The Reason He Was The Greatest
Browsing: Lost Black History
The poignant origin of slavery in the US dates back to 1539 in Florida. This was decades before the common denotation of 1619 as the beginning of slavery in the 13 colonies. In 1539, slavery arrived in present-day Florida when the slave trader, Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto, attempted to establish a permanent settlement here.
In 1959, decades before Tiger Woods became the most dominant Black golfer in history, there was Bill Wright. Bill Wright became the first Black golfer to win a United States Golf Association [USGA] event. Tiger faced slurs and racist disgust about his playing on the tour. That harassment pales in comparison to the vile abuse a Black golfer in the late ‘50s had to endure.
Affirmative Action [AA] is a ubiquitous phrase that we all have heard. Not many of us know its origin or history. In order to grasp the entire scope of this equality tool you need to know its lineage. The foundation for this statute dates back to the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, commonly known as the Wagner Act. It decreed that employers using discriminatory labor practices would be required “to take such Affirmative action including reinstatement of employees with or without back pay.”
A little known fact is that Atlanta’s first Black millionaire, Alonzo Heandon, was born a slave in 1858. He lived as a slave child of his master, Frank Herndon, for seven years before Emancipation.
There are nuanced arguments made about what caused the Great Migration. It has made fertile suppositions for several books and lecture series. The idiom “Greener Pastures” is the Twitter version. After the sedition by the South was quelled, they refused to change the social dynamics between the races. This brutal inequality persisted across the South and the segregationist tool, “Jim Crow” would become the law of the land.
This statue is called “Through His Eyes.” It is a monument to the godfather of Sweet Auburn avenue, John Wesley Dobbs. The artist cleverly opted to leave the eyes open in the statue. A sly acknowledgement of Dobb’s vision for “Sweet Auburn.” Auburn became the incubator for the civil rights era, and the commercial, cultural, spiritual center of Black Atlanta.
Pittsburgh is home of the world’s first commercial radio station, KDKA, which began broadcasting in 1920. Twenty nine years later the first Black owned radio station went on the air. Atlanta is the home of WERD, a completely Black owned and operated station. In 1949, bank president, professor and civil rights activist Jesse B. Blayton purchased the 1,000 watt radio station. It had to be purchased by proxy of a White businessman. The station’s owner refused to do business with a Black entrepreneur. Blanton bought WERD for $50,000. That would equate to about $620,685 in today’s economy.
The Freedmen’s Bureau [FB] was the federal government’s first attempt at a comprehensive social assistance program. At the end of the Civil war in 1865, the FB was created. Its goal was to facilitate the amalgamation of four million slaves into society. According to the National Archives: “The Bureau was established to undertake the relief effort and the unprecedented social reconstruction that would bring freedpeople to full citizenship.” The FB would best be described as the “8 Track Tape player,” of social services. It had great intentions, but after a few years it was ineffectual! In 1872 the FB was closed.
To paraphrase a speech from Dr. King, “If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace.” Critically, thinking who was our Drum major? In a recent poll of 55 people– Black, White, College educated and not, age: 36 – 93 years old, the results were varied. All the Blacks gave a “knee-jerk” pick for President Obama. Let’s explore the other choices.