A (Re)Born National “Black and Left-Led” Organization Fights for Community Control of Police

https://www.blackagendareport.com/reborn-national-black-and-left-led-organization-fights-community-control-police

Freedom Rider: Say No to Bloomberg

https://www.blackagendareport.com/freedom-rider-say-no-bloomberg

https://www.blackagendareport.com/margaret-kimberley-us-government-and-media-collude-propaganda

The truth on Pilgrims.

https://www.blackagendareport.com/give-no-thanks-settlers-savagery

https://www.blackagendareport.com/end-american-thanksgivings-cause-universal-rejoicing

Black Freedom Fighter Mae Mallory.

https://blackthen.com/mae-mallory-remarkable-freedom-fighter-promoted-self-defense/

Rosa Roja's words.

rosa roja  Joseph Nathan  5 days ago
In the broader sense ALL racism can be traced to the ruling class. That doesn't make it any less harmful, and it doesn't mean that the incidents did not happen.

The article did mention that the incidents could have been manufactured by police agents, but it also cast doubt on whether they happend at all! There is no factual basis for this doubt, but it's quite natural for a website that goes out of its way to pretend that racism (and the euro-american imperialism which is its source) is irrelevant or even nonexistent.

As usual they can't be bothered to solidarize themselves with the victims, but they are keen to denounce the supposed racism (oops, sorry, racIALism) on the part of the students.

rosa roja  Don Barrett  16 days ago
1. "Telling the truth is the necessary revolutionary task."

Yes it is. Telling it in a condescending, arrogant and heartless manner is not.

Allende made mistakes. His most inexplicable mistake, obvious at the time, was to trust the army. Nevertheless, he died resisting the coup. In doing so he did indeed "make a stand", as Barbar's comment said, and as you felt you had to deny. Could you not tolerate even one good thing being said about Allende?

Your comment about a leader murdered by fascists is a little hard to take from someone who seems to be sitting safe and sound in the home country of imperialism.

2. I attacked your comment, not you personally. You on the other hand, affected not to understand my objection, and instead attacked my whole world view, of which you know almost nothing.
That's not an honest way to deal with criticism, and as I wrote, I don't think it was Trotsky's way either.

3. I am not "hostile to the perspective offered by this site." I concur with it in many ways. In other ways, I think it is disastrously mistaken.

rosa roja  Gabriel Black  2 months ago
Instead of replying to what I wrote, you have amplified a bunch of points from the article which I neither disputed nor addressed. I'll try one last time:

1. Jim Bergren understood the article to be saying that Hannah Jones promoted a biological basis to racism. She wrote no such thing, and I pointed that out to Bergren. Do you have a problem with that?

2. It's no accident that Bergren drew the conclusion he did. The article
says "Hannah-Jones’s reference to DNA is part of a growing tendency to derive racial antagonisms from innate biological processes." Most readers would interpret this to accuse Hannah-Jones of deriving racism from biology, which is tantamount slandering her. That is what I was pointing out in my original comment.

rosa roja  TJ  2 months ago
Thanks for your response TJ.

1. "a worldview that sees the fundamental conflict in society in racial,
and not class terms, is clearly incorrect and dangerous." It is EQUALLY dangerous to ignore the fundamental division of the world wherein core capitalist nations oppress and exploit (or annihilate) the remainder of the world's people. Racism/imperialism is this, and it must be fought openly, not covered up as this website does. That is the point I always tried to make before I realized it was a waste of effort here. (The wsws is way behind people like Lenin on this.)

2. Let me ask you this. I wrote in my previous reply to you the following. Do you disagree with it? "It was European (i.e. "White") imperialism that plundered the non-European world, instituted chattel slavery, organized the genocide in the settler colonies, and carried out all those crimes that Marx denounces so eloquently in Capital."

3. The "Enlightenment" heritage you refer to is a mixture of good and bad. It included disgusting racist views about non-Europeans which served to justify colonial genocide and plunder.

4. I quoted Trotsky, NOT to claim that nothing has changed in 80 years, but to show he was not afraid to recognize racism on the part of white workers. (If you have not read his writings on this, I urge you to do so.) Have you ever seen such a recognition here? Have you even seen criticism of the mass incarceration of black people in the u.s, which is no less oppressive than Jim Crow was?

5. "Regarding racist ideology sinking its roots into the US. Yes, that clearly happened". It's clear to you and me, but is it clear to the wsws?

6. "There were sincere anti-racist views that inspired many people to fight in the civil war." Absolutely true.

7. Yes, I dislike the term "racialist". It is just the word "racist" in disguise. It amounts to calling black people that the wsws doesn't like "reverse racists"(!) I don't think that any term is needed to replace it, but if you think one is necessary, what about "race-based"?

