiling or laughing.  Looking at his eyes, I can imagine that is eyes are barely visible depending on how wide his smile.  I imagine him at his most joyful times laughing until he is brought to tears.  I imagine him as a human being.

Source:  Author unknown. (1895, February 21). Death of Fred Douglass. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0207.html

Douglass, Haiti, and the 4th of July

On this day, July 1, 1889, American abolitionist, author, and orator, Frederick Douglass was named Minister to Haiti.  Douglass was appointed by President William Henry Harrison.  The appointment lasted for 2 years until 1891. Frederick died four years later at his home - Cedar Hill - in Washington, D.C. in 1895.

"What To The Slave Is The 4th Of July?"
FREDERICK DOUGLASS SPEECH, 1852

Sign O' The Times: Fort Stanton Park

Frederick Douglass (c. 1817-1895)

"Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe." -Frederick Douglass

Harriet Tubman (1820(?)-l913)
"I grew up like a neglected weed -- ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it."

Bethune, Mary McLeod (1875-1955)

"The whole world opened to me when I learned to read."

Vick (198_-2006)

Teddy Reads: Rest In Peace (RIP) Vick, we love u.

Note: The teddy bear is a makeshift memorial to someone who was killed near or on that very spot. I've never met Vick, but he represents so many young black men who are murdered on the streets everyday of any city, USA.

Ready to Die: The 1859 Raid on Harper's Ferry

Lewis Sheridan Leary

(March 17, 1835 - October 20, 1859)

"A man who won't die for something is not fit to live. " ~ Rev., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This day, October 16, marks the 149th anniversary of the John's Brown raid on Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia in 1859. It was an attempt to capture the arsenal and seize the weapons by John brown and 21 men: 5 blacks, including Dangerfield Newby, who hoped to rescue his enslaved wife, and 16 whites, two of whom were Brown's sons. This raid would strike a blow against the terrible system of Slavery that kept millions of people of African descent in bondage. Abolisionist and African American leader, Frederick Douglass told Brown that it would be a “grave mistake.” John Brown knew that this daring feat was nearly impossible, but he was willing to try, and most of all he was willing to die.

For the raid, Brown trained and brought with him five young African Americans, who were also willing and ready to die. One of them was a 24-year-old man named Lewis Sheridan Leary [pictured above]. Lewis was a harness maker from Fayetteville, North Carolina. He was an ex-slave descended from African, Irish, and Native American heritage. He was a strong young man – a recent father and husband – a revolutionary. During the raid on Harper’s Ferry, Leary was mortally wounded as he tried to escape down the Shenandoah Valley. He reportedly told his capturers, "I'm ready to die." He survived for a eight hours before succumbing to his injuries. He died just 4 days before his 25th birthday. In the end, I think that all of John Brown’s men knew that this daring feat was nearly impossible, but they were all willing to try, and most of all, 22 men were willing to die for the freedom of us all. God rest their souls. Peace~




Source: americaslibrary.gov

Samuel Ringgold Ward

Maryland History

Samuel Ringgold Ward was born a slave in Maryland on October 17, 1817. In 1820, The Ward family escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad when Ward was around 3 years old. They eventually made it to New York where the young Samuel would attend school. Although he was too young to remember the brutality of Slavery, Samuel Ringgold Ward went on to become one of Slavery’s most eloquent orators. In 1839 Samuel became an agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society. His work also took him to Canada and Britain. Ward’s abolitionist work would continue throughout his life. He eventually retired in Jamaica where he died in 1866.

Sources: Wikipedia.org and Blackpast.org

The Sage of Anacostia: Frederick Douglass

"One and God make a majority"~ Frederick Douglass



"I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs"~Frederick Douglass

Who is Frederick Douglass?


These photos were taken over the weekend at the Frederick Douglass Isaac Myers Maritime Park in Baltimore, Maryland. We gathered there to celebrate my great-aunt's 80th birthday. I'll have to go back to Baltimore to take a closer look at the exhibit real soon. Happy birthday aunt Pearline!

Photos: Douglass memorial bust, Mrs. Bess and Douglass, Stephen Bess and Douglass

(The photos feature quotes by Frederick Douglass on prayer and God)

Book on Subject: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, by Himself

Ontological Tag

I was tagged by author/poet, Cathy Delaleu for the questions listed below. It was a lot of fun. Check out Cathy's page. She has a wonderful new book of poetry titled, Wrapping Thoughts Beneath Emotive Rain. Thanks Cathy!
1. I HAVE NEVER WANTED TO SEEKLove as a younger man until Love found me and I've been hooked ever since.
2. WHEN I WAS 8 years old, I BELIEVEDthat my grandmother knew everything. I asked her questions that only the creator could know. She would give all the credit to God, so then I started asking her questions about him: "Grandma, does God have a brother or sister and do they have their own world to look after?"
3. IF I WAS MY OWN BEST FRIEND, WHAT I WOULD ENJOY THE MOST ABOUT SPENDING TIME WITH MEis that I could just talk about Writing, History, Literature, Poetry, Photography, Art and Culture all the time. Fortunately, I have a wife who loves to talk about all of those things. She's my "Bess" friend.
4. IF THE STORY OF MY LIFE UP TO THIS POINT WAS BEING PUBLISHED TOMORROW, IT WOULD BE TITLED"Bess, Pull it together!" My wife says that to me all the time.
5. WHEN MY TIME ON EARTH IS OVER, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVED ME ARE REMEMBERING ME, IT WOULD PLEASE ME IF THEY SAID
[Preaching of my eulogy]
Stephen Bess was a peaceful man who loved his family. I said he loved his family! He loved his people. He loved his people all over the Diaspora. Uh…brothers and sisters... Stephen Bess loved Humanity! He was a man who felt that history and culture mattered. He believed in a set of values that some felt were old fashioned and antiquated. Again, Mr. Bess loved History. We often tell one another not to live in the past, but...Uh....brother and sisters Stephen loved to talk about it and analyze it. He felt that it could answer some of the questions that we ponder today. [Still Preaching] Now, Stephen is somewhere yonder...UH.... talking to the likes of Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, 16th Century poet John Donne, Martin Luther King, Jr., and, of course, Marvin Gaye because Stephen still wants to know "What's Going On." Can I get an Amen!
I'm a day behind on my tags because blogger was down yesterday. I have one more to complete. Please, no mas! No, mas!