On August 28, 1955, Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old black boy from Chicago supposedly whistled at a white woman in a grocery store. The murder of this 14-year old Emmett Till in Money, Mississippi sparked the Civil Rights Movement. The crime sound clarion calls for a nation to wake up – just look at the photo. Till’s mutilated corpse circulated around the country mainly because of John Johnson who published the gruesome photographs in Jet magazine, a predominately African American publication. The photo drew intense public reaction.
Till didn’t understand or knew that he had broken an unwritten law of the Jim Crow South until three days later, when two white men dragged him from his bed in the dead of night, beat him brutally and then shot him in the head. That night the door to his grandfather’s house was thrown open and Emmett was forced into a truck and driven away never again to be seen alive again. Till’s body was found swollen and disfigured in the Tallahatchie river three days after his abduction and only identified by his ring.
Till’s body was sent back to Chicago, where his mother insisted on leaving the casket open for the funeral and having people take photographs because she wanted people to see how badly Till’s body had been disfigured. This courageous mother was famously quoted as saying, “I wanted the world to see what they did to my baby.” Up to 50,000 people viewed the body.
On the day he was buried, two men — the husband of the woman who had been whistled at and his half brother — were indicted of his murder, but the all white male jury from Money (some of whom actually participated in Till’s torture and execution) took only an hour to return ‘not guilty’ verdict. The verdict would have been quicker, remarked the grinning foreman, if the jury hadn’t taken a break for a soft drink on the way to the deliberation room. To add insult to injury, knowing that they would not be retrial, the two accused men sold their stories to LOOKMagazine and gleefully admitted to everything.
Elsewhere in Mississippi at the time things weren’t going terribly well for blacks either. Just before Till was murdered, two activists Rev. George Lee and Lamar Smith were shot dead for trying to exercise their rights to vote, and in a shocking testimony to lack of law and order, no one came forward to testify although both murders were committed in broad daylight.
The next year, Clyde Kennard, a former army sergeant, tried to enroll at Mississippi South College in Hatiesburg in 1956. He was sent away, but came back to ask again. For this ‘audacity’, university officials — not students, or mere citizens, but university officials — planted stolen liquor and a bag of stolen chicken feed in his car and had him arrested. Kennard died halfway into his seven year sentence.
But times were slowly a-changing: Brown vs. Board of Education was decided in 1954. Three months after the Till murder Rosa Parks would refuse to move to the back of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Sit-ins and marches would follow, and soon the civil rights movement itself would be in full-swing. It’s been over sixty-years since the events of that fateful night and I simply cannot find the words to describe this heinous crime that has yet to receive justice.
I’ll end by sharing these words by Maya Angelou: “history, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective!
There have been many stories told since the first word was spoken and people have believed many things overtime. But there is an endearing story that has stood the test of time. It is the greatest story ever told about a precious baby born to a virgin, said to be born in a stable, who Christians believe this child to be our savior.
I believe that but will add that my reading of the Holy Book does not mention the word Christian but a few times. In fact, the word did not become attached to the faith until the Roman Emperor Constantine decreed the faith to be the state religion during his rule hundreds of years later.
Much of what we know has been told to us or taught by those who came before us and always by the powers that be. The truth or reality of what we know falls in the realm of what we chose to believe and that is faith, which is believing true what is unseen. We know the beginning of our species, mankind, was conceived in Africa. With that said, is reasonable to believe that the foundation of faith was also birthed in Africa as well.
I once read a powerful book by Dr. Ben, who is one of the foremost Egyptologist, and he wrote that there was a divine being three thousand years before the birth of our Lord. His name was Horus born to the goddess Isis after she retrieved all the dismembered body parts of her murdered husband Osiris, except his penis, which was thrown into the Nile. It is said that she used her magic powers to resurrect Osiris and fashion a gold phallus to conceive her son.
Once Isis knew she was pregnant with Horus, she fled to the Nile Delta marshlands to hide from her brother who jealously killed Osiris and who she knew would want to kill their son. There Isis bore a divine son. Horus grew to serve many functions in the Egyptian pantheon, most notably being the god of the sun, war and protection.
