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Growing up the only child of a single mom I sometimes felt cheated. I wondered what other kids knew about their families. The other boys always seem to know so much about their dad’s and had wonderful stories about the exploits of their dads when they were young. I had no stories. You see, I loved hearing stories. During holidays my Uncle Wilbert would come down from NY and he would sit in the dining room and tell stories of growing up, life in the military, life in the city; he had a story for everything! My cousins Sam and Major would sit around and tell of exploits from their younger days, and although I know stories from my mom and grandmother, they were less exciting and relatable to me as a young boy. That is when I’d feel the loneliness and yearn for a dad to tell me his stories. Wh ...

Well here we are once again on the crest of another July 4th. Each year I take some time to read the speech given at Rochester, NY on July 5, 1852 by Fredrick Douglass.  This year as I searched for a copy of the speech, I came across a performance of (at least a part of) the speech by Morgan Freeman. He does a good job explaining the meaning of July 4th.  Check it out! View the full speech To receive more content from My Roots Foundation, sign up for our monthly newsletter now!

As a nation we have many memorials What memorials do you have for your ancestors?   Door of No Return in Senegal Gettysburg Battlefield, Pennsylvania Lincoln memorial The United States Memorial Arch is situated at the top of a hill in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall The Marine Corp War Memorial in Washington, D.C Pro Football hall of fame – Canton, Ohio. National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum 25 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum-Cleveland, Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame-Nashville, TN Basketball hall of fame – Springfield, MA NASCAR hall of fame in Charlotte, NC The Great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Khufu Gateway Arch, St. Louis Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C. USS Arizona Memorial, Honol ...

As events unfold involving injustices toward minority individuals I have observed a pattern of what I call unrighteous responses to the aggression and perceived injustice in our world. Is it right to shoot an unarmed Black child? No! Is it right to see shooters go unpunished in seemingly clear cases of murder? No! But help me understand why the response to this is to go home and burn down my own neighborhood. If I am angry with you, why do I destroy myself? It’s been said that “bitterness is the poison you take in hopes it will kill someone else.” News flash people – it does not work! Let me be clear, I am NOT advocating that when folks have a beef with City Hall or the local Police Department that they march down to City Hall or the PD and attempt to burn the building down. Bu ...

“The Rev. A.S.J. Allen was a revered Methodist minister in Alachua County who was murdered by a powerful plantation owner in 1904. His death sparked a social movement for justice as black churches, secret societies, and civic organizations mobilized to demand that Rev. Allen’s death be treated seriously by the state. AAHP (Alachua County African-American History Project) has been working with Alonzo Felder, Rev. Allen’s grandson, on researching the case. This film examines the events surrounding the murder. It was produced by Alonzo’s son, Seth Felder.” [/mp_span] [/mp_row]