The Power of Humanity

                                                The Power of Humanity

“Lee Daniels’ The Butler” is a historical compelling film based on the true story of Eugene Allen. Allen, an African American man, worked as a butler in the White House for thirty-four years and served eight presidents.   Forest Whitaker gave an Oscar winning performance in his portrayal of Allen, named in the movie as Cecil Gaines. In a riveting performance, Oprah Winfrey played Gloria Gaines, the wife of Gaines and on several occasions her character, moved me to tears. This film captures the very essence of the power of humanity.  In the face of social restriction and racial barriers, the most powerful testament to humanity is the ability to respect and share in the gift of brotherhood in the face of social restrictions and racial barriers.

     Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that segregation was an unjust system that psychologically demoralized People of Color. Furthermore, its intent was to induce behaviors of inferiority. He explained that segregation, granted White people a false feeling of superiority. The end result of segregation was that it existed as a weapon of racism that supported the lawless acts of violence. During the Civil Rights Era, People of Color lived in a society that was charged with violence, fueled by racism and any incident could ignite this social fire of violence. Explosions of this violence plagued the Deep South. As incidents of racial inequality and discriminatory practices increased, civil rights activists had to comprise a method that would be conducive.

    People of Color were stigmatized, alienated and immobilized. Dr. King had to figure out how to successfully assimilate these estranged people (People of Color) into society. Racism is a complex social illness. People of Color were legally held captive under the United States Constitution. They had endured two hundred years of slavery, and one hundred years under Jim Crow. Historically, under slavery they were considered as human property and economically deprived. 

    The act of prejudice is a learned behavior that is delivered through social and political channels. Dr. King knew that all learned behavior, could be unlearned. Dr. King had an insurmountable task; he had to change a belief system. A belief system is formulated within an individual. People live within the social context in which society has deemed them and they are further influenced by their family system. The cognitive framework of the belief system of the “inferior human being” was formed by the dysfunctional violent social system of slavery. So, the victims of these beliefs are unaware of the origin.

    Dr. King had to devise a psychological model for society. The hope of the Civil Rights Movement was focused on changing the behaviors of a prejudicial belief system. The goal of the Civil Rights Movement was to produce an culturally competent society. The outcome of the Civil Rights Movement was to generate the construction of civil right laws. Furthermore, these laws would be upheld and respected by the public and law enforcement institutions. The ‘prayer’ of the Civil Rights Movement, was for the violence to end. The violence continued.

     Eugene Allen, who Forest Whitaker embodied, influenced President John F. Kennedy and in turn Kennedy had a paradigm shift. Recently, I exchanged respectful words with a twitter subscriber who refused to believe that my third great grandmother a slave named Mariah changed the mindset of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Civic minded individuals address and react to social issues by confrontation. The commission of confronting social concerns begins with community empathy. Community empathy is the act of acknowledging and thereby being aware of the unmet social needs within society. Community empathy and the drive to confront social matters, is powered by human compassion. Human compassion is the ‘heart’ of a civic minded humanitarian. They devote their time and their energy with one single goal. Their goal is that they hope that their actions can produce social change. Humanitarians are dedicated to the mission of serving humanity. They are rewarded by seeing social change. Social change is the affirmation of empowerment. The creation of a productive and healthy society is only brought about by civic minded humanitarians. Mariah experienced a dramatic event, a violent slave massacre and this caused her to use her voice. I believe in the compassion of the human spirit that produces the power of humanity.

Human Property the story of Mariah

Who Knows Your Dreams?

                                         Who Knows Your Dreams

Visualize your dreams and then execute your plan. I have to admit that I am a dreamer. I have flashing, fleeting day dreams that flirt with my conscious.  At night, I experience my dreams in elaborate, scenes, and it is only when I wake up, that I realize that “It was only a dream.”  Without a well-thought of and carefully researched plan, dreams remain a fantasy.  Personally, I attempt to turn my dreams into reality. The graveyard is filled with unfulfilled dreams and unaccomplished goals. Successful, entrepreneurs, authors and others have visualized a dream and then executed a plan.

I became interesting in writing a book about a young man, Andre Coppage, whose five younger siblings were murdered by a street gang. In 2000, after years of following the case, “Code of Silence, the Andre Coppage Story,” was written and updated in 2012.

Andre is an eye-witness to a brutal murder and as a result what happens to him and his family is unimaginable

From 2000 to 2006, Andre and I campaigned against gang violence. It was my dream to write this story and I executed a plan. I wrote the book in the first person, I literally became a young African American male. It was a difficult process; however I embodied Andre, his dreams, his nightmares and his realities.   

