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Though we may have different religious beliefs, and spirituality, there are many ways, that folks remember those who have passed on, the contributions their existence has made to our lives, and the ongoing relationships that defies even death.  Nearly every religious belief system on the planet has some guiding text to“Honor thy Father and thy Mother.” “Honour thy father and thy mother” is one of the Ten Commandments in the Hebrew Bible. The commandment is generally regarded in Protestant and Jewish sources as the fifth in both the list in Exodus 20:1-21, and in Deuteronomy 5:1-23, though in Catholic counting this is the fourth commandment.[1] “Show honor to your parents and pay homage to them. This will cause blessings to descend upon you from the clouds of the bounty of ...

In a recent Facebook post I quoted Roh Moo-hyun who said  “Let us make future generations remember us as proud ancestors just as, today, we remember our forefathers.” This is just another way to say: Watch your life and doctrine closely. Folks ARE watching and they will keep watching, even when you are gone.

Our ancestors lived hard and deliberate lives, looking forward to a day when we would validate their existence. A world where we will prove that it was all worth while. The indignities and disgrace and injustice could be seen as the cost for a proud people. We must live and help our children to live in a way that asks “Am I everything you hoped I would be?” I dig into my roots so that I can take away the inevitability that my children would become nothing.

Alonzo’s Guide for African American Research Why? Because your research can hit a wall at the 1870 census! Research into the past lives of African Americans can present challenges due to the institution of slavery. Because slavery classified people of African ancestry as property and livestock instead of as people, census records can be spotty at best when it comes to tracing the family lines of particular individuals. Records are much more difficult to find due to the scant nature of record keeping for blacks prior to the Civil War. This is because in US Census records, from 1790-1840, only the names of the white heads of households were listed, along with the number of slaves and “free persons of color.” In 1850 and 1860, the Federal government took a supplemental slave censu ...

On December 25, 1973, our family lost a mother, grandmother, sister, aunt when Cora Allen Black Warren passed away. Today marks the 42nd anniversary of the death of my Aunt Cora.  She was born January 3, 1886.   In March of 1913 she married Henry Charley Warren. And the two of them had 5 children, Wilbert, Charles, Edna, Sam, and James.   The 1930 census record shows that Aunt Cora and Uncle Charley lived in the same house I grew up in (see line 14 – 17). For a while she lived in the Jordan Parks housing projects.  My earliest memories of her involved walking with my grandmother to Jordan Park on Saturdays so she could spend the day with her big sister.  Usually I would sit and listen to them chat for about half an hour and them I was off to hang out with my cousins Linda, Terry and Lynett ...