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.

A Living Breathing Brand

Through the use of social media, products and services are advertised and promoted. However, behind the product or services are individuals or an individual. You are what you represent, your brand defines you and your product or service. So as a living, breathing brand, what do you represent?
      As a brand online, in my home, and at work, I what to represent excellence in services render. I enjoy writing inspirational nonfiction books. True life is more mysterious than fiction and through the pain and the obstacles in this journey that is known as "life' we seek resolution. The outcome of resolve may not be perfect, yet there is always a lesson that can be learned. Researching true life can be a tedious undertaking however, the rewards, justify the outcome.
    In order to achieve excellence in services render, as a brand: I 
have to research, revise, renew, refresh, recollect, restructure, regenerate, restructure and rejuvenate and then reach my target market. As a living and breathing brand, I will go the extra mile and ten more miles to achieve excellence. And along the way,  in this journey known as "life" I hope that I have encouraged, empowered and engaged all... Human Property the story of Mariah
      

human property the story of mariah 1280x720

human property the story of mariah 1280x720

Racism is an Old and Outdated Ideology Get over it Find your Life

Looking into your past may help you to understand your future

                                Racism is an Old and Outdated Ideology

                                                  Get over it

                                                 Find your life

While researching my family tree, I realized that my ancestors lived in a society engulfed in violence, fueled by racism and any incident could ignite this social fire. I knew then, that I had to understand historical violence. In 2005, I returned to college and received my Bachelor in Human Services, focus: Violence Prevention and Intervention. With my specialized degree, I have acquired a profound understanding of individual, community and historical violence. Violence is a multifaceted social issue. However, racially motivated violence has a traceable origin. The origins of violence is afflicted and delivered within the confines of race, gender and class.

During a gloomy period in America’s history, People of Color, from West Africa and the West Indies, were kidnapped from their homeland, shipped to America and forced into slavery. The institution of slavery was a physical laborious task for slaves that produced wealthy planters; additionally slavery was an indoctrination of a belief system that labeled slaves as sub-human.

Racial categorization was used as a tool to dehumanize, ostracize, and disgrace, members of the so deemed sub-human race. This conceptual device of classifying human beings into sub-human inferiors was formulated politically to justify the institution of slavery. The crime of declaring People of Color as inferior sub-humans became an accepted belief system. Adopted slave laws, stated that slaves were the human property of their slave owners. The philosophy of People of Color deemed as human property, culminated into the desensitization and dehumanization that escalated into unspeakable atrocities.  

For the duration of the Antebellum Era, the Civil War, and into the Reconstruction period and through the Roaring Twenties, until her death on August 25, 1925, Mariah suffered through the brutally of southern violence. People of Color, were branded with negative derogatory labels, like nigger and darky. Mariah knew that she could not change the cognitive behavior of society. However, she provided her family with a therapeutic and a spiritual framework, simply, she bestowed upon them self-esteem and self-worth. She was determined that her family would not live under the umbrella of slavery.

Although, Mariah lived in this social order, where she was confronted with barriers of race, class and gender, she refused to wear, or accept the labels of the inferior Negro. 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, a human bond between master and slave was formed as she gained the respect of an affluent White community.

    

As the matriarch of her family, Mariah, was unwavering as she attempted to sail through the iniquitous institution of inequality. She defended her property against the Ku Klux Klan. She had seen the lynching of several people within her family circle. Despite the violence, she told her children to believe in God, get an education and to grasp the ideal that they were American citizens.  She remained steadfast in the hope of attaining the American dream.

Where is the America that Mariah dreamed of? It is 2013, and we are continually confronted by cases of inequity. Racism is an old and outdated philosophy that was used to justify slavery. It is time for all human beings to embrace our unique differences; we have to become a culturally competent society. We are diverse by language, culture, ethnicity and other entities however, we share one common bond we are all human beings.

For the most part, People of Color are socially powerless, economically deprived and often times they are the victims of being socially victimized by stereotypes. Since, race is the first identifying characteristic; People of Color are confined in a systematic definition of racial identity. Historically, People of Color were deemed as inferior sub-humans and were tagged with negative caricatures and nonconstructive stereotypes which unconsciously define how minorities are viewed and treated within a racially conscious society.

In order for society to change, we first must recognize that inequities and disparities continued to exist. We can contribute to humanity by simply confronting racism. This is what I would say to a racist, “Get over it and find your life.” People who are fulfilled and busy with their life do not have time to participate in negativity or hold on to a violent belief system, such as slavery.

My Mission is my Project

                                                                                                                               


       My Mission is my Project                            

                               

   In 2005, my mother passed away and of course, I was broken. And as I attempted, to gather the scattered  pieces of my mind, body and soul, I realized that I had not fulfilled my mother's wishes. This realization, only added to my grief, for I had promised my mother that I would research the stories of my third great grandmother, Mariah.
     Mariah was born a slave, witnessed a brutal slave massacre, however, she used her "voice" to fight for equality. So, for the next seven years, researching the stories of Mariah became my mission.
     We, my co-researcher and I, have proven all of Mariah's stories. Now, we have made a documentary/trailer entitled "Human Property The Story of Mariah" based on my book entitled "Human Property Hanging in the Family Tree, Yields a Harvest." 

I have placed the video on Kickstarter, with the hope of funding this project. Here is my mission and if you believe in my mission then please donate a dollar, pass it on, like it on YouTube.
Thank you for your support.
Ann Lee
Kickstarter

YouTube

http://www.buzzfeed.com/annlee/human-property-the-story-of-mariah-5v0z