(Incidentally, in the UK "racialist" is a synonym for "racist".
Considering that this website often reports from there, you'd think they'd be more sensitive to British usage.)

8. Let me ask you one last question, since you reject collective responsibility. Do you think that the Euro-americans who lived in the US in the last half of the 1800's shared some degree of collective responsibility for the genocide of the indigenous nations?

rosa roja  Anna Maus  3 months ago
On "DNA", you are being evasive. The article accused Hannah-Jones of saying something that she did not say. And if you think the article did not imply that she posited a biological basis to racism, then just read some of your defenders who drew exactly that conclusion.

You go on to ask what I disagree with. Omigod! I disagree with almost everything wsws says about race, starting with the word "racialist" which is a thinly disguised proxy for "racist". I've posted so many comments explaining my disagreements without getting anywhere that there's no point in trying yet again. If you read my second response to TJ you might get an inkling of my views. If you find something there to disagree with, we can discuss it.

rosa roja  TJ  3 months ago
Your main question is this: Is "white America" collectively responsible for the oppression of black people? If you ask it in those words, I will answer No, but I don't think a one-word answer is adequate. If you bear with me, I will try to indicate where I think a fuller answer lies.

The starting point must be that the ultimate responsibility for the oppression of "black people" in the US and everywhere, falls on the ruling class in the core capitalist nations of Europe and America. They are the ones who organize it, and who benefit the most from it. It was European (i.e. "White") imperialism that plundered the non-European world, instituted chattel slavery, organized the genocide in the settler colonies, and carried out all those crimes that Marx denounces so eloquently in Capital.

But to promote this process, a racist ideology had to be created, and it has sunk its roots into the culture of Europe (and the US, etc). This culture influences the thought -- and therefore the actions -- of everyone, not just members of the ruling class. (I don't see how any one who has lived in the US could deny this, or how a historical materialist could have expected anything different.) In a sense then, a shared culture does imply a kind of "collective responsibility".

Since you read this website, you might be interested that Trotsky did not feel the need to mince words in discussing white racism of his era (1933): "But today the white workers in relation to the Negroes are the oppressors, scoundrels, who persecute the black and the yellow, hold them in contempt and lynch them." And he exhorted his followers in the US to carry out "an uncompromising merciless struggle ... against the colossal prejudices of the white workers". You might also be interested, if you haven't seen it, to read what Lenin had to say about how a layer of English workers benefited materially from the super-exploitation of the English colonies, and how this hobbled the workers' movement.

I'm not sure I've answered your questions, but I hope at least it's the beginning of an answer.

You also asked about my "position on Hannah-Jones". I know her only from this one article. She writes well and with passion, and she brings out some historical facts that eveyone needs to know. But her analysis leads to a dead end. It operates at a superficial level that ignores the material basis of racial oppression and its roots in capitalism/imperialism. Some of her prose descends into what people sometimes called "Pork Chop Nationalism" in the 1970's, when what's wanted is the "revolutionary nationalism" of people like Fred Hampton, who before his murder by the state was forging an alliance between workers and community members of all colours (the original Rainbow Coalition). She even seems to want to drive a wedge between Africa and its diaspora! Claiming to combat racism without connecting it to imperialism as Malcolm X did is dangerously misguided.

 rosa roja  Yasir  3 months ago
"All you scholars should know, the conditions and the execution of slavery was much different than what was done in the Americas."

This is very important. You have put your finger on what is dishonest about this article. Equally important is that modern slavery was part of a bigger phenomenon, a Euro-American racism/imperialism that is a fundamental mode of organization of capitalism on a world scale.

One thing I would add, however, is that I do not think that a "level playing field" is a good description of what we want. We want a cooperative society that has no economic winners and losers.

rosa roja  9 months ago
This is the first time I've encountered the organization, ZOA. But whoever runs it should be informed that your sort of unsubstantiated smearing of anyone who dares to criticize Israeli actions is out of date. It no longer has the desired effect, because the barbarity of Netanyahu &co is too obvious to be denied. Before you tar every critic of Israel as an anti-semite, I advise you to consult some genuinely anti-semitic web sites. In order to "prove" that Jews rule the world, they say "if you want to know who rules you, just ask who it is that you cannot criticize". By trying to suppress criticism of Israel, you are just playing into their hands.

rosa roja  David Brown  a year ago
You raise several important points, David, that deserve thought.

I of course agree that on a moral plane there is no equivalence between the Black Panthers and the KKK, but my point was that the asymmetry goes deeper. The "nationalism" of an oppressed group differs from that of the oppressors because one has revolutionary potential while the other does not. Malcolm X and the "Black Power" movement illustrate this precisely because they changed and evolved with time. (One must look at their whole development, not just a snapshot at any single moment.)

