The Gist of Freedom Preserving American History through Black Literature . . .

Join The Gist of Freedom with host Natasha Demosthene and guest Professor Paul Ortiz. Vicente Guerrero, Mexico’s first black president and other iconic revolutionaries will be discussed. Black Mexican President Ended Slavery! During the Civil War Slavers fled to and hid blacks in Gavelston, Texas! Vicente Guerrero, Mexico’s first black president Abolished Slavery, Assisted Escaping Blacks and Fought Texas! Texas President Sam Houston lamented that " two valuable negro boys for which I had paid in cash $2100 previous to my visit to Nashville, ran away last spring to Mexico. Thus you can see I am in bad luck." Just two and a half months after Mexico abolished slavery, officials were uneasy about the numbers of new European Americans settling within Mexico and they attempted to curb the number of newcomers. In 1830, Mexico decreed that foreigners could not cross the border without obtaining a passport issued by Mexican agents.Texans did not respect the MEXICAN border in their pursuits of Freed Blacks. In 1855, Captain James Callahan of the Texas Rangers entered Mexico in an attempt to recapture self-emancipated Africans.

Join The Gist of Freedom as host Natasha Demosthene talks  with community organizer Ken Sargeant  about the preservation of Harlem Renaissance Ballroom!   The abandoned Harlem Renaissance Ballroom A vital piece of Harlem's  history, the Harlem Renaissance Ballroom was built between 1920 and 1923 and was a black owned and operated center of culture. The  two-story entertainment complex included a 900-seat movie theater, a   ballroom, a space for basketball games, dances and meetings. The developers who bought the Harlem Renaissance Ballroom - agreed last night to stay demolition in order to hold discussions regarding saving the facade. Thank you to the leadership of Community Board 10, especially chair Henrietta Lyle and Land Use chair Brian Benjamin for facilitating the exchange. And many THANKS to Cheryl Wills for telling OUR story.    

Join The Gist of Freedom and host Shellie Gaines as we talk to award winning playwright Nikkole Salter about her play Repairing A Nation! THE STORY:  2001, B.O. (Before Obama)  The Davis family meets for what should be a text-book Christmas holiday season in their native Tulsa, OK.  But when Lois insists the family join a class action law suit for reparations, old family wounds are ripped open and we discover that the government isn't the only one being asked to apologize.

Inventor and Farmer, Andrew Beard~Born in Alabama in 1849, Andrew Beard spent the first fifteen years enslaved on a small farm in Alabama. A year after he was emancipated, he got married and became a farmer in a small city outside of Birmingham. While in Birmingham, he was able to develop and champion his first invention (a plow). Three years later, he patented a second plow. These two inventions earned him almost $10,000, with which he began to invest in real estate. ---------------- Tune in tonight to The Gist of Freedom as we discuss the history of Black Farmers with Gary R. Grant. Mr. Grant is the president of The Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association.   www.BlackHistoryBlog.com Read Mr. Grant's paper "Black Farmers United: The Struggle Against Power and Principalities" http://www.jpanafrican.com/docs/vol5no1/5.1BlackFarmers.pdf The authors are the President of the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association, Tillery, NC, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Kansas State University, and doctoral candidate in Sociology at Kansas State University, respectively. Please address any correspondence to tillery@aol.com. http://www.jpanafrican.com/docs/vol5no1/5.1BlackFarmers.pdf -------------------- Following his stint in real-estate, Andrew Beard began to work with and study engines. In 1892, he filed a patent for an improvement to the rotary steam engine. Mr. Beard was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio for his work on railroad coupler design.Andrew Beard invented the JENNY coupler for railroad cars. Little is known about the period of time from Beard's last patent application in 1897 up until his death. He died in 1921.

100 Black Men In Law Enforcement Who Care, Co-Founder Eric Josey talks with Host, Preston Washington on The Gist of Freedom about the Two Brooklyn New York Police Officers Killed while sitting in their Patrol Car.   Photo: 1929 Harlem Police Officers      

On Christmas Eve 1855, Barnaby Grigsby and his wife Mary Elizabeth, took the slaver's best team of horses and his carriage, packed it with knives and guns, and fled slavery. Grigsby and Elizabeth were married. William Still was the Black abolitionist from Philadelphia who was described by the New York Times as "The Father of the Underground Railroad". He commissioned Harriet Tubman's rescue missions. This famous abolitionist literally wrote the Underground Railroad book. The book which explained the story, narratives often in the words of the participants in the effort to escape slavery. Click to Listen To The Gist of Freedom is pleased to present to you "The Bold Strike For Freedom" an excerpt from William Still's Book, The Underground Railroad with guest Erik Estep!

Engineer Entrepreneur Granville T Woods, Sued By T.Edison & Won!

Professor Jean Libby  will discuss the relationship between John Brown and African American pioneers in San Jose, California. She'll also feature two books:  Herbert Ruffin, Uninvited Neighbors; African Americans in Silicon Valley 1860-1990 (2014) and Erica Armstrong Dunbar A Fragile Freedom; African American Women in the Antebellum South (2008).   Establishment of The AME Zion Church in NYC and St. Philip's Episcopal on Wall St. (1820) The Cassey Delancy St. Home, National Historic Site Establishement of  the first secondary school Lovie Spencer, scholar and researcher Establishments of Episcopal Churches in California  

Join The Gist of Freedom as we discuss The Michael Brown and Eric Garner Grand Jury Verdicts. Police not Indicted, For The deaths of Unarmed Black Men, with Attorney Activist, Michael Coard Esq.! 8pm ET~ www.BlackHistoryBlog.com "I can't breathe" Weeks before the shooting death of Michael Brown this August in Ferguson, Missouri, the death of Eric Garner set off its own wave of protests. The father of six died in July while being suspected of selling illegal cigarettes in Staten Island, after a police chokehold rendered him unable to breathe. The cop, Pantaleo, who held Eric Garner in the chokehold that killed him has been sued three times for allegedly violating the constitutional rights of other blacks he and fellow cops arrested. Unlike Mike Brown's death, Garner's death has harrowing digital footprints. His attempted arrest and struggle for air were captured on a widely-disseminated video. His final words were “I can’t breathe.” Besides the banned chokehold used by the cop,  throwing a beefy arm around his neck, there was lethal danger in the way Mr. Garner was subdued — on his stomach, with a pile of cops on his back. “positional asphyxia” quoted the Department’s guidelines on preventing deaths in custody. The New York medical examiner’s office ruled Mr. Garner’s death a homicide, it cited “compression of neck (choke hold), compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police.” The pressure prevents the diaphragm from going up and down, and he can’t inhale and exhale.” Which is exactly what Mr. Garner was trying to tell the officers who were on top of him when he said "I can't breathe" On Wednesday, a grand jury decided not to indict Daniel Pantaleo, the plainclothes NYPD officer who was making the arrest.  

Join The Gist of Freedom as we discuss The Michael Brown and Eric Garner Grand Jury Verdicts, Police not Indicted, ForThe deaths of Unarmed Black Men, with Roy Paul! Weeks before the shooting death of Michael Brown this August in Ferguson, Missouri, the death of Eric Garner set off its own wave of protests. The father of six died in July while being arrested for selling illegal cigarettes in Staten Island, after a police chokehold rendered him unable to breathe. On Wednesday, a grand jury decided not to indict Daniel Pantaleo, the plainclothes NYPD officer who was making the arrest. There are plenty of differences between the cases of Garner and Brown, but one particular contrast remains salient: There was no footage of Michael Brown's death, only eyewitness accounts and conjecture, leaving minds to imagine a standoff between an officer and a civilian, a standoff that ended with the image of Brown lying dead in the street for over four hours. Garner's death has harrowing digital footprints. His attempted arrest and struggle for air were captured on a widely-disseminated video. His final words were “I can’t breathe.” In the aftermath of the verdict, many will likely point to the fact that the coroner's report ruled Garner's death a homicide, and that chokeholds are expressly forbidden by the NYPD.

