I was saddened today to hear of the passing of Civil and Human Rights Trailblazer, Dr. Dorothy Height at the blessed age of 98 years old.

For at least the past 20 years, Dr. Height’s influence has been a guiding light personally for my older Sister, Gina. Her name, always spoken with respect and reference, has throughout the years been a part of many of our conversations. Her example and leadership unmatched in the fight for civil rights and equality.

Gina wrote today:

Late activist C. DeLores Tucker: ‘Dorothy Height is the queen’ of the civil rights movement. How blessed I was to know her.  Dr. Height your labor was not in vain.  We must pick up the mantel and continue the fight!

In May 2008, my oldest Sister Ingrid and I traveled to DC to attend a Luncheon coordinated by Gina (on right, wearing white), in honor of Dr. Height. These images are from that event.

No tombstone today, this is Triumphant Tuesday. Without question Dr. Height is resting in peace ~ her work done, her example laid. The rest remains with us.

Luckie.

Dear God, it was a tomb for many unfortunate and undeserving Ancestors.

The Hanging Tree ~ Savannah, Georgia

Lest we forget.

Luckie.

I am my Father’s namesake – Dona Amechia DANIELS, but not for long. Yesterday I began the legal process of changing my name to Luckie DANIELS.

Why you ask have I waited until 42 (and a half!:-) to change a name that I’ve lived with for my entire life? Simply, because it’s time.

Without anger but yes — with a fair amount of hurt still, I no longer feel the need to carry the name of a man I do not know… the name of a man who’s only contribution to my life was his DNA.

My genealogy research and spiritual practice over the years have taught me the significance and power of a name; the strength and life force that lives behind a word.

Because I have great reverence for a word’s power, I no longer wish to carry the badge of my Father’s name nor the karma of his actions.

Some may not like hearing it but while Slavery strengthened us in many respects, it also weakened us culturally by breaking many sacred family bonds.

It left men unable to protect their women, children and family; unable (without the threat of death) in essence, to be men.

Women and girls were left exposed without covering — to be repeatedly violated at whim and then to experience further abuse at the hands of wrathful mistresses.

No matter what the bond of the slave to another, it was not protected. A human being cannot encounter this experience, for countless times spanning HUNDREDS of years, without it manifesting into a very physical, tangible reality.

Had the degradation stopped in 1865, I think our present culture would look differently. But as we all know, the abuse continued and with the karma it created, produced living descendants who unknowingly inherited their Ancestors survival traits.

My Father is such a descendant. Though brilliant in mind, something deep inside of him is wounded. Broken even. This is the reason I have no anger — he has no issue with me, his Daughter — his issues are with self.

I and my many siblings were just the causalities of his open wound.

But life is to precious to live it any other way than EXACTLY as you’d want it, so that said, I am laying to rest the Given name that I have never been proud to carry.

The surname, DANIELS — will remain in tact. It is broader than my Father and speaks to my Bloodline. I will never forget that one of my Daniels and/or COBB Ancestors gifted me from the grave with my Great Grandmother Cobb’s family bible. (Bless you!)

They too are a part of me and are with me.

As for my Father, I pray for him often that he have a life filled with ease and that he and every other living descendant of Emancipated Slaves, find their way to right history’s wrongs.

We are not hopeless — we just have work to do.

As for me, it’s calling the name of a girl born the 7th day, of the 7th month, at 7PM, my own — Luckie DANIELS.

So although it’s Tombstone Tuesday, I am not burying my Father’s name nor my connection to him. I am merely setting myself free of it to embrace the destiny of my choosing — not its inherited incarnation.

I am Luckie.

My, my, my… just when I was searching for a Tombstone Tuesday post, along came “Matt”, an OGR reader not at all happy about my recent Willie Lynch Letter 1712 post! I LOVE it!:-)

Why? Because though OGR has many followers — both black & white, who may have agreed and/or disagreed with the subject matter, few were willing to voice their opinion as Matt did. BRAVO Matt!:-)

Now, although Matt & I may differ in opinion, he poses several questions that warrant a response.  For the most part, I will answer his questions in-line to his comments, so that folks can easily gauge the context of my response.

However, 1 question — in fact, the last one, I will call out here because I want my response to be CRYSTAL CLEAR:

How to do you sleep at night publishing a fake letter on your supposedly serious website ?