Let me be clear, before I continue, it is not my intent to represent blasphemy, rather to provide information for consumption. Thankfully, we have the right to believe whatever we want, and I want and chose to believe in God. This story got my attention because it is strikingly similar to the modern story we know so well. In fact, as I researched this revelation, I found that there have been thirty three similar representations of an emasculate conception involving a deity in varying religions.
In the 20th century, Gerald Massey argued that there are similarities between the Egyptian god Horus and Jesus. Following those ideas, in the 1940′s Alvin Boyd Kuhn suggested that not only in Christianity but Judaism was also based on Egyptian concepts. More recently, Tom Harpur, who believes Jesus existed, but his life story is fiction, has expressed similar views. Some argue that December 25, as the date of Jesus’ birth was selected based on the birth of Horus and that the New Testament does not include any reference to the date or season of the birth of Jesus.
The earliest known source recognizing the 25th of December as the date of birth of Jesus is by Hippolytus of Rome, written around the beginning of the 3rd century, based on the assumption that the conception of Jesus took place at the Spring equinox. Hippolytus placed the equinox on March 25 and then added 9 months to get December 25, thus establishing the date for festivals. The Roman Chronography of 354 then included an early reference to the celebration of a Nativity feast in December, as of the fourth century.
Today, we celebrate this most glorious of days with many pagan rituals, i.e, the tree and jolly old Saint Nick. It is not that I am saying we should believe this or not believe something different. Most of us at one time or another believed in Santa Clause, only to find out and realize, he was created for commercial reasons. My point is not to sway your opinion or belief, rather to, hopefully, causing you to think about the real meaning of this holiday, which is your love for the message and the spirit of mankind.
So I will close with this thought; we could end homelessness with the money spent on Christmas Decorations. Therefore, I suggest that during this season we “do everything in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:14) and that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective…
Let me first say to all who follow THOUGHT PROVOKING PERSPECTIVES that I am indeed honored that you read my words. I try to provided and add a prospective to reality whereby you may be empowered and maybe, just maybe, see the world through new eyes. If you knew me personally, you would know that I rarely ask for anything, maybe that is a fault, but I am a benevolent spirit and this is my way of giving.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I WILL HOWEVER, TODAY, ASK EACH OF YOU FOR SOMETHING. PLEASE SHARE SOMETHING ABOUT THIS MURDER, ASK FOR JUSTICE, AND RAISE YOUR VOICES IN PROTEST OF THIS INJUSTICE!!!
I have lived long enough to have witnessed many vial and unspeakable things done under the auspices of RACISM. I remember the first time I saw the brutally beaten corpse of little Emmitt Till, which was done because of a way of life. I can recall crying that day and I cry today for the murder of Trayvon Martin. As I see it, these two horrible events are strangely similar and equally frightening.
It shows that we, as African Americans, are still a nation of people living in a nation without a nationality. Translated – no justice!
Of course, we don’t yet know every detail of the encounter between Martin and the monster who murdered this unarmed 17-year-old high school student. But, we know enough to conclude that this is an old familiar story with the same tenets rooted in RACISM. Emmitt’s murderer got away with it and so far so has this guy.
Now let me ask, how many guys named George are out there cruising the streets? How many guys with chips on their shoulders and itchy triggers fingers with loaded handguns? How many self-imagined guardians or more aptly put vigilantes who say the words “black male” with a sneer? You do know that was the Klan’s mantra!
Whether Zimmerman can or should be prosecuted, given Florida’s “stand your ground” law providing broad latitude to claim self-defense, is an important question. But, the more important question is: “we should stand up to repeal these deadly laws designed to give license to “Kill Black People”. This often happens because this bull’s-eye that black men wear throughout their lives, and in many cases, just caught on the wrong street at the wrong time.
Protect, teach your children, and may this child’s soul rest in peace. I have lost a child through tragedy and I know this pain. My heart and prays go out to the Martin family.