Tonight learn about Maggie L Walker~ the first African-American woman to found a bank and serve as its president. In 1899.Maggie Walker  was the Secretary Treasurer of the Independent Order of St. Luke (IOSL) a self help, benevolent society.   The bank, St. Luke Penny Savings was home to the benevolent society (self-Help org.) under Maggie Walker’s leadership. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Since obtaining this position, Walker focused on using economic empowerment to defy Jim Crow Laws.  She did this by establishing a bank, newspaper, and store.   Walker was the first African-American woman to found a bank and serve as its president.  Maggie Walker’s leadership, entrepreneurship, and magnanimous personality significantly helped African-Americans across the country gain equality and empowerment. ------- Tonight Join The Gist of Freedom as learn more about the social activist Maven Maggie L. Walker with Ben Anderson! Mr. Anderson is a tour guide ranger at the National Park Service Maggie L  Walker Historic Site. Walker was the first African-American woman to found a bank and serve as its president.   Watch http://youtu.be/urXaceI0Vj4

Please Join The Gist of Freedom as we welcome Adam Tulloch from Great Britian's Production of the play ‘Olaudah Equiano, The Enslaved African’   Olaudah Equiano Survived The Middle Passage, purchased his freedom, became a black abolitionist  and  authored the first known  Enslaved African Narrative . He was a famous proponent of British abolitionism and worked with William Wilberforce.  His story is featured in the movie Amazing Grace.   Following its success at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, ‘Olaudah Equiano, The Enslaved African’ will be transferring to Sutton House from the 26th-29th November. Kidnapped with his sister at the age of eleven, Equiano is beaten, suffocated and tortured on their journey to the coast, which sees him separated from his sister and sold to British traders.   Set in the heart of West Africa during the height of the British slave trade, ‘Olaudah Equiano, The Enslaved African’ is an honest, uncompromising and moving portrayal of Olaudah Equiano’s early life. Please note this is a site-specific production with no wheelchair access. The production also contains scenes of a violent nature and is therefore only suitable for those over the age of 16. Creative Team Writer/Director – Adam Tulloch Assistant Director – Sian Edwards Choreography – Sharon Henry Music – Jamal Hue-Bonner Cast Jonathan Luwagga Marie-Helene Boyd Alessandro Babalola Tickets available via Eventbrite Full Price £10 Concessions £8 Limited number of £5 Early Bird tickets    

The Gist of Freedom is pleased to welcome renowned  filmmaker and Television host Keith Beauchamp. On one of Keith's latest installments of Investigation Discovery’s Injustice Files  Keith Beuachamp explores “sundown towns” – communities in America that didn’t allow African American people to live there or even be present once the sun went down.

Join The Gist of Freedom, as Preston Washington welcomes one of the world's most conscious rappers, PR, Paul Robeson

Tonight on The Gist of Freedom listen to excerpts from the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano, a survivor of the middle passage! www.BlackHistoryBLOG.com --Survived The Middle Passage, purchased his freedom, became a black abolitionist  and  authored the first known  Enslaved African Narrative . He was a famous proponent of British abolitionism and worked with William Wilberforce.  His story is featured in the movie Amazing Grace. He settled in the United Kingdom in 1792. His autobiography, "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano", depicts the horrors of slavery and influenced the enactment of the Slave Trade Act of 1807.                                                                   They put us in separate parcels, and examined us attentively. They also made us jump, and pointed to the land, signifying we were to go there. We thought by this, we should be eaten by these ugly men, as they appeared to us; and, when soon after we were all put down under the deck again, there was much dread and trembling among us, and nothing but bitter cries to be heard all the night from these apprehensions, insomuch, that at last the white people got some old slaves from the land to pacify us. They told us we were not to be eaten, but to work, and were soon to go on land, where we should see many of our country people. This report eased us much. And sure enough, soon after we were landed, there came to us Africans of all languages.