In two words Matt – VERY well! If the worst thing I can do is publish a letter, that at the very least, stimulates thoughts & opinions in respect to the Institution of Slavery in America, then I have actually accomplished my goal — TO MAKE PEOPLE THINK & NOT DISMISS, SLAVERY.

If not but for a moment, you for example, stopped to read on a subject matter that you normally wouldn’t consider — Slave Ancestry.

Then, you went a step further to research the history of Willie Lynch, albeit to be informed of or to dispel its truth.

And lastly, you felt strongly enough to write me & share your thoughts in a cordial manner.  I appreciate that!

Truth is, we  — black or white — don’t all HAVE to agree on EVERY given topic – not in life & certainly, not about Slavery, but at least we should be able to respectfully dialogue & share our opinions with one another, shouldn’t we?

You may see Our Georgia Roots as a “supposedly serious website”. I however, view it as my personal, historical, family blog to share my opionion about what I choose & for the most part, that centers around the impact of Slavery to my respective family & community.

I would encourage you Matt to visit/read more & to not be so quick to dismiss me due to 1 post regarding 1 man & 1 letter – real or not, that you personally disagree with.

This is the same “open mind” & objectivity that I have afforded you.

The floor is open!:-)

Luckie.

********************

Lucky -

I’m a white guy who is a genealogy junkie. My librarian in Athens sends out emails with links from time to time. I was check them out because they are always so good. I went to this site because I’m from GA, so “ourgeorgiaroots” obviously got my attention. Of course, I immediately saw that its a black genealogy site but me being a real junkie I wanted to see and appreciate your website. I was initially very impressed. You’ve put a tremendous amount of work into this and you’re doing a great service to all black researchers. I know it can be tough to research black lines for many reasons.

This thing about “Willie Lynch” really got my attention because I do a lot of reading and research in general and had never heard of the Willie Lynch letter. Now I know why. For the past few days I’ve read up on everything I can find on the subject. Youtube is a good source to get lots of different opinions from various black folks. The word hoax is probably used the most in describing the letter. I’m sure you’re aware of this because you are obviously a very serious researcher. I’m baffled as to why a serious person would post a fake letter of this nature on a site such as yours. [LD: I wouldn't call me a "serious person" per say, but an opinionated one for sure! Simply put, not intending to be rude -- it's my blog & I can post what I choose. For me, as a descendant of emancipated slaves, the context is completely relevant, whether the source (Willie Lynch) is or not.]

Even though this letter has been floating around for at least 15 years and has been roundly criticized as fake by black scholars from places like Spelman College, you still feel the need to perpetuate it ? Why ? What good does it do ? [LD: Should it make a difference to me if the scholar criticizing the WL text is black or white? Not really. Every person is entitled to his/her opinion -- I'd love to see someone trace LYNCH Genealogy to determine what it does and/or does not lend to. That is the way to put the debate to rest. Trace the bloodline & genealogy trail to see what shakes out.] Some black commentators on youtube contend that it doesn’t matter if the letter is fake. [LD: I agree, in the scheme of things, it doesn't. Willie Lynch could have been a real man or the embodiment of Slave psychology -- the process & outcome remain the same.] I find that very strange. I realize this fake letter isn’t for white consumption and I believe only a very tiny percentage of the white population would have ever heard of it. Its understandable that you all feel some need to “understand” the huge problems that plague the black community like black on black crime and the dissolution of the black nuclear family. I just fail to see how hand wringing over an obviously fake letter from a fake person is going to help. [LD: I'll be honest, I don't like the "you all" reference and/or any other generalizations AT ALL. Not all black people view history & present culture in the same light, nor should we. However, TRUE history speaks clearly to the core causes of black cultural struggle. Remove Willie Lynch & a letter -- it's still there. The dynamic of slavery was oppressive, dehumanizing & an acceptable modern day standard. Its policies reached FAR beyond the 1865 Emancipation, as did its ramifications. A good read to add more context to my argument -- Slavery by Another Name, by Douglas Blackmon.]

