MELANIN

Honorable mentions

 

 

Okay, in this book of encouragement and acknowledgement I’m going to be starting off with a couple of people that we all most likely already know. But throughout this entire book are names I believed are some valuable pieces needed to the puzzle. When I build a puzzle for some reason I don’t know why but I’ve been doing it for years I build the boarder first and build my puzzle from outside going in. So in my eyes these people are the boarder of the puzzle or I guess what I believe to be the foundation… I say the border because I believe there is so much more to be done for us as a people and the puzzle may not be complete until someone possibly a young person picks this material up and finds something to motivate them. It could be a person born five to ten to however many years from now who just has the spirit and determination to do and make things better. These are names I think every child of any race should know. These are names of people who felt no fear or doubt about what they were doing or needed to be done. Knowing and understanding the consequences while still continuing to take control for their own destiny not just for themselves but for all.

These people believed that everyone deserved the joys and freedom of living, not just having life. They maybe believed people were tired hurt or just plain giving up. I believe they knew or just felt like that they had to make moves in order to see a change because everyone deserves a betterment but few actually move or pursue which leads to them not conquering. The only way to create change is to climb up and out of the box.

Some similar characteristics they shared were individuality, strength, faith, and love, for the human race in general but ultimately for self. In my opinion that is where anything truly begins. In order to be able to execute or master anything you have to know yourself as a person. You know why I believe white people are so proud? Because they have is a history that is etched in millions of writings. So if we accept our race, our black history, in general our own direct family history listening to ancestors stories too we can better guide ourselves and our decedent’s future story.

So here are a few people who left marks in the world. I suggest you find and research these people, they have amazing back stories some doing a 360 of what they thought their future would bring, some not even realizing the impact they had on the world, and others knowing exactly what it was they wanted to stand for or their story opening doors or eyes.

 

 

Nat turner born October 2 1800-November 11,1831 was a enslaved African American who led a rebellion of slave and free blacks in Southampton county Virginia on August 21 1831 the rebels went from plantation to plantation taking horses and guns freeing slaves along the way and recruit free blacks on the way. As a result off the revolt around 55 whites were killed and 200 blacks were killed mostly innocent of the rebellion by white militant and around 50 black found guilty and charged. Also new laws were passed. Prohibited education of slaves and free blacks, restricted rights of assembly for free black, no rights to bear arms in some states and the right to vote were taken away, and also requiring a white minister to be present at all black worship services. Turner hid for two months after his rebellion but was found when a dog sniffed him out and was later hung to his death. Oct.2, 1800-Nov 11, 1831 he was hanged skinned then beheaded to frighten any want to be rebels. His body was buried and his skull passed around from hand to hand. In 2016 what is assumed to be his skull was returned to his descendants

 

Fredrick Douglas born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey Feb. 1818- Feb. 20 1895 at the age of 77 due to a heart attack. He was an abolitionist, suffragist author editor preacher diplomat. Political party republican Douglas was a run a way slave from Maryland who took three attempts to see his freedom as a black man. A free black woman named Anna Murray was all the strength and help he needed on his last third attempt. On September 3, 1838 jumping on the Philadelphia Wilmington and Baltimore railroad reaching his freedom in less than 24 hr. Douglass was the only African American to attend the first women’s rights convention The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 standing to speak in favor.

 

 

Angela Davis Born Angela Yvonne Davis born on January 26, 1944. Davis is an author, American Political activist, and academic Scholar. Davis had deep ties with the Black Panther Party due to her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, and was the leader of Communist Party USA. Davis also feels deep about feminism. If you further research Davis you will learn her story of why she became one of Americas most wanted she capture and her release. Davis is a movie waiting to be written if you ask me.

 

 

President Barak Obama born Barack Hussein Obama the second on August 4, 1961 Obama was the first African American President serving as number 44 alongside that great accomplishment he served two terms.

 

 

James Armistead was a double spy who helped with the battle of Richmond he wanted to help his home state so asked General Lafayette to help Lafayette sends him Benedict Arnold a general in the British army as a spy claiming the Americans were treating him so bad. Arnold liked Armistead influencing him to introduce him to other British Generals and they become really fond of Armistead asking him to be a spy on the Americans of course he agrees setting the bait and leading for the British into a trap where the French fleet quietly waited surrounded and conquered the British. He received or was granted his freedom.

 

 

Michelle Obama born Michelle LaVaugue Robinson Obama on January 17, 1964. Becoming the first African American First lady of the United States and represented the image of the Black queen well. Obama is a writer and lawyer. Her main focus for Americas was to focus on poverty awareness, nutrition, physical activity, and healthy eating.

 

 

Emmett Till born Emmett Louis Till on July 25, 1941-August 28-1955 Till was a teenage boy out visiting family in Mississippi. It is said several days after being in the city one day while playing checkers outside a store he whistled at a white woman who owned a store the woman’s husband and brother in law kidnapped Till in the dead night beating him to mutilation and throwing him in a river. Days later his nude body that was weighed down by a gin mill iron fan was found by a fisherman and sent back to Chicago to his mother. Till’s mother decided to have an open casket funeral displaying her son body to the world to show them what hate looks like. Till killers were acquitted later in a magazine interview Tills killers later admitted to the murder but was protected by double jeopardy laws. Because of how high profile volatile this case became a pivot point to the Civil Rights Movement. In 2007 Carolyn Bryant the woman Emmett Till exchanged words or gestures with admitted to fabricating her testimony in a book The Blood of Emmett Till

 

 

Shirley Chisholm born Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm November 30 1924- January 1 2005 was an author, educator, and American politician. The first African American women elected to the United States Congress. She was also the first black candidate for a major party nomination for president of the United States Chisholm is the first woman to run for Democratic Party presidential nomination.

 

 

Peter Salem fought alongside Thomas Grosvenor in the Battle of Bunker Hill 1817 Salem had 14 military commendations

 

 

Sara Forbes Bonetta born Aina 1843-August 15, 1880 was a west African of Yoruba royalty who was orphaned and sold into slavery then somehow became the god daughter of Queen Victoria. She later married James Pinson Labulo Davies.

 

 

 

Thurgood Marshall born July 2 1908-January 24,1993 an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States the very first African American Justice and making the list of the first one hundred Justice list. He was also part of the third highest ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice named a United States Solicitor General. Marshall was known for his role and victory as a lawyer in the Brown vs, Board of Education. If you research him you will find out that some of the slackers and pranksters untimely find their way.

 

 

Lena baker born June 8 1900-March 5 1945 only Women in the state of Georgia to be executed by electrocution in 2005 she was pardoned for her wrongful conviction. The movie “The Lena Baker Story” can give your insight.

 

 

Crispus Attucks born 1723- March 5,1770 Attucks is the first martyr to the cause of American Patriotism pegged to be the very first person killed in the Boston Massacre but widely referred to as the first African American Killed in the American Revolution

 

 

Nancy green born November 17, 1834-September 23, 1923 cook, activist, storyteller, and model. Nancy Green was known as Aunt Jemima. Because of there being no paperwork or contracts written her family does not receive revenue. The way she passed always makes my mouth drop.

 

 

Joseph Hayne Rainey born June 21 1832 into slavery was the first African American to serve in the...