The nationalism of Garvey and the Nation of Islam can develop in two directions. It can link up with anti-imperialist struggles in Africa and workers' movements in the US or it can turn into the bourgeois nationalism of someone like Ron Karenga, the "ultimately reactionary direction" you speak of. To view the nationalism of the oppressed undialectically as some sort of fixed essence is the mistake I was criticizing. Malcolm started by promoting the line that white people are devils, and he ended by denouncing capitalism and cooperating with socialists. DRUM in Detroit was even more explicitly proletarian in orientation. Martin King evolved in a similar direction from a different starting point. There was a potential for an internationalist and class-wide revolutionary current to grow, and that is why the state felt it necessary to destroy all of them.

For similar reasons, I cannot agree that "The Nation of Islam's demands ... were direct reflections of white supremacist views". Rather than reflecting some "inverted racism", the NOI was a *defensive reaction* to a separation that had been *imposed on* people of African descent against their will -- once again more of an asymmetry than a symmetry. Do present-day currents like Black Lives Matter have the same sort of revolutionary potential? I don't know enough about them to hazard an opinion, but if they do your unreserved attacks on them will only serve to drive them in the direction of bourgeois nationalism. (Nor do I understand what you mean by "a stunning number of calls for segregation among the pseudo-left".)

The above comments about nationalism also apply in part to syndicalism. That would be a whole other conversation, but again I feel that you underestimate its potential.

Finally, a couple ofcomments on your final paragraph: I think we need to admit that white supremacy, especially in relation to imperialism, does benefit white people in certain ways. I've posted Lenin's comments on this before and won't repeat them here. It's even the case that the Nazis benefited significant parts of the German population in certain ways, notably ending unemployment (my
impression from Otto Nathan's book on the Nazi economy.)

rosa roja  R_O  3 months ago
Thanks for your reply R_O. Just three points of clarification and a final comment.

1. I did not mean to imply that speculation by wsws was bad or that it was done without evidence. (Ukraine is not even speculation, it's established fact.) On the contrary, I mostly AGREE with the speculation that wsws does, except where it claims to read the mind of political actors it dislikes.

2. wsws has apparently decided to ignore the issue of US and UK interference in Hong Kong. WHY? This is what puzzles and disturbs some of us.

3. I agree with you that one of the articles exposing the roles of NED etc was biased toward the CCP and concentrated on just one or two personalities. That doesn't mean there's no involvement, as I think you agree. It's obvious on general principles that the NGOs etc are doing their dirty work. What's not obvious is how effective they are in this situation.

4. You are WAY more optimistic about what's happening in Hong Kong than seems warranted. Where is the anti-capitalist critique among the demonstrators? It's hard to be sure what's happening when there are no good reports, but do you see any evidence of an orientation to the working class? One thing that is going on is resentment of Hong Kong natives against immigrant Mandarin speakers from the mainland. I know this from friends, but again I don't know how important it is.

 rosa roja  Marshalldoc  3 months ago
You are right, and I've been wondering the same thing. In other cases this website is not shy to speculate about the involvement of intelligence agencies. Why then the silence in this case?

There can be no doubt that the U.S. government is involved in Hong Kong. How much influence they wield is another question, but to ignore their presence altogether really is peculiar.

rosa roja  Zalamander  a year ago
Right! To defeat imperialism is critical. But I would not see it as a *precondition* to defeating capitalism. Imperialism is part and parcel of capitalism, just as much as wage slavery.

Capitalism seen from inside is wage slavery. Seen from outside it is imperialism. If you defeat one you defeat the other, because they are the same thing.

And when you say "in all its manifestations", that is also critical because the most important manifestation of imperialism is racism.

Only a few organizations, like Black Agenda Report, seem to understand these essential points.

rosa roja  R_O  5 months ago
Unfortunately the wsws DOES shy away from the genocide, and this is doubtless why Lidiya reacted as she did. For you, it is apparently "the height of simplicity" to call attention to the fact that the U.S. was founded on genocide and nourished by slavery. But when the wsws minimizes or even ignores these fundamental facts, that is by some magic not simplistic at all! This has things precisely backward.

I am not going to reopen this debate because it is futile to do so on this website. I will just say that calling attention to plunder and genocide is not the same as saying that "race is the main factor throughout history". To say that would not only be false, it would be silly.