If you never took a stand for anything – now is the time. And that is my Thought Provoking Prospective…
We as African Americans understand, as Richard Pryor famously said, when it comes to justice what we find is JUST-US! This statement could not be more profound today as it relates to some of the news stories that involve African Americans, namely the recent murder of the young child Trayvon Martin.
Frankly, this case takes me back nearly sixty-years when another young black child was murdered where the culprits did not receive due justice. I wonder if the story would be different if the victim was white and the shooter was black. I think we know the answer to that!!!
But I read a piece today written by Mr. Jonathan Capehart and like him I had the same questions that he asked in this article. First, he asked, what was Zimmerman’s relationship with the Sanford, Fla., police department? Then he asked why was Zimmerman portrayed as a volunteer neighborhood watch captain when he was not part of a registered neighborhood watch program? Further he asked, did the Sanford Police Department ever warn him about his activities in this unofficial capacity?
When you consider that Zimmerman was known to have placed, as it was reported, 46 calls to that department between Jan. 1, 2011, and the Feb. 26 shooting; did the Sanford police have specific orders on how to deal with him? Did they have a file on him? Did they have him on any kind of special watch list?
To these questions, the Police Chief said, “we don’t have the grounds to arrest him.” Yet, Zimmerman’s claim of self-defense was sufficient justification to not arrest him. My next question was why did Chief Lee accept Zimmerman’s self-defense plea on its face? Did the police run a background check on Zimmerman? Did his previous arrest, for resisting arrest without violence, raise any red flags with police? Did Lee attempt to establish probable cause? How did he go about it? Was Zimmerman tested for drugs or alcohol? If not, why not? Was Zimmerman’s gun confiscated? Was it tested? Where is that gun now?
These are all valid questions that demand answers.
Now, here are a few questions that come to mind with respect to the crime scene. What did police do with Trayvon’s body at the scene? What did police do with Trayvon’s body once taken from the scene? Why was it tested for drugs and alcohol? What did police do with Trayvon’s personal effects? Where is his cell phone? Did police try to contact Trayvon’s 16-year-old girlfriend, who was talking to him during the initial moments of the confrontation with Zimmerman and who tried several times to call him back? Hmmmm!
So as you can see there are many more questions than answers and frankly a thorough investigation would have answered these questions. Thankfully, the Department of Justice has decided to review the case to ensure that some of these questions are answered – maybe. There is such a thing as right and wrong; some things are right and some things are wrong. When you look at the aforementioned questions in this case that are unanswered – it stinks of wrong. Oh, and for sure racism!!!
There are so many more questions than answers and I pray we get them answered, and justice is served. With that said, I would suggest that you compare this to little Emmitt Till and recall the Peril’s Of Justice.
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”
“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land.”
“My husband was a man who hoped to be a Baptist preacher to a large, Southern, urban congregation. Instead, by the time he died in 1968, he had led millions of people into shattering forever the Southern system of segregation of the races.” ~ Coretta Scott King (1927-2006)
“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.”
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”
“I submit that an individual who breaks the law that conscience tells him is unjust and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for law.”
“It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important.”
Return from prison
“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”
MLK family
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
“From every mountainside, let freedom ring. When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But… the good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”
Assassination of Dr.King
“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.”
“I submit to you that if a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”
Dr.King’s Funeral
“That old law about ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.”
“If physical death is the price that I must pay to free my white brothers and sisters from a permanent death of the spirit, then nothing can be more redemptive.”
In Remembrance: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)
Traveling through this journey made me realize where we’ve come from and how far we have to go. I don’t know why-but there was so much unity at that time. I’m sure things weren’t perfect-but men protected their women. Men couldn’t hit a woman in front of another man at that time, however my generation. Not only can a man hit a woman, he will rape her, him and his friends. Dr.King Dream for unity within ethnicity was accomplished, but the division in the black community was conquered!
Richard Cohen wrote a great piece in the “Post” where he summed up Newt Gingrich as follows: “There is more than a little Richard Nixon in Gingrich — the same lack of place, the same keen intellect, the same petty fights and imaginary enemies, the same hallucinatory grievances, the same willingness to lie, exaggerate and smear. On a given day, Newt Gingrich could be a brilliant president. On any night, he could be a monster.” Having lived during the era of “Trick Dick” I think this is a fair description. By the way, Mr. Cohen also called Newt “the Pinocchio candidate” – again I agree.
As we approach and the 2012 election near, we can be certain that there will be lies, more lies, and damn lies. It’s not like we don’t know Newt. He’s been around for decades with the same self-serving hypocrisy. So we should know his character and completely reject his new bid for the spotlight. I watched him on a Sunday morning talk- show and true to form like his comrades anything Obama is for they are against. The fact that they were for a policy before Obama announces his support makes no difference.
Newt was for going after Gaddafi until Obama went after Gaddafi. Romney was for the same health care plan that Obama signed, until Obama was for it. This trait is not exclusive to the male candidates vying for Obama’s spot; the potential women pretenders share this overriding trait as well. The unifying theme in their message is consistent with anyone who opposes them as a Socialist/Communist/Nazi/Terrorist who wants to destroy America.
Let’s not even forget the tried and true “Southern Strategy”, which is nothing more than bigotry disguised in what he calls conservative values. Just this week, he called Mr. Obama the “Welfare President” and referred to him as Motown. He’s talked about his mother and derided the black father from Kenya. What do you think he’s implying? I will be kind and say at best the use of coded language, race baiting, directed at the so-called “Real Americans” is clear. This ugly language of demagoguery is nothing short of bigotry – plain and simple.
I will give him credit for being creative in that he brilliantly explained his moral commitment surrounding the adultery issues. He said, “How passionately I felt about this country” – that is original. This was done at a time when he led the charge to impeach Bill Clinton for his misgivings. It is also said that he left and divorced a wife dying of cancer in the hospital and this is his third wife. I will applaud his sister, if reports are true, she does not support him.
Therefore, Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s campaign will destruct as fast as the Donald’s did. Particularly, after throwing his party under the bus on Sunday by assassinating the republican platform, namely Rep. Paul Ryan’s draconian budget plan which amounts to social engineering and semi-supporting an individual mandate for health care they call “Obama Care”. Newt has also said he wants Medicare to die on the vine. Now it has come to light that the so-called “fiscal conservative” is being stung by a report that he carried up to $500,000 in debt to the Tiffany jewelry company – and may still be carrying it. This is the death knell for his campaign for sure.
I don’t like to predict the future but I will say with certainly that this guy will NEVER be Commander in Chief. Richard Pryor once famously said “Who do we believe me or you’re lying eyes” or ears in this case as his moral compass leaves a lot to be desired when you consider his documented history. Let the right keep coming with the absurdity of these republican candidates and our president will keep his job. And that is my Thought Provoking Perspective.
This is a very difficult blog for me to write because religion is the most personal aspect of one’s life and I never want to get into anyone’s religion. “I am not perfect,” but I do have an opinion based upon what I know. Let me share it, but before I continue, I hold no man above my higher power, who I chose to call God. I also know that “religion” is a business and sometimes leaders tend to lose sight of the mission. However, my spiritual compass teaches me that what is done in the dark will come to light. For this reason, I reluctantly, offer a few thoughts concerning this mess Bishop Eddie L. Long has gotten himself into.
He came to national prominence in 2006, when his New Missionary Baptist Church hosted four U.S. presidents for the funeral of Coretta Scott King. The church sits on a 240-acre campus and has satellite churches in other cities. It is one of the largest venues in the state of Georgia. The church boasts a roster of parishioners that includes athletes, entertainers, politicians and many who are considered prominent within the African American community. Only TD Jakes is larger in terms of stature and prominence among black ministries.
Sunday morning B-Long took to the pulpit of his sprawling mega-church to address his 25,000 member congregation defiantly and confidently. “Please hear this: I have been accused. I’m under attack. I want you to know that I am not a perfect man but this thing I’m gon’ fight… I feel like David against Goliath but I’ve got five rocks and I haven’t thrown one yet.”
Portraying himself as the Bible’s ultimate underdog, B-Long went before thousands of his faithful supporters and promised to fight accusations that he lured four young men into sexual relationships. However, it was significant to note that he stopped short of denying the allegations while implying he was wronged by them. Nor did B-Long address the allegations directly but spoke at length about enduring painful times. He used the word “painful” nearly 20 times and “difficult” came up seven times along with a lot of scripture.
Many lined up for hours before the start of service with some wearing t-shirts that said, “Love like him. Live like him. Lead like him”, while others stood in prayer circles, clutching Bibles and singing the hymn, “Wash Me White as Snow,” then as B-Long entered the cathedral, a group of people shouted, “We love you bishop!”
Some people in the church cried even before he took the stage to give his statement followed by a brief sermon on facing painful situations. His statement: “I have never in my life portrayed myself as a perfect man but I am not the man that is being portrayed on the television. That’s not me. That is not me.” Members of the church appear to have closed ranks around B-Long. One member said as if he was on a war footing “The devil always tries to attack the Kingdom… We will fight it on our knees with prayer and fasting. He’s not a perfect man, but God will fight on his behalf”.
B-Long made it clear that he is determined to hold on to the religious empire he built and would the fight four lawsuits alleging he used his position to coerce young male members of his flock into sex acts. In their lawsuits, the young men, all over 16 at the time of the alleged incidents, say that B-Long instructed them to call him “Daddy” and moved to block their relationships with girls by “increased contact and spiritual talk as to the covenant between the Spiritual Son and himself.”
It has been rumored that some in B-Longs circle knew about his conduct but did nothing to warn the defendants. They allege that he “has a pattern and practice of singling out a select group of young male church members and using his authority as Bishop over them to ultimately bring them to the point of engaging in a sexual relationship.”
B-Long is a father of four, married, and has been an outspoken opponent of gay marriage and his church has counseled gay members to become straight. Two of the young men say he groomed them for sexual relationships while enrolled in the church’s LongFellows Youth Academy, a program that taught teens about sexual and financial discipline. According to its Web site, it has also held weekly “out of the wilderness” counseling sessions for the “discipleship of men and women struggling with homosexuality.” The other two young men, one of whom attended a satellite church in Charlotte, N.C., have made similar claims. The men say they were 17 or 18 when the relationships began. Federal and state authorities have declined to investigate because Georgia’s age of consent is 16.
These four men, in their civil lawsuits, tell remarkably similar stories. They say that Long took a special interest in some of the young men who attended his church in Atlanta and a satellite church in Charlotte. They say he took them separately on trips to such destinations as Kenya, South Africa and New Zealand when they were teenagers — but above the age of consent in Georgia, which is 16. David-Goliath, really, I think B-Long’s got that backward.
For years, B-Long has been either beloved or bemoaned for his glitzy lifestyle and politically connected mega-church. It has TV ministries, a fitness center, a school, and a program for the homeless and addicted. In 2004, Long and Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., led a march in downtown Atlanta calling for a “return to family values in the African American community” and opposing same-sex relationships, while demanding health-care and education reform. Long was a supporter of President George W. Bush’s faith-based initiatives.
B-Long became one of the country’s most powerful independent church leaders over the last 20 years, turning a suburban Atlanta congregation of 150 to a 25,000 member powerhouse with a $50 million cathedral. I’m sure as a result B-Long felt he, too, should be prosperous. In 2005, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published tax records from the church showing that, from 1997 to 2000; B-Long had accepted $3 million in salary, housing and other perks from a charity he controlled. He told the newspaper: “We’re not just a church, we’re an international corporation. We’re not just a bumbling bunch of preachers who can’t talk and all we’re doing is baptizing babies. I deal with the White House. . . . I pastor a multimillion-dollar congregation.”
Now my questions: What if it ends up being true? Has it tarnished the good work it is said that he has done? Or does this scandal, such as the cases of child sexual abuse by priests in the Catholic Church and the revelations that Ted Haggard, the former leader of the National Evangelical Association, allegedly engaged in sex acts with a male prostitute, prove that he is a hypocrite. I was disappointed for this reason, from what I saw I did not see a man that was innocent.
He said this is not him. Well who is Eddie Long? The upstanding father of four who came to the pulpit hand-in-hand with his wife and denounced but did not deny the allegations against him? Or the manipulative sexual con artist who, according to his four accusers, does not remotely practice what he preaches? Saint or sinner, preacher or hustler, or maybe he’s just on the “Down Low”.
Nonetheless, there were almost no sign Sunday that his flock wanted to turn him away. However, it was reported that one young man during the second service in a blue shirt stood up and shouted: “We want to know the truth, man!” He was quickly escorted out and did not return. As for B-Long he said, “I love you, New Birth… I’m not leaving you if you don’t leave me.” When he finished, the sanctuary roared with applause as B-Long dropped the microphone, took his wife Vanessa’s hand and left the stage. I hope that we will believe in God and not the goods, as that is where our salvation comes.
I’ve watched this sad saga of insanity that has played out, in the name of “so called religion”, down in Gainesville, Fla. that can only be described as mean and surly. This so called pastor with the handlebar mustache, who reminds me of the cartoon character Yosemite Sam, may or not go forward with his plan to burn the Koran on September 11th. I suppose only he and/or His God knows for sure. This madness has caused international outrage that extent from Ocean to Ocean reverberating around the world as a result of his posturing in front of this building he calls a church, and I use that loosely.
This group, maybe even a cult, boasts a membership of less than fifty members. It’s not clear what goes on inside prior to the repeated posturing. I can only guess what is being taught behind the glass doors that are covered with dark fabric, but we have seen the likes of Jones’s son Luke who occasionally steps outside to give distorted interviews, as if he was sent from on high. Other church members like Stephanie Sapp has come out wearing shiny black heels, tight jeans, purple polish on her toes and a gun in a holster on her hip. Others in the church have displayed weapons at recent news events.
These folks have made local news before for posting signs saying “Islam is of the Devil.” Children of church members appeared in public schools last year wearing the slogan on T-shirts. The group’s leader has a checkered past with many unchristian encounters. He once ran a church in Germany, to which Emma Jones, the pastor’s daughter, told the Gainesville Sun that her father and his wife left Cologne after being confronted by church members about financial abuse, including using church money to purchase a car for their son.
Jones runs a eBay furniture business housed on the nonprofit church’s property that was investigated earlier this year after “somebody called in and complained” that a for-profit business was being run there, said Sheila Crapo, administrative analyst for the Alachua County property appraiser’s office.
Jones graduated from Cape Central High School in Cape Girardeau, Mo., in 1969. A classmate of Rush Limbaugh, which might explain some of his demons, although he says he believes in salvation, in Jesus Christ, and has a personal experience with him. If true, I wonder what Jesus thinks of him as a result of this sad commentary. At best, a Zealot and at worst a Bigot.
The Rev. Earl D. Trent Jr., a Real Pastor from DC, wrote to the editor of the Washington Post with remarks that I think is appropriate. “For the past few weeks, the media have treated us to live theater of the absurd… He belongs to no denomination, has held no regional or national office for any church organization and has never held an academic position at a seminary or Bible college. His only book is self-published. Yet, because of a single posting on Facebook, he is treated as a major spokesman and representative of the Christian faith by every news organization on the planet. Heads of State, Military Commanders, Diplomats and even the Vatican have responded to a man whose credibility is no more than that of a person walking the street with a sign saying “Repent: The world is coming to an end.” On second thought, the world of credible sourcing and journalism standards has come to an end.”
Don’t misinterpret my words as preaching: I have said, via Thought Provoking Perspectives many times, in order to live and walk in faith we must be mindful that everyone who say the word “God” may not necessarily be his messenger. Americans believe that we are one nation under God, regardless of which God you chose, but we are one nation.
It's been said that there are no words that have not been spoken and no stories that have never been told but there are some that you cannot forget! "Legacy - A New Season" is the perfect complement to that statement.
It is the sequel and the continuation of "Just a Season" and a stand-alone story rich in history on a subject rarely explained to children of this generation concerning the African American struggle.
Just a Season is a luminous story into the life of a man who, in the midst of pain and loss, journeys back in time to reexamine all the important people, circumstances, and intellectual fervor that contributed to the richness of his life...
“Knowledge is power and power produces an understanding that education is the single most important ingredient necessary to neutralize those forces that breed poverty and despair.” — John T. Wills
There have been many stories told since the first word was spoken and people have believed many things overtime. But there is an endearing story that has stood the test of time. It is the greatest story ever told about a precious baby born to a virgin, said to be born in a stable, who Christians believe this child to be our savior.
Thought Provoking Perspectives
MURDER IN MONEY
Till didn’t understand or knew that he had broken an unwritten law of the Jim Crow South until three days later, when two white men dragged him from his bed in the dead of night, beat him brutally and then shot him in the head. That night the door to his grandfather’s house was thrown open and Emmett was forced into a truck and driven away never again to be seen alive again. Till’s body was found swollen and disfigured in the Tallahatchie river three days after his abduction and only identified by his ring.
Till’s body was sent back to Chicago, where his mother insisted on leaving the casket open for the funeral and having people take photographs because she wanted people to see how badly Till’s body had been disfigured. This courageous mother was famously quoted as saying, “I wanted the world to see what they did to my baby.” Up to 50,000 people viewed the body.
On the day he was buried, two men — the husband of the woman who had been whistled at and his half brother — were indicted of his murder, but the all white male jury from Money (some of whom actually participated in Till’s torture and execution) took only an hour to return ‘not guilty’ verdict. The verdict would have been quicker, remarked the grinning foreman, if the jury hadn’t taken a break for a soft drink on the way to the deliberation room. To add insult to injury, knowing that they would not be retrial, the two accused men sold their stories to LOOKMagazine and gleefully admitted to everything.
Elsewhere in Mississippi at the time things weren’t going terribly well for blacks either. Just before Till was murdered, two activists Rev. George Lee and Lamar Smith were shot dead for trying to exercise their rights to vote, and in a shocking testimony to lack of law and order, no one came forward to testify although both murders were committed in broad daylight.
The next year, Clyde Kennard, a former army sergeant, tried to enroll at Mississippi South College in Hatiesburg in 1956. He was sent away, but came back to ask again. For this ‘audacity’, university officials — not students, or mere citizens, but university officials — planted stolen liquor and a bag of stolen chicken feed in his car and had him arrested. Kennard died halfway into his seven year sentence.
I’ll end by sharing these words by Maya Angelou: “history, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective!
The Whole Story
Purchase “Just a Season” today !!!
Legacy – A New Season
AMAZON
Share this:
Like this:
1 comment | tags: 1960, ABC, African American, America, American, arrest, assassination, Balck, Barack, Bible, black, black america, black authors, black church, black family, black history, black history month, Black in America, black lynching, Black Men, brown v board, CBS, civil rights, civil rights movement, commentary, crime, deliberation room, discrimination, Dr. King, Emmett, emotion, empowered, empowerment, God, GOP, guns, historical, history, insult to injury, Jet, Jim Crow, justice, land, law, laws, Legacy, magazine, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Martin Luther King Jr., Minister, Mississippi, money, money mississippi, Montgomery, MSNBC, murder, NBC, news, Obama, PBS, police, Politics, racial, racism, religion, Republican, segregation, segretation, Shooting, tallahatchie river, terror, Till, torture, two white men | posted in 1960, ABC, African American, America, assassination, Bible, black, black america, black history, black history month, brown v board, CBS, crime, God, GOP, guns, history, justice, law, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Mississippi, money, MSNBC, murder, Obama, Politics, racism, religion, Republican, segregation, terror