 For several years, I went on a nonstop marketing campaign.  Finally, my dream came true, I was an indie author, who was about to sign a movie deal for my book.  I thought that I had executed a full proof plan, however I was blind-sided.  The major network asked to talk to Andre, I thought that he would know what to say, but before the ink touched the contract the deal was tossed. I will not divulge what was said, but the network executives refused to agree to the terms.

I have learned from this life lesson and I have since then asked myself this simple question. “Who would you trust with your dreams?”  When you have a dream that is so near and dear to your heart, ask yourself this question, “Who knows your dreams better than you?” 

I am offering my EBook, “The Code of Silence the Andre Coppage Story” for free  from Wednesday, August  14 to Friday, August 16, 2013.
1 Aug: 

Code of Silence The Andre Coppage Story by Ann Lee http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AM9OMYY

A Promise Fulfilled

                        Oh yea, a Proud Slave Ancestry

I am no longer ashamed of what they were (slaves) but proud of

what they became.

There is a deeply-rooted saying, “Promises are made to be broken.”

A promise is a verbal declaration. Such an oath, really is enduring

when you make a vow to someone you dearly love.  After breaking

a promise to a love one, is there redemption? Can you resolve,

repair, or mend the broken pieces of a dissolved promise?

The story of my third great grandmother Mariah, born a slave,

witnessed a slave massacre, fought the KKK and owned acre of

land, known as “The Lands of Mariah Johnson,” have been passed

down from generation to generation. 

I was in an auspicious position of knowing the oral history of my

family. My family’s history, at times, especially when I was a

child, seemed to be a fantastic story. Although, I knew that my

mother and aunt spoke earnestly, I could not capture their moments

of reminisces. I could not grasp the historical context of living

within a time where color, class and gender were synonymous with

servitude, slavery and inequality. Therefore, I lived in their moment

and listened. I listened to their thoughts and memories. While, in

that precious moment of time, I learned that I am, all that I am,

because of their sacrifice.

Years before my dear mother passed away, she said to me, “Please
research our family tree.” My mother knew that I had a genuine
appreciation for family history. “I will Mother, not now, I’ll do it
later,” I answered. My mother spoke as though we were of royal blood. I had to admit, but only to myself, that I was a little ashamed of being a descendant of slaves and I was scared. I was afraid of confronting my fears and reservations about the indignation of slavery.

In 2005, after my mother’s death, I was immersed in grief. For a

couple of months, I cried myself to sleep. Then late one night, I

remembered my mother’s words, “Follow the trail of the land, the

land speaks.” The next day, I struggled through the pain of anguish,

wiped my tears, buried my regrets and decided to research my

family tree.

A couple of years into the research, I gained a new perspective, I became proud of my slave ancestry. Yes, Mariah, her mother Chloe was, and her grandmother, Tisby were all born into slavery. 

However, the most powerful testament to humanity is the ability to love and share love and respect in the face of social restrictions and racial barriers. Mariah’s master’s children and grandchildren loved Mariah and her family, as she loved them too. The beauty of this friendship is that it broke the traditions of the slave master relationship as a human bond between master and slave was formed.

After the Civil War, the journey of Mariah’s departure to transcend

from human property to a human being was met with opposition as

she and her family channeled through the violent Reconstruction

Era. However, she succeeded despite the hardships of the Jim Crow

laws as she gained the respect of an affluent White community.

Mariah was a servant in the house of Confederate President

Jefferson Davis. After Mariah told Davis about the slave massacre 
Davis regretted owning slaves and the ideology of slavery. 

Mariah’s inspiration to bring about social change extended long after her death. Mariah’s grandson, Professor Elliott Von Joseph Beal and the Queen of Gospel music, Mahalia Jackson (his cousin) and their friend the unforgettable slain Civil Rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., changed the course of history.

During the Civil Rights Movement, Mariah’s descendants, after a

turbulent and long travel, historically landed as human beings with

equal rights.

After 7 years of research, in 2012, I fulfilled my promise to my mother. I wrote, “Human Property Hanging in the Family Tree Yields a Harvest.” At times, I am still haunted by not fulfilling my promise. I have learned that ‘time’ moves on, even when we stand still, time waits for no one. If you make a promise, please keep it, a broken promise is heartbreaking. I have learned not to be afraid of the unknown, because with sound research, answers to questions can alleviate fear.

I plan on re-writing this book, presently it is genealogy, nonfiction book, however I have decided to re-write this book into a powerful American family saga.


Book Information

http://www.amazon.com/Property-Hanging-Family-Harvest-

ebook/dp/B00727LLKC/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=digital-

text&ie=UTF8&qid=1329162632&sr=1-1-spell

In the above picture, the older man is Ben Williams (Mariah's brother in-law). During the Civil War, Ben Williams was the body servant (body-guard) for Confederate President Jefferson.