But what *is* true is that the "factor" of race, or more correctly Euro-american imperialism based on "race", has been inseparable from capital, starting more than 500 years ago and continuing today. Whoever ignores the decisive role of this "factor" in the internal make up of "really existing capitalism" is no historical materialist, but someone in the grip of a dangerously partial and incomplete understanding.

rosa roja  R_O  5 months ago
Much as I disagree with лидия on many things, I have to say that it is you who are engaging in simplistic argumentation. Her comment was perfectly valid as a corrective to the article's one-sided adulation of the American war of independence from Britain. I had exactly the same reaction and was going to post the same quotation from the Declaration of Independence. This one-sidedness is unfortunately part of a pattern on the part of this website to minimize or ignore entirely the genocide on which the US was founded.

Incicentallly, I'm not sure about your quote about blood dripping from every pore. I might be wrong, but I remember it being in Das Kapital vol I, not the manifesto.

Debates.

There has been a massive debate among the New York Times' 1619 Project creator Nikole Hannah-Jones and the site World Socialist Web Site (WSWS). The WSWS promotes a view called class reductionism. That means that all forms of oppression is a result of class forces causing these things to occur (they feel that capitalism primarily contributed to the rise of racism, sexism, etc. That's silly as sexism existed since the start of human history long before modern capitalism was created. Racism has existed long before the Maafa) in order to divide workers of all backgrounds against each other. While class issues are very important on why things are why they are, a class majority approach is limited for many reasons. Many racists are poor, eliminating classism won't eliminate sexism or racism, and systematic oppression is not just a product of class. It is also a product of international forces of racism, xenophobia, and other structural injustices.

Statistics prove that racial discrimination is not just an individual or class affair. It disproportionately harms black Americans in America from job opportunities, school suspensions, and to the criminal justice system. That is why I don't agree with class reductionism, but class issues are very important to recognize and understand in order to get things done. You can't ignore class, and you can't ignore the issue of race either. WSWS criticizes Sister Hannah-Jones, because WSWS believes that she wants to condemn white people collectively, and they believe that she maintains that the DNA of America is very virtue of it existence irredeemable.

Nikole Hannah-Jones has criticized WSWS as misinterpreting her position. It is obvious that Nikole Hannah-Jones doesn't believe that America is irreversibly unchangeable. She said that black people in America contributed heavily in enhancing democracy which is true. She believes that black people have experienced an unique, specific form of white racism including slavery (like being stripped of our culture, creeds, languages, and social mores via being kidnapped thousands of miles from Africa to the Americas, Asia, etc.) that can only be eliminated by systematic change. She is right on that position. On certain details, people have the right to critique her analysis (especially on the issue of imperialism), but I don't believe that she is insincere in her goal in trying to outline the imperfections of American history. I disagree with some of the views of historian James M. McPherson on his views of abolitionism. McPherson equated abolitionism with racial egalitarianism when many white abolitionists didn't believe in equality for black people. Some of them hated just slavery. Some didn't want women to have equal rights. Other abolitionists believed in racial equality like Frederick Douglas and Sojouner truth. McPherson ignores the fact that even after the Civil War, Lincoln didn't want universal suffrage for black people, but only a select number of black people given the right to vote. McPherson didn't read all of the 1619 Project, but he skimmed it.

For WSWS to assume that she or Hannah-Jones is some puppet of middle class Democrats to advance some racialist narrative to divide Americans is highly wrong and inappropriate. Nikole Hannah-Jones never wrote about any biological basis for racism either. The biggest slander against her is that some accuse her of saying that racism has a genetic basis, which isn't the case at all. Outlining the truth about racism is real. Diminishing the impact of racism and economic oppression among African Americans (and assuming it is just mostly an example of class issues) as done by many class reductionists is an affront to history. For example, the Great Migration included millions of black people escaping the South for better economic opportunities (that is a class issue), but many African Americans in the North experienced racism, discrimination, and other injustices (which is a race issue). While the 1619 Project does merit legitimate critique in certain issues, I don't view Sister Nikole Hannah-Jones as some bigot who wants tensions. Also, WSWS has criticized the Metoo movement collectively as violating the concept of due process (which is silly), and they defend the perverted criminal Polanski See, I know my tea now. WSWS is a sectarian group that claims that anyone that deviates from their views is somehow not a true revolutionary. That is incorrect as socialists and non-socialists alike can be just as dedicated to freedom as anyone else. WSWS's glamorization of outright slave owners, racists, and abusers like Washington and Jefferson outlines their goal.

They or people in the WSWS want class determinism to be the order of the day instead of realizing that life is complex and intersectional. Not even Lenin or Trotsky believed in class reductionism. It is a historical fact that European imperialism plundered the non-European world, instituted the Maafa, organized the genocide of the indigenous peoples ,and carried out other crimes that WSWS has minimized. I do believe that she sincerely wants a discussion in favor of social justice. It is also important to mention that combating racism must be done by combating imperialism as Malcolm X has mentioned (you have to unite African Americans with Africans along with everyone in the African Diaspora. You have to unite the oppressed people of the world to solve problems). My words to Nikole Hannah-Jones are the following: Continue to Keep your head up.


Today , more people are sincerely criticizing the Chinese government for it detention of the Uyghur mostly Muslim people. Chinese' leaders are mostly atheists, and many of Chinese leaders are trying to force the Uyghurs against their wills to embrace China's policies. The brutal detention centers and the harsh treatment against the Uyghurs are unjustified. This is happening in the western province of Xinjang. The recent passage of the backing of the Hong Kong protesters is real. We have to be careful too. We should support democratic rights and freedom. Yet, many war hawks and neo-cons are exploiting the legitimate concerns about Chine's anti-democratic record as an excuse to promote more militaristic tensions in China. While we condemn the CCP's imperfections and authoritarianism, we are equally opposed to American detention of immigrants, the mass incarceration state (that has ruined lives for generations), and the police brutality in America.

There is a distinction between corruption found in Chinese leadership (which isn't even enacting socialism, but Han chauvinism and other forms of revisionism) and the majority of American and Chinese people who want freedom and justice in the world. Western China has a lot of resources that the West wants and what China desires to maintain. It is no secret that CIA fronts like the National Endowment for Democracy of the NED desires China to be made in America's image. I don't agree with that premise. America shouldn't be the policeman of the whole world. Chinese working class people and freedom loving people in China have every right to change China for the better on their own accords. Likewise, many great Americans are doing the right thing and fighting for truth too.



By Timothy

Thanksgiving 2019 Part 5

The Ukraine/Trump scandal

Fiona Hill and David Holmes gave testimonies to the House about the impeachment inquiry. Fiona Hill gave a powerful testimony. She denied that Ukraine was involved in U.S. election tampering. She made the point that Russia propaganda is very strong to try to make up theories about what happened. Putin's wants Ukraine to be blamed for election tampering in America. She was eloquent, and GOP lawmakers questioned Fiona Hill constantly. Yet, she kept her consistent views on the situation. After key witnesses have given their voices, the future is here. People want to know more information about Rudy Giuliani. Some people want to give this information to the Judiciary Committee. Congress will fully back in session soon. Schiff said that Trump believes that he is above the law. I believe him, because Trump has shown an arrogance in the midst of legal subpoenas. Giuliani acted on the orders of Trump and others to conduct a bribery and extortion scheme in trying to get dirt on the Bidens. There is no question that Trump is one of the most corrupt Presidents in 45 years. That's evident on how many in his cabinet are either indicted, quit, fired, or caught up in various scandals. That is because we see Trump pardoning actual, repugnant criminals and glorifying police misconduct in a speech. The facts matter. The quid pro quo is real, and that Trump administration must experience real accountability.

Today, more public impeachment inquiry hearings continue. Kurt Volker and Tim Morrison have given their sworn testimonies. Before them, a lot of developments occurred. National Security Council Ukraine expert Alexander Vindman have given his piece including Jennifer Williams (or a member of Vice President Mike Pence's staff). Adam Schiff spoke up to refute the disrespectful, scurrilous attacks on Vindman and Williams. Schiff said that Vindman shed blood for America and he opposed the attacks on him from many personalities from FOX News (or Trump TV). Republican Devin Nunes doesn't like the media. The reality is that the media is protected by the First Amendment, and Nunes is a supporter of the racist, sexist, and xenophobe Donald Trump. The media has every right to criticize the policies from the Trump administration. Vindman didn't want false narratives about Ukraine to be promoted. Vindman came to America when he was 3. Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes criticized Republican for questioning Vindman's patriotism. Vindman said right matters, and the audience applauded him after he made that statement. Volker said that the Ukraine aid package was linked to a public Biden probe.

Nancy Pelosi has said that Trump's obstructing firsthand witnesses from testifying before impeachment committees is wrong. She also said that Trump is explicitly using bribery by abusing his oath by withholding military aid to Ukraine unless Ukraine investigate his political rivals for political purposes. Trump said that his call to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was perfect. Obviously, he's a liar. Ambassador Taylor and George Kent have shown conclusive, credible testimony in public and under oath. These witnesses are experts. Pelosi said that the bribe was about to grant or withhold military assistance in return for a public statement of an investigation. Many Democrats are using definitions of the crime that the Trump administration has done. Trump has done criminal actions, and he must be impeached as mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (who is a California Democrat) said that bribery is a potentially impeachable offense. This is different than what Nixon has done. Trump has tried to use a foreign nation to try to him benefit an election (and he has tried to force his cabinet to refuse to testify).

The impeachment hearings are in the public. This is a historic time that deals with the Democrats defending democratic institutions. Republicans are calling the hearing a sham and theatrical. Yet, a legal hearing is not a farce. Some people who testified were the two witnesses Bill Taylor and George Kent. There has been new evidence tying President Trump to Ukraine meddling. Trump is clear that the Trump and Zelensky meeting was tied to the probes on the Bidens. Nunes was wrong to assume that Ukraine was involved in the 2016 election meddling. Taylor said that the actions of the White House trying to leverage security assistance wasn't normal. According to Taylor, Sondland said that Trump cares more about the Biden investigation than anything else. Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff was very clear that this hearing is about the preservation of checks and balances, of maintaining other democratic principles, and ensuring that future Presidents won't go down the road of Trump. Schiff said that the administration refusing to allow senior officials to testify before Congress is an abuse of power. There is no excuse for a sitting President to solicit aid from a foreign government to influence an election. Bribery is wrong and these acts are impeachable offenses. These witnesses are under oath saying these things. Without question, we live in very unique times.


Stephen Miller should resign. He has promoted the Muslim ban and a lot of anti-immigrant policies, even in support of restricting legal immigration. There are Stephen Miller emails that reference to white nationalist and anti-immigrant views. The SPLC has released the emails to the public. They are from 2015 and 2016 that have Miller promoting white nationalist websites and views. Stephen Miller has communicated with Brietbart. Miller promoted a book called Camp of the Saints which is a racist book. It degraded migrants too. Stephen Miller influences the Trump administration on immigration policies. Many of the richest people on Earth desire not even a penny more in taxes of the super wealthy. That is the true shame. Many billionaires own a large part of America. The rise in the polls of Elizabeth Warren has caused many in the super wealthy class to flip out. FDR was so much for them that they tried to end his progressive New Deal plans. FDR helped to create Social Security, and back then Social Security was taboo. Today, you have plans for Medicare for all and a Green New Deal that billionaires like many in that class refuse to accept. As Biden trails in the polls in many areas, the elites can't stand it. The hypocrites yell about taxes, but taxes are legitimate when they are fair to invest in our future. Social inequality is an issue in this 2020 election whether people like it or not.

*The Democratic debate days ago was held in Tyler Perry studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It has all 4 interviewers being women which was historic. Also, it has 10 candidates debating each other. There were passionate discussions, agreements, and uniform condemnation of the policies of Trump. That is why these candidates are in the stage at the first place. Each candidate expressed their typical views. Warren and Sanders wanted corruption to end in Washington. Biden talked about marijuana and moderate positions. Buttegieg defended himself and he is beloved by the media, because if Biden doesn't win the nomination; some in the media want Pete Buttegieg to be his replacement. Amy Klobuchar promoted the centrist line that structural change isn't possible but she promotes bold policies. Her politics won't eliminate homelessness, health care disparities, police terrorism, or imperialism. She is the one who called Israel a beacon of democracy.

A Google search can prove that she is wrong on that issue. She is the one who said that Sanders and Warren wanted rich kids to go to college for free which is not right. So, she does represent the moderate wing of the Democratic Party. Kamala Harris debate Tulsi Gabbard and Buttegieg debated Tulsi too. Tulsi is an old school non-interventionist. She is right on many issues of foreign policy about how the neo-cons' extremism must be opposed. America should never be the policeman of the whole world. We can give foreign aid, we can negotiate, we can form alliances, etc. Yet, America shouldn't rule the world. She has said that she opposes unjust wars. She has visited the dictator Assad. I don't believe in the slur that she is a Russian asset, but Tulsi has to do a better job in defending herself. Tulsi should overtly call Assad a war criminal. Kamala had powerful moments especially in exposing the corruption of Trump. Andrew Yang was great in explaining automation and deindustrialization. Bernie Sanders made history by saying that the Palestinians are human beings too. That was a powerful moment in the debate. Cory Booker wanted the interests of black people represented by the Democratic Party. Biden made the mistake about ignoring Kamala Harris in the Senate. He corrected himself. Many issues weren't found in the debate like the right wing coup of Bolivia, gun violence, reparations, and other topics. The red baiting Steve Schmidt has some nerve to condemn socialism when he doesn't know its history or famous socialists like Fred Hampton, DuBois, Norman Thomas, and even Dr. King embraced democratic socialism. This is not unusual. Republicans and many moderate Democrats care more for imperialism, red baiting, and the status quo than liberation.

Conclusion (for Thanksgiving 2019)


For long centuries, America has existed with heroes and villains. Many American heroes were Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, Malcolm X, John Brown, and other people. We know who the villains are. Now, I reject the extremes of some believing that America is all perfect (and must be genuflected without legitimate critique) and the other extreme that America can never redeem itself to be better than the past. Part of redemption is acknowledging the imperfections of the past. You still have people today trying to minimize the genocide of the Native Americans and the enslavement of millions of Africans which I find to be very disrespectful. History teaches us that courageous Americans of every era of the journey of the United States of America worked hard to fight injustice while recognizing the real imperfections found in America at the same time. Trump’s criminality, bigotry, hypocrisies, sexism, xenophobia, narcissism, and profane rhetoric are evil plus repugnant. We should lift people up not tear each other down in an inappropriate way. As the impeachment of Trump looks over the horizon, our august, intrepid principles of democracy, justice and human liberation remain presently in our hearts. Over many years, some people have given up and left the faith. Yet, I will not. I still believe in Black Love and Black Liberation. I still love Africa and truth with all of my heart, mind, soul, and strength. I will honor the sacrifice of my ancestors and my relatives after almost four decades of me living on this Earth.

One of the most important news in the Americas is the coup in Bolivia. Evo Morales isn't perfect, but he shouldn't be treated like this. He was overthrown, and a right wing Senator has declared herself President in defiance of the Constitution of Bolivia. The Senator's name is Jeanine Anez or the leader of the nation's right wing opposition party. She lacked the constitutionality required number of lawmakers to approve her appointment. Anez has a known history of making racist attacks against indigenous Bolivians. Morales (who is an indigenous man) has resigned under threat of the Bolivian military and police forces. Anez lacks a legislative quorum. Many people are opposed to this coup. Bolivia now is a very impoverished nation. It has the risk of civil war. Now Bolivian workers and others face armed troops and authoritarian forces. The police over there blocked the supporters of former President Evo Morales from going into the area of Congress at La Paz. Many people are resisting this coup. Trump celebrated the coup. He said that he wanted Venezuela and Nicaragua to be next to be forced to accept right wing government. It is no secret that imperialists from Washington, D.C. want Latin America and South America to be made in the image of Western imperialists. U.S. imperialism thrives on economic exploitation and war plus violence (just like the conquistadors' genocide against innocent, indigenous people thrived on exploitation centuries ago). Imperialism is antithetical to democracy, because imperialism is about the violation of human rights at the expense of the growth of oligarchy. Morales is part of the indigenous population. Therefore, we have to be clear about advocating independent people having their own freedom.

I respectfully disagree with Barack Obama on his comments about we must not go too far to the left in our presentation in getting votes. Both major parties have gone to the right since 1968 especially. Bill Clinton was a moderate. George W. Bush was a conservative.I don't believe that the Congress today in 2019 would have passed Social Security, Medicare, or even the Civil Rights Acts. America's political establishment now is so far right that talking about something quaint like forgiving student loan debt is compared by some to being in league with Karl Marx. Revolutionary change has changed the world. Abolitionists and the slave revolts were revolutionary acts of rebellion against state-sponsored slavery. These weren't moderate undertakings.

Tons of black people were rescued from tyranny as a product of the heroic efforts of great human beings. Revolutionary change by definition will save the lives of millions of people beyond just token "improvement." What's rooted in reality is being tired of some cops killing innocent black people, tried of homelessness including poor scapegoating, tired of oppression, tried of some centrist status quo, and tired of capitulating to people who don't like us. It is clear that Wall Street and the military industrial complex supports Bloomberg, Biden, and the rest of the centrists. Record income inequality, massive xenophobia, and injustice are evils; As a black person I have the right to speak up (my ancestors contributed heavily in building up this nation). If you want to be free, then don't be lukewarm. As Yeshua said, be hot or cold and pick a side plus stand up for the truth. Victory is definitely our aim, and we still believe in hope plus truth.


By Timothy

Thanksgiving 2019 Part 4

Genealogy Part 3

It has been a journey to learn about my family tree. Since 2016, I wanted to know more. Hardwork does pay off. While others want secrets to be withheld from the masses, I made a decision to show the truth to masses of the people. In the beginning, it wasn't easy to find out all the following information. It was hard at first until 2018. 2018 was the year when I learned about my family tree in another level. That year was when I was amazed to finally trace my ancestry for long centuries. I took my DNA test at Ancestry.com and 23 and Me to find out more about my heritage. I discovered over 100 of my distant cousins. I can trace my genealogy to the 1700's. It is hard for many of us African Americans to do this because of slavery. All things don't occur by happenstance. I believe in providence. Providentially, I learned of this information at the time being right. I am certainly thankful of the Creator for giving me the inspiration to achieve this research. Certainly, I am appreciative of know of these things. I have communicated with many people from the Flythe family, the Claud family, the Reese family, and other maternal including paternal relatives. I am a descendant of Zilphy Claud on my mother's side, and I am a descendant of George Perkins on my father's side. Through DNA testing, I found out that most of my heritage came from Nigeria and the Congo. Even today, I know more about my people spread across America from California to Virginia. I have recorded this information in many formats, so this information will remain permanently preserved forever and ever. What I have found about my people is that they are made up of heroes, farmers, veterans, fathers, mothers, cousins, scholars, and other human beings who made a difference in the world via enumerable ways. They experienced great challenges, but they never gave up in their journey. They persisted to be blessings among the Universe. I feel like a griot recording information for future generations.

A Detailed look at my Paternal and Maternal Halpogroups.

A haplogroup is a group of similar haplotypes that share a common ancestor with a single nucleotide polymorphism mutation. A haplotype is a group of alleles in an organism that are inherited together from a single parent. So, haplogroups are like codes that signify where your ancestry came from genetically. Haplogroups relate to a single line of descent. Y chromosome haplogroups (Y-DNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) halplogroups are used to define human genetic populations. The Y-DNA is passed solely along the patrilineal line from father to son. The mtDNA is passed down the matrilineal line (from the mother to the offspring of both sexes). Y-DNA and mtDNA change only by chance mutation at each generation with no intermixture between parents’ genetic material. My paternal haplogroup is called E-CTS3764.1. I came from a group of people on my paternal side of my family from eastern Africa over 275,000 years ago. Later, my paternal line came to the Red Sea and met with the haplogroup of DE-M145. My paternal line also came from haplogroup E-M96. My paternal line stems from a branch of haplogroup E called E-M132, which is seen at low frequencies in the Bahamas on the islands of Abaco, Eleuthera, Exuma, Grand Bahama, and Long Island. This is likely the part of historical movement of African and Creole slaves before and after the abolition of slavery in the British Empire by 1807. Over 25% of slaves transported to the Bahamas during the slave trade were from West and Central Africa, which is consistent with the most common location of E-M132. Lower numbers of slaves were taken from other ports in Africa, including those along the Gold Coast, the Windward Coast, and the Bight of Biafra. Many African ethnic groups were victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, including the Fulani and Hausa, two groups in which my haplogroup are heavily represented by.

My maternal halogroup is called L3e1e. This haplogroup came from women from eastern Africa from over 150,000 years ago. This branch came from a branch of L3 called L3e. Later, this line’s descendants were part of the migration of Bantu speaking people that began about 4,000 years ago. They were in Cameroon. This migration reached most of sub-Saharan Africa. Today, L3e is mostly found in central and southeast Africa. It is also found among African Americans and about one-third of Brazilians whose maternal lineages trace back to Africa in the slave-trading era, an indication that their ancestors may have originated in Angola rather than the more common slave-trading centers of the African west coast. So, members of L3 were part of the Bantu Migration. Therefore, the halpogroup L3e1e spread from East Africa in the upper paleolithic era to West-Central Africa. It is the most common L3 sub-clade in Bantu-speaking populations. L3e is suggested to be associated with a Central African origin and is also the most common L3 subclade amongst African Americans, Afro-Brazilians and Caribbeans. This was when black people in West Africa used agriculture, cultivation of lands, etc. They grew yams, legumes, peppers, and gourds. These were major dietary parts of the sub-Saharan diet. About 4,000 years ago, they came into southern Africa. Some remained in Western Africa. Therefore, I was born a Bantu, and I will die a Bantu (as an African American). Today, the majority of sub-Saharan African languages are Bantu. The vast majority of African Americans are of Bantu origin.

Beatrice Latrice Williams (1918-2010)

Beatrice Latrice Williams is one of my greatest ancestors. She was my paternal 1st cousin. It is always important to acknowledge great people. She lived a life of spiritual power and love of family. She was born on December 14, 1918 at Williamston, North Carolina. North Carolina is home to many of my paternal ancestors. Her parents were Robert Floyd Williams (1898-1976) and Leatte Doggett (1897-?). Beatrice's grandfather was Adam Doggett (born 1862), and Adam Doggett is my 2nd great grandfather. Beatrice Latrice Williams married Suvalu Jones (1918-1992) on the date of April 18, 1937 at Halifax, North Carolina. 1956 was the year when Beatrice Williams and her husband Suvalu Jones along with their 14 children traveled from North Carolina into Waterbury, Connecticut. This was part of the Second Great Migration where many African Americans traveled from the South into the North, the Midwest, and the West Coast. The reason what that black Americans wanted better economic opportunities, and they wanted to escape the brutal oppression of Jim Crow South. When black people came into the North and the Midwest, many black people found racism, economic discrimination, and overt oppression. Beatrice Williams was always religious, so she allowed her family to go into church. They joined the Little Zion Church of God in Christ. They were in the church until they relocated to New Haven, Connecticut with Elder Thