No-one could have pinpointed the enormity of a worldwide COVID pandemic crash landing earlier this year. Sure, the experts and scientists knew that some type of pandemic germ attack was bound to happen. Even Bill Gates talked about our unpreparedness for a germ outbreak in his 2015 Ted Talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Af6b_wyiwI). Yet the invisible virus snuck into our homes, workspaces, and modes of transportation, infected more than 70 million people, and killed nearly two million lost souls worldwide as of this posting. The devastation has been unimaginable, painful, and life-changing. And with so many people now working from home (WFH) using video conferencing platforms like Zoom, our communities have had to ramp up to meet the needs of our current reality.
If you think that life will snap back to "normal" early next year when a few million people are vaccinated, think again. Yes, 2021 will undoubtedly become a year of recalibration; but the recovery timeline may expand many months into our future. Based on what the experts, scientists, researchers, and business leaders say, the United States and much of the world won't ride out this pandemic until the second half of 2021, perhaps well into 2022. Before you scream in agony, think again. Instead of passing out from exhaustion, now is your time to PIVOT. Channel your energy and concentrate on surviving, strategizing, and steering your efforts toward a NEW beginning in 2021. PIVOT POINTS to PONDER:
PIVOT FORWARD The action word is PIVOT. Finding the path that allows you to turn, rotate or spin forward should be an important priority for you as 2020 shifts into 2021. Whatever your fears, disappointments, or obstacles were for this year or last year, put them behind you and PIVOT toward 2021. Here are 10 WAYS that you can PIVOT forward in 2021.
And A Bonus 11. Stop making the Imposter Syndrome your best friend! Start believing in yourself and make a list of your strengths and talents. PIVOT FORWARD, use these 10+ steps, and get ready for a brand new you who's ready to take on the world in bite-size chunks! Don't look back! You have what it takes to move forward! -Carole
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11/26/2020 THANKSGIVING GREETING: PILGRIMS, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, & COVID: A Special Message From Carole Copeland ThomasRead NowTHANKSGIVING GREETING: PILGRIMS, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, & COVID: A Special Message From Carole Copeland Thomas
Wishing you the very best throughout the weekend as we celebrate (American) Thanksgiving. (Canadian Thanksgiving was Monday, October 12, 2020. Thanksgiving is celebrated in at least seven other countries.) As Michele Gordon said on YouTube: Zoom, "Thanksgiving is Better than ICU Christmas!" Yes, the world is upside down, COVID continues to rage across the globe, and racial and political divisions are at an all-time high. Yet, no matter who denies it, America gets new White House leadership less than two months from now, and our progressive national pathway will be starkly different from the past four years. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Multiculturalism WILL be a national priority once again! Don't ever forget that the Wampanoag, America's First Indigenous People, were principally responsible for teaching survival skills to the Europeans/ English who were ill equipped to survive the harsh natural realities of the new world. That act of Indigenous humanity was an essential part of that First Thanksgiving in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Therein lies the real diversity of America. Yes, cruel, violent, and harsh in the years that followed. But diverse nonetheless! As you sit in your socially distanced home, washing your hands and wearing your mask outside, send prayers to those who mourn the loss of more than 1.42 million worldwide who have died from COVID. I have at least five friends who died from the virus. I am sure you have friends and relatives who didn't make it. Our prayers and remembrances first go to them. And to many others whose presence on earth was felt last Thanksgiving but are gone this holiday, we light an eternal candle for them, too. In addition to the turkey, dressing, collard greens, sweet potatoes, rice, okra, ham, rolls, and sweet potato pie that are being eaten in my house today, I give thanks for life itself, never taking it for granted. May you reflectively give thanks for your life, your health, your work, your family, and your friends. And may you find ONE perspective of GRATITUDE throughout the upcoming Holiday Season. Happy Thanksgiving To You, Your Family, and Your Household! -Carole Our lives turned upside down by mid-March when an invisible germ knocked on doors across the world, entered, and decided to stay. Strange and unwanted, the coronavirus derailed carefully planned events and upset our lives in a manner that hasn't been seen since the flu pandemic of 1918.
Traveling To India In February, I led a group of hearty travelers to India for the sixth time, thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We carried masks in our suitcases as a precaution and made sure to tell the customs officers when we arrived in South India that we were coming to Chennai from Boston, not China (seriously). Little did we realize that Wuhan, China would become the epicenter of a worldwide pandemic that has killed nearly one million people. Black History Breakfast Deciding to host my March 12th Black History Breakfast was a difficult choice. Conditions gradually deteriorated when I returned from India straight through ramping up for the Breakfast. By March 11th, the cancellations poured in from sponsors and supporters who could not attend because of company policies or just fear of this thing called COVID-19. I worked with the hotel to make sure we had plenty of space between seats and ample hand sanitizer. Our usual practice of hugging and kissing our keynote speaker and award recipients was strictly prohibited. We elbow bumped instead. It ended up being a lovely event and was one of the last events that the hotel held before shutting down for several months. Attending The Final Face To Face Church Service I attended my last face to face church service on Sunday, March 15th. Our church, Bethel AME in Boston, has been virtual ever since, with one exception of a parking lot service held last week. The building is closed, and the Zoom/Facebook/YouTube services will continue until probably sometime in 2021. We have adapted, and the church is busier than ever online! Hunkering Down At Home Since those two special events on March 12th and March 15th, I have largely stayed at home. Fortunately, I have had a home office for more than 20 years and shifted a portion of my business online five years ago. Transitioning all of my business activities online was not that difficult. I have used the Zoom platform for years, never knowing that I would become a Zoom trainer and would run my entire speaking and training business on Zoom as these weeks have turned into months. I learned to adapt to this sea change caused by COVID-19. All of the earlier ups and downs of my personal and professional life prepared me for this era. Little did I realize that the hard work preparing for and presenting my TEDx talk on "Facing Fear" last October would actually foreshadow the anguish, sadness, sickness, and death brought on by this nasty virus. Covid Test Last month I took my first COVID test (the self-administered nasal version) and tested negative. My younger daughter and son in law, who live with me, have also tested negative. In a few weeks, I'll take the test again to ensure a negative result to an awful intruder. Missed Visits With My Grandchildren I miss seeing and hugging my granddaughters and their parents, who I have not seen in person since January. That's the toughest part of fighting this deadly disease. Adjusting To This New Normal Spending long stretches indoors find me working longer in my office. I have started some deep dive cleaning projects in my house, long overdue from years on the road. I don't expect to travel until next summer or later in 2021 and don't anticipate traveling internationally until 2022. Being at home so much has been a blessing to my front and back porches! I have flowers and plants everywhere! I have purchased many of my plants from the farmer about five minutes from my house. Her plants are hearty, and she operates on the honor system. You buy what you want and leave the money in her change box! Her basil plants are flourishing on my front and back porch, and I enjoy the soups, veggie dishes, and salads made with my basil, parsley, and chives. My king coleus plants look like small trees, but I had to make some adjustments on my front porch when the deer decided to eat the giant leaves for dinner!! Economic Pandemic and Job Layoffs What a difference six months make!!! On top of job cuts, including my younger daughter, Michelle's layoff as a high school paraprofessional, canceled projects, and business closures yield economic forecasts of uncertainty we could have never predicted five years ago. Racial Pandemic America's racial climate turned ugly following the tragic death of George Floyd. His murder triggered a worldwide outbreak of protest rallies. Black Lives Matter signs are rallied from Seattle to Johannesburg, and CEOs wrote apology letters all over the country. My diversity services hit a fever pitch all summer long. Training sessions, C-Suite forums, and Third Shift workshops…you name it, and I've held it on Zoom. The key will be to sustain the anti-racism workshops and implicit bias training sessions well into 2021 AND beyond so that systemic change can become a permanent part of our institutions and communities throughout the United States. I'll save my comments, predictions, and actions about the upcoming presidential election for my next post. I have too much to say to cram it all in one essay. This commentary sets the stage for my comments on where we are headed as a country on November 3rd. In the meantime… Wash your hands for 20 seconds. Wear your face mask everywhere. Keep your distance. Make sure you complete your US. Census Form by September 30th. The adventure of our lives has only just begun. For me, last year’s Juneteenth Celebration at Franklin Park here in Boston was the best. A city park filled with happy black friends, colleagues, and families all enjoying the moment of good weather, good friends, and definitely good barbecue. This annual celebration took place every third Saturday in June from early morning where you staked out your location till the evening when the charcoal embers smolder from the sizzle of the grill.
So Much Fun In Franklin Park In addition to the families who turned out in the 2019 sunshine, many local, state, and national organizations proudly set up tables, stands, and entire corners of the park to display their emblems, symbols, logos, and signage in full recognition of Juneteenth’s real meaning…freedom for all in a joyous celebration. I am a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, founded 107 years ago on the campus of Howard University. I am from a family of Deltas, including my sister in law, an older daughter, cousin, and my late mother. Last Juneteenth, I hung out with my Delta sisters, who proudly pitched a red and white tent at the Franklin Park celebration. And we were not alone! We were surrounded by the other black sororities and fraternities, including Alpha Kappa Alpha, Zeta Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Alpha Phi Alpha, Phi Beta Sigma, Sigma Gamma Rho, Iota Phi Theta. Those were just the black Greek-letter organizations present at last year’s Juneteenth Celebration. We were also joined by the NAACP, Urban League, Nation of Islam, various church groups, political campaigns, and healthcare advocacy organizations. I invited two of my clients to attend so that they could see the black community's interconnection in a unified celebration of harmony and happiness. My clients saw how they could proactively build a relationship with multiple groups and constituencies within an arm’s reach of their headquarters. There were no speeches, no planned programs, no political debate. Just plain ol’ fun, with soul, hip hop, R&B, dance musicand the electric slide blasting everywhere. It was beautiful. It was Juneteenth 2019. An Alternative To June 19, 1997 And it was a soothing way for me to block out June 19, 1997 the date I buried my 17-year-old son who had died in a single-occupant car crash that year days after graduating from high school. Juneteenth 2020 Now I think of Juneteenth differently this year, where social distancing and an angry virus have robbed residents and citizens around the country from holding picnics or parades in commemoration of Juneteenth. We know this year there are large gatherings of peaceful protesters marching to restore dignity and safety in the black community following the tragic deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, D. J. Henry, Sandra Bland and far too many more. And we also know that Black Lives Matter is not just a catchy slogan by progressive liberals. It’s become a new “call to action” mounted on signs and placards and held by black, white brown, Asian, Arab, English, French, Kenyan, Brazilian, and Jamaican faces all over the world! History of Juneteenth The historic proclamation announced on a balcony by Union Army General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865 that ALL slaves throughout America were free. The announcement was made in Galveston, Texas, because selfish white Texas plantation owners kept their slaves in bondage long after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863. They even held onto their slaves after the last Civil War shot was fired in April 1865. So you can only imagine how astonished those ex-slaves were in Galveston tasting freedom for the first time, nearly 2.5 years after the fact. It’s that historical reality that has made Juneteenth such a festive celebration throughout the country. Clearly there are other “black holidays and traditions” that have more recognition than Juneteenth. It’s just this year, with the triple pandemic - (1) COVID-19, (2) the teetering economic, and(3) racial strife, Juneteenth came center stage when a racist president picked June 19th to hold his “Make America Great Again” rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The voices of protest pushed back, causing the autocrat to move his political mob scene to the next day, June 20th. Only the Appetizer The bottom line is go on and celebrate Juneteenth. Make it a national holiday, take the day off from work, and hold countless socially distanced picnics and discussion in its honor. But don’t make it an end-all. It’s the appetizer in a full course meal that hasn’t even been cooked yet. That seven-course meal must include many more intentional initiatives, policy actions, police lobotomies, and economic course correctors if this country is going to really set sail in a new direction. So enjoy Juneteenth. But make sure you save room for the remaining six courses that will really take us somewhere into a future guaranteeing justice, economic access, and freedom for all. By Carole Copeland Thomas Periodic flashbacks of conversations with my late mother, Gwendolyn Charleston Copeland, come roaring back in my head from time to time. “Yes, your grandfather’s eyesight was indirectly affected by the Great Influenza of 1918. He had to go to eye specialists for treatment before he fully recovered some years later,” my mother would remind me. My grandfather was Rev. James Arminius Charleston, a well-respected pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). During that era, he pastored Bethel AME Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the birthplace my mother. He later pastored other churches in the midwest and, ultimately St. Paul AME in Detroit.
That family story is one I am now researching and makes the 1918 Spanish Influenza a relevant historic event in my search for truth. Little did I realize how much that event compares with the raging pandemic of COVID-19, some 102 years later. And when you watch the documentaries and read the books on that tragic event that killed between 50-100 million people worldwide, the similarities will make you weep. Case in point. Pubic health officials begged organizers and elected officials to cancel the Fourth Liberty Loan Drive Parade in Philadelphia on September 28, 1918. Other cities realized the rapid spread of the deadly influenza virus and canceled their celebrations. Yet the Philadelphia decision-makers ignored the medical professionals and held the parade anyway. The results were a devastatingly high loss of life, killing World War I soldiers, ordinary families, and the innocent equally by the menacing flu virus. An article in the September 2018 Smithsonian Magazine described it this way: "Within 72 hours of the parade, every bed in Philadelphia’s 31 hospitals was filled. In the week ending October 5, some 2,600 people in Philadelphia had died from the flu or its complications. A week later, that number rose to more than 4,500. With many of the city’s health professionals pressed into military service, Philadelphia was unprepared for this deluge of death. Attempting to slow the carnage, city leaders essentially closed down Philadelphia. On October 3, officials shuttered most public spaces – including schools, churches, theaters and pool halls. But the calamity was relentless. Understaffed hospitals were crippled. Morgues and undertakers could not keep pace with demand. Grieving families had to bury their own dead. Casket prices skyrocketed. The phrase “bodies stacked like cordwood” became a common refrain. And news reports and rumors soon spread that the Germans –the “Huns” – had unleashed the epidemic." * Fast forward to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Alarm bells rung by medical professionals in the US and around the world about inadequate medical supplies and ventilators. Delayed responses by elected officials who are urged to put their countries, states, or municipalities in lockdown. Hospital beds in short supply. And the general public forced to quarantine at home to save their lives. In both 1918 and 2020, healthcare professionals were first responders, industry experts, and clarion callers in a world turned upside down. The 1918 flu pandemic was further complicated by the fighting forces during World War 1. Healthcare professionals 102 years apart stand shoulder to shoulder in agreement with keeping the general public acutely aware of how to stay safe when a pandemic virus spreads like wildfire. Our modern-day heroes are the men and women in healthcare. It doesn’t matter what positions they hold, from doctors to hospital administration executives to nurses, to lab technicians, to dietary aides to the cleaning staff. They ALL play a vital role in the fight against COVID-19. Overcrowded hospitals, nursing/veteran home scares, long hours, countless sick patients, and the steady uptick of the dying have become the order of the day for our frontline healthcare professionals. They deserve our attention and our respect as they wage germ warfare in regions across the world. As my mother reminded me about my grandfather’s condition, we are reminded today about how one virus can knock out whole populations in the blink of an eye. In 1918, it was the flu virus. In 2020 the coronavirus looms large. And our future largely lies in the hands of millions of healthcare professionals who save lives through their sacrificial service throughout our communities. To all of our healthcare professionals, we salute you because of your selflessness in the face of danger and uncertainty. ======== Resources For Research Smithsonian Magazine https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/philadelphia-threw-wwi-parade-gave-thousands-onlookers-flu-180970372/ World War 1: 100 Years Later Philadelphia Threw a WW1 Parade That Gave Thousands of Onlookers The Flu By Kenneth C. Davis The Great Influenza By John M. Barry https://youtu.be/cORiWr2FRA0 Watch this 2005 interview of John M. Barry. He authored the book: The Great Influenza: The A Story of the Deadliest Plague in History. The book details the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic. Sadly, we are repeating some of the same obstacles that occurred 102 years ago. It took him seven years to write this book. 1918 Spanish Flu Epidemic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDY5COg2P2c Here is an excellent documentary about the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Although a different germ, the response and reactions are eerily similar to what we are dealing with during this coronavirus pandemic. And to think someone 102 years later… We are repeating history! The Center For Disease Control www.cdc.gov The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the leading national public health institute of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Its main goal is to protect public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease, injury, and disability in the US and internationally. The CDC focuses national attention on developing and applying disease control and prevention. It especially focuses its attention on infectious disease, foodborne pathogens, environmental health, occupational safety and health, health promotion, injury prevention, and educational activities designed to improve the health of United States citizens. The World Health Organization www.who.int The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. It is part of the UN Sustainable Development Group. The WHO Constitution, which establishes the agency's governing structure and principles, states its main objective as ensuring "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health." It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with six semi-autonomous regional offices and 150 field offices worldwide. By Carole Copeland Thomas
Excitement is building in anticipation of the 27th Black History Empowerment Recognition Breakfast on Thursday, March 12, 2020 at the Colonnade Boston Hotel. The featured Keynote Speaker is Shironda White whose financial background and online technological expertise produced one of her latest ventures, CauseEDU. She will empower and inspire the expected sell-out crowd with her message of good news by showcasing the achievement of women entrepreneurs of color. About Shironda Shironda White is a social entrepreneur with a passion for higher education and community development. She is currently the Founder of three companies: CauseEDU, an online college financial planning platform; West Douglas Capital, a real estate investment and community development company; and Cocoa & Cupcakes, an allergy-friendly baked goods company. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, her 15-year career spanned financial services, philanthropy, and higher education management, working for organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the US Department of Health & Human Services, and Harvard University. Shironda is an alumna of Spelman College and received her MBA in entrepreneurship and social impact from Boston University's Questrom School of Business. She is very active with both of her alma maters and currently serves as a case competition coach and a frequent speaker at Boston University. Shironda is originally from Oxnard, California, started her career in Atlanta, and moved to Boston in 2010. Click Here for complete information about purchasing tickets or Tables of Ten. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. The Breakfast will be held from 8:30 am to 11:00 am on Thursday, March 12, 2020 at the Colonnade Boston Hotel. Tickets are $65 per person. Only $50 for members of the Multicultural Symposium Series. For More Information, Call Carole Copeland Thomas at 508 947-5755. 1929 Martin Luther King Jr. is born on January 15 to the Reverend and Mrs. Martin Luther King Sr. His birthplace was Atlanta, Georgia. At the time, the family had one other child - a daughter. Later, they would have another son. 1944 He graduates from high school at age 15 and begins attending Morehouse College. He was an extremely bright and intelligent man. He skipped over two grades in high school, which allowed him to start attending college when he was 15. 1948 Martin Luther King Jr. graduates from Morehouse College, and goes right on to study at the Crozer Theological Seminary in Atlanta. His father was a Reverend, and although King Jr. had doubts about Christianity early in life, he went on to fully embrace the mission of the religion and how it was connected to his goals. On February 25 of this year, he was ordained into the Baptist ministry at the age of 19. 1951 He begins attending Boston University for graduate work. He studied systematic theology and received a Doctor of Philosophy. 1953 Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King were married. They established their residency in Montgomery, Alabama. 1955 He completed his Doctorate degree in Systematic Theology from Boston University. He joined the Montgomery bus boycott after Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1 for refusing to give up her bus seat. On December 5 King was elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association and he became the official spokesperson for the boycott, which became one of the most prominent events of the civil rights movement. 1957 Martin Luther King Jr. created the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with 60 black ministers from Atlanta. The group's mission was to fight against segregation and racism. On May 17th he gives a speech to 15,000 people in Washington D.C. 1958 Congress passes the first Civil Rights Act. He was stabbed in Harlem while signing his newly-published, first book Stride Toward Freedom. 1959 He had been the pastor at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. However during this year, he decided to leave that position so that he could focus on the civil rights movement full time. He moves back to Atlanta to lead the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Mr. and Mrs. King traveled to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Jawaharial Nehru to study the nonviolence techniques of Mohandas Gandhi. 1960 He returned with his family to Atlanta and became co-pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church with his father. He was arrested during one of the lunch counter sit-ins which occurred in Greensboro, North Carolina. He was supposed to spend four months in jail; however, John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy were able to get him released from jail. 1961 Martin Luther King Jr. convinces the Interstate Commerce Commission to prohibit segregation on public transportation going between states. The Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) started their first Freedom Ride in a bus through the southern states. 1962 He is arrested in Albany, Georgia and jailed. 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in April with Ralph Abernathy in Birmingham Alabama for demonstrating without a permit. He spent eleven days in jail during which he wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail. The Birmingham campaign becomes a major turning point for the civil rights movement resulting in desegregation of the schools and retail establishments. In June King led over 125,000 people on the Freedom Walk in Detroit in June. The March on Washington occurs in August, and he makes the extremely famous I Have a Dream speech to 250,000 people. King is declared Man of the Year by Time magazine. 1964 King attends the July 2 signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 at the White House in Washington. On December 10, at the age of 35, King becomes the youngest person ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. 1965 King is arrested in February while he is demonstrating for voting rights in Selma, Alabama. Governor George Wallace refuses to grant a permit to the 500 marchers in King's march from Selma to Montgomery designed to show the need for voter rights and to support the Voting Rights Bill which was unsigned. The march continued and over 10,000 started the march with King, joined by another 25,000 in Montgomery. 1966 In January King moves into a Chicago slum tenement in order to bring to light the housing problems that the black community faced. In June Martin Luther King Jr., along with other individuals, starts the March Against Fear in the south. 1967 The Supreme Court upholds the 1963 Birmingham conviction and King spends four days in the the Birmingham jail. In November the Poor People's Campaign begins and is targeted at people who were facing poverty. 1968 King announces that the Poor People's Campaign will march on Washington to demand support of the $12 billion Economic Bill of Rights which guaranteed employment, income to those who are unable to work and the end of discrimination. King marches in support of sanitation workers in Memphis. He delivers the I've Been to the Mountaintop speech in Memphis. On April 4, he is shot while standing on the balcony at his hotel, and later dies. His death is followed by riots in 130 U.S. cities. His funeral was on April 9th and had international attendance. 1983 On November 2, Martin Luther King Day was proclaimed as a federal holiday by President Ronald Reagan. 1986 Martin Luther King Day first observed. 2000 Martin Luther King Day observed nationwide for the first time. 2011 Martin Luther King Jr. memorial dedicated in Washington D.C. ======== Source: Biography.com From my home to yours, I wish you rich blessings into the New Year. Here is a special article I created about the history of Watch Night Service in the African American community. The tradition predated the importance of the famous 1862 Watch Night Services and originated with the Moravians in Germany many years earlier. The first Methodist church in America to celebrate Watch Night in the 1700s was St. George United Methodist Church in Philadelphia, the home church of Bishop Richard Allen, co-founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. However, it has become particularly important in the Black Church, with its evolution in the early to mid-1800s. The word evolved from “Freedom’s Eve” to “Watch Night” as the freed and enslaved blacks “watched” the clock strike 12 midnight, turning the course of the Civil War and freeing three million slaves in the states of the rebellion. Wishing You The Best in 2020! Carole Copeland Thomas, MBA CDMP, CITM The History Of Watch Night Services In The Black Church
by Carole Copeland Thomas With the festivities of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa now on full display, there is still time to reflect on the ritual of my ancestors and many other African Americans, whose forefathers sat around campfires and wood stoves in the twilight of December 31, 1862. There they sang spirituals acapella, prayed, and thanked the Good Lord for what was about to happen the next day. In the North, Abolitionists were jubilant that the “peculiar institution” was finally about to get dismantled one plantation at a time. The booklet, Walking Tours of Civil War Boston sites this about this historic event: “On January 1, 1863, large anti-slavery crowds gathered at Boston’s Music Hall and Tremont Temple to await word that President Abraham Lincoln had issued the much-anticipated Emancipation Proclamation (EP). Those present at the Music Hall included Uncle Tom’s Cabin author Harriet Beecher Stowe, poets Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and John Greenleaf Whittier and essayist, poet and physician Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. Also present was Ralph Waldo Emerson, who composed his Boston Hymn to mark the occasion.” Now… Let’s Look Back...157 Years Ago Tonight... It was on January 1, 1863, amidst the cannon fire, gunshots, and burnings at the height of the Civil War that President Abraham Lincoln sealed his own fate and signed the Emancipation Proclamation. It begins with the following decree: Whereas on the 22nd day of September, A.D. 1862, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, towit: "That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.” That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be, in good faith, represented in the Congress of the United States by members chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such State shall have participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State, and the people thereof, are not then in rebellion against the United States." CAROLE' S TRANSLATION: Effective January 1, 1863, all slaves in the states in rebellion against the Union are free. Technically that is all that President Lincoln could do at the time. He used his wartime powers as Commander in Chief to liberate the "property" of the states in rebellion of the Union. The act did not free the slaves of the Union or border states (Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, or West Virginia) or any southern state under Union control (like parts of Virginia). It would take the 13th Amendment (that freed all slaves in 1865), the Union Army winning the Civil War (April 9, 1865), and the assassination of President Lincoln (shot on April 14th and died on April 15, 1865) for all of the slaves to be freed. That included the liberation of the slaves in rebellious Texas on June 19, 1865 (Juneteenth Day) and finally the ratification of the 13th Amendment on December 18, 1865, giving all black people freedom and permanently abolishing slavery in the US. So in 1862 on the eve of this great era, the slaves "watched", prayed, and waited. My ancestors, including Bishop Wesley John Gaines of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) (a slave in Georgia freed by the EP) and the other three million slaves, prayed for divine guidance and an empowered Abraham Lincoln to do the right thing. It is as important today as the tradition of black people eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day for good luck. Following the Emancipation Proclamation, slaves were freed in stages, based on where they lived, the willingness of the plantation owner to release them and when Union troops began to control their area. Black educator and community activist Booker T. Washington as a boy of 9 in Virginia, remembered the day in early 1865: “As the great day drew nearer, there was more singing in the slave quarters than usual. It was bolder, had more ring, and lasted later into the night. Most of the verses of the plantation songs had some reference to freedom. ... Some man who seemed to be a stranger (a United States officer, I presume) made a little speech and then read a rather long paper—the Emancipation Proclamation, I think. After the reading, we were told that we were all free and could go when and where we pleased. My mother, who was standing by my side, leaned over and kissed her children, while tears of joy ran down her cheeks. She explained to us what it all meant, that this was the day for which she had been so long praying, but fearing that she would never live to see.” The longest holdouts were the slaves in Texas, who were not freed until June 19, 1865, two months after the Civil War ended. That day is now celebrated as Juneteenth Day around the United States. That is the history of Watch Night in the African American culture. May you and your family enjoy a spirit-filled New Year throughout 2020. Thank you for ALL of your support you have given to me and my business throughout 2019. -Carole Five international holidays converge onto the scene every December (and early January) to make our schedules hectic, exciting, and pressure-filled. Wrapping gifts while shopping at odd hours of the night either push us into the spirit of happiness OR help us find an escape path until all of the celebrations are over. Here are related links to five holidays with religious and nonreligious implications. You'll learn some interesting facts and figures that will make you scratch your head in amazement. The marathon includes Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Three Kings Day. Learn new stuff and pass it on as the merriment continues throughout the holiday season. -Carole Copeland Thomas ========== Links and Resources For The Five Holidays 1 Hanukkah https://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/3840625/jewish/13-Hanukkah-Facts-Every-Jew-Should-Know.htm?gclid=CjwKCAiAmO3gBRBBEiwA8d0Q4pDJz2VX1LG1_sN0V5SAZbinichpFp5px9yfA6E7saEpk0daVFLqnRoCncwQAvD_BwE 2 Winter Solstice https://www.farmersalmanac.com/get-ready-for-the-winter-solstice-23294 3 Christmas Parenting Article Written For Kids https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/20-interesting-facts-and-information-about-christmas-for-kids/ Inc Magazine https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/10-weird-facts-about-christmas.html History of the Christmas Tree https://www.historytoday.com/alison-barnes/first-christmas-tree 4 Kwanzaa Official Website: http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.shtml PBS Article http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/connect/talk-back/what-is-kwanzaa/ 5 Three Kings Day https://www.newsweek.com/when-three-kings-day-and-how-it-celebrated-epiphany-772690 12/19/2019 Forgiveness In The Face Of Racial Hatred: How Peggy Wallace Kennedy Made It HappenRead NowBy Carole Copeland Thomas I did not know her or even recognize her in late September when I sat on the same church pew with her on that fateful day. We were sitting on opposite ends but remained resolute and reflective on the occasion. And we both were featured speakers, paying tributes to a dedicated civil rights icon, whose funeral would last for more than four hours in Atlanta, Georgia.
We were both attending the funeral of one of my oldest and dearest friends on the planet. Both paying tribute to Juanita Jones Abernathy, the widow of Dr. Ralph David Abernathy, the closest associate to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. My connection to Juanita and that of many others that day were understandable. That included the King children, Bernice and Martin Luther King, III, who sat two pews behind us. It also included Representative John Lewis, the United States Congressman, who was badly beaten as a young student during the 1965 March on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Congressman Lewis sat right in front of me, and we chatted briefly before the funeral started. We were all predictable attendees, devoted to the Abernathy family and steadfast advocates for civil rights and social justice for all. It was Peggy Wallace Kennedy whose presence marked a startling change in the annals of American history. The daughter of one of the country’s most vile segregationists invited to speak at the funeral of one of her father’s former arch enemies. Peggy’s father: former Alabama governor and presidential candidate George Wallace. George Wallace, who died in 1998 and was struck and paralyzed by an assassin’s bullet in 1972, was a champion racist and orchestrator of some of the worst civil rights violations in modern times. The assassination attempt changed his racial ideology, but the damage he had done for years will never be forgotten. It’s his daughter, Peggy, who is now trying the right the wrongs of his past. And she’s reaching out to the country’s racial justice warriors to prove that she’s genuine, that she cares and that she sees the world differently from her dad. Her father’s racial hatred was notorious. He was a first-term governor in 1965 when John Lewis, a young student from Troy, Alabama, suffered a fractured skull at the hands of the Alabama state troopers during the Selma March. Governor Wallace’s famous 1963 gubernatorial inaugural speech stated the following: “In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.” So much for one daughter to overcome. Yet Peggy Wallace Kennedy’s steadfast determination to walk in a different path from her father found her invited to speak at Juanita Abernathy’s funeral. Her remarks were carefully crafted and poignant. Her tributes to Juanita beautifully woven into the tapestry of reconciliation and peace. During her remarks at the funeral, Peggy said, “As for me…she believed in me…in who I was rather than who I belonged to. She was my friend. Juanita helped changed the landscape of America for the benefit of all. She stood steadfast in the belief that all lives matter.” Following her five minute tribute, she walked right over to John Lewis, who hugged and embraced her with love and admiration. During his remarks, he said, “Peggy Wallace Kennedy, thank you for bearing witness to the truth.” For an extended time, she hugged Juanita’s younger daughter, Hollywood actress Donzaleigh Abernathy, signaling the times have changed, and there’s no room for returning to the racial hatred of the past. Peggy Wallace Davis has written a new memoir, The Broken Road: George Wallace And A Daughter’s Journey To Reconciliation. I certainly plan on reading the book and inviting Peggy on my new podcast that will start in 2020. Perhaps it will give new clues to why her father basked in the pool of hatred as he climbed the political ladder of success in the deep South of the 1960s. Forgiveness can sometimes take generations as the healing process seeps into our soul. My hope is that her mission and her message will cause us all to look deeply inside of ourselves to find new ways to build cross-cultural bridges to our future. |
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July 2024
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