I asked a famous black author who I’ve known for a while to fill me in on this subject. She won’t even comment on it. I think she’s too embarrassed. [LD: Hmmm... how can I say this? At the core of the Willie Lynch letter is the psychology of the US Chattel System & reflective of how sick it truly was. We can debate Willie Lynch all day long, but can we deny the tactics outlined in the text? NO -- we can't, they existed then & unfortunately, exist now. If by dismissing the letter you feel relief to ignore what it speaks to, please don't. That said, neither I nor my Ancestors have reason to be embarrassed & neither should your friend -- if that is how she feels. The institution of slavery & the treatment of humans, by humans, was indeed shameful but to no fault of the Ancestors who endured it, or their descendants tasked with making sense of it.] I believe if she thought the letter was real she would not hesitate to defend it, and I believe if she was of the school who thinks “it doesn’t matter if its fake” she would have made that point. But she chooses to pretend it doesn’t exist in my opinion because its makes you all look bad. [LD: I beg to differ Matt -- by far, the Willie Lynch letter & America's slave history does not make "you all" {I'm assuming you mean African Americans?} look bad. To the contrary, it shines a light on the Ancestors who invoked, lived & profited from it & only makes them look bad.] How to do you sleep at night publishing a fake letter on your supposedly serious website? [LD: Asked & answered earlier.]

I am so proud of the FEARLESS Family, Friends, Genealogists, Advocates & Historians rallying to protect the final resting place of Ancestors buried at historic Panasoffkee Cemetery, in Sumter County, FL!

The fact that Sumter officials believed they could disrupt a historic black cemetery to allow for the development of an industrial park, without anyone raising a voice in protest is arrogance personified & speaks volumes about the long overdue conversation around HISTORY, RACE & CLASS that MUST occur in this boldly Democratic, equal opportunity, society.

Thank God for voices answering the charge of the Ancestors! To George [Geder], Angela [Walton-Raji] & Toni [Carrier], charge on — I only wish I didn’t have a new Coca-Cola application eating up my days & nights so that I could join you in the fight!

For anyone witnessing the events of Sumter County & not speaking out in some manner — shame on you, get busy people!

However you spin it — silence is voluntary acceptance of the status quo! If you are not willing to stand up to advocate for truth & justice when you witness it being violated, then you have NO RIGHT to complain when it’s not given voluntarily.

The Panasoffkee Ancestors deserve a voice — please, offer them yours!

Lest we forget,

Luckie.

[Image Source: Fox 13, Tampa Bay -- Families oppose cemetery relocation]

Madison Derrelle CODY & Fannie CARR CODY, the last CODY owners of Catie DICKEY WINGFIELD {abt. 1850-1933}

Luckie.

[Image Source: Find A Grave, Southview Cemetery, Newton County, GA]

Thomas Andrew DORSEY {1899-1993}, known also as ”Georgia Tom”, is considered the Father of Gospel Music.

Oak Woods Cemetery, Chicago, IL.

Be blessed…

Luckie.

Damballah Egun is the Yoruba {Nigerian} meaning for Unknown Ancestors. In Yoruba culture, homage is paid to both the known & unknown Ancestors. It is believed they continue to guide the way of the living.

When Yorubas pass/visit a graveyard, they honor the Ancestors by saying “Iba se Damballah Egun” — I pay homage to the Unknown Ancestors.

I can remember walking through graveyards in Washington-Wilkes searching for the marker of my 4th Grandfather, James WINGFIELD. Little did I know that he’d been lynched in 1885, & that there was no marker to be found. My Great Aunts didn’t decide to share that fact with me until 2008!:-)

I’ll admit, while I love Genealogy, graveyards are not really my thing. There’s just something about walking across the graves of Unknown Ancestors that feels slightly disrespectful to me. I find myself wanting to say, “Oops, sorry! I didn’t mean to step there!”

There is the feeling that I should be praying or making sacrament — I have a hard time taking pictures. And yes, being a person who believes in the presence of the spiritual world, I’m not one to visit if the sun isn’t shining HIGH in the sky!:-)

One of my favorite cemetery stories was shared by my sweet Cousin, Johnnie Mae STRINGER LONG.

Mae was a 1st Cousin of my Great Grandmother Annie {daughters of Sisters Missy & Marrie} & aside from sharing the same face, they shared the same sweet spirit. Mae is one of the reasons why my Family Image Gallery is so rich — all of the images from the early 1900s came from her. She was the youngest Grandchild of Catie.

I still chuckle when I think about Mae’s last visit to Grandma Catie’s grave!

Mae once told me that when Grandma Catie died, Uncle John WINGFIELD {Catie’s Son} & our Cousin Harry HECTOR, carried a huge, carved rock via wagon to place on Catie’s grave.

One day accompanied by her brother, Elbert STRINGER, Mae went looking for Catie’s grave & found the rock/headstone had disappeared! She remembered the graveyard being very overgrown, and that she & Elbert had to “cut their way through” to Catie’s grave site. 

Mae was admittedly “scary” by nature & told me that when she arrived at the grave site & there was no headstone to be found, she was shaken. But when she felt her feet start sinking into the soft soil, she broke away running & screaming!:-)

She said Elbert, who was trying to comfort her, could not even catch her! She never returned

I can tell you that by the end of Mae’s story {complete with gestures & facial expressions}, I was in tears!:-)

As of late, I’ve been feeling like trying to locate Catie’s grave BUT without shame, if I venture to do so, it will be on a VERY sunny day & I will have lots of company!

To all the Damballah Egun, I pay homage.

Luckie.

{Note: the featured image is of an Unmarked Slave Grave at the Friendfield Plantation - Georgetown, SC}

This past weekend I happened upon a rerun of Dr. Henry Louis Gates PBS series, African American Lives 2.

I missed the series when it aired last February but like the true Geneaholic I am, as soon as I recognized the program, I could think of nothing else – I HAD to stop & watch it!

I so love Genealogy – both for the result {strengthening the bond to our Ancestors} & the process {hard-earned detective work & problem solving}! It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been researching or how many rocks you’ve turned upside down, there always remains roads you haven’t traveled & possible leads you’ve omitted along the way.

As Dr. Gates introduced Chris Rock to his Great, Great Grandfather Julius Caesar Tingman, a Civil War soldier for the Union Army U.S. Colored Troops, who went on to be elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives, I found myself questioning whether or not I had any Ancestors who’d fought in the Civil War?

Why has it never struck me to search for a Civil War Ancestor before? I guess I know why. As an African-American descended from the south, the Civil War has always carried a too familiar, uncomfortable sting. Immediately when I think “Civil War”, my mind envisions Confederate flags & men fighting to maintain ownership of my loved ones.

Is this perception fair? Maybe, maybe not. I am sure for the descendants of Confederate soldiers, the war is much more than that. Looking at who was fighting lends a different perspective than why they were fighting, I see that now. We must all approach this time period with an open-mind.

Imagine, more than 3,500 black Georgians served in the Union army & navy between 1862 & 1865. I have to wonder if any of these men belonged to my bloodline? Heck, could they have belonged to yours?

I’m online searching for a comprehensive way to find out! Is there an indexed list of Colored soldiers? Maybe a grouping of all the U.S. Colored Regiments? Checkout this reference from the New Georgia Encyclopedia – Black Troops in Civil War Georgia.

Also on my list, a visit to the African American Civil War Memorial on my next trip to Washington, DC.

Whether from my blood or not, these Ancestors deserve to be honored. They risked {and sacrificed} their lives first by escaping slavery & then by fighting against the institution of it.

There is MUCH honor in their plight.

Luckie.

Tonight Allum {aka SpenceLowry} & I were engaged in a “Twittersation” about the arrest earlier today of Harvard Professor & Scholar, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Allum’s observation – it’s been an “interesting” week in race relations.

A desecrated historic black cemetery. Innocent children turned away from a Philly pool. A Mayoral email in EXTREMELY poor taste. Now the arrest of one of our most noted Scholars on race relations?

Whew! My take – definitely a more public facing week of race issues, but not out of the ordinary at all.

It’s a sad testimony, but true one nonetheless.

While we {black folks} may have been surprised  by WHO was arrested {my God, did Cambridge police mess-up or what?!}, I’d be shocked if any one of us could not identify with the circumstances surrounding Dr. Gates arrest.

Instructing our young black males on how to respond when “driving while black”, or entering “the wrong neighborhood” is darn near a 16 yr. old Right of Passage!

Sometimes the slight is subtle – “Oh my, your child is so articulate!”. Sometimes not so much… like today I was mistaken for a maid. Was I in a uniform? NOPE! Was I carrying a mop or broom? NOPE! I was just walking down a hall, when a man stopped me to ask – “Are you the cleaning person?”.

What the heck?! {Luckie exhaling…}

Now, for the disclaimer – do I believe every white person is a racist? Nope. Do I have a deep dislike for white people? Some of them. But for the record – there are also some red, brown & black folks I don’t dig too much either!:-)

All this is to say, that sometimes we [all of us - black & white alike] need to be reminded that there is much, MUCH work remaining to heal the blemishes of the past.

Just 45 years outside of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, even with an adorable brown family resting at the White House, we still have a long road of change to travel…

Tombstone Tuesday – Emmett Till, Burr Oak Cemetery.

Lest we forget…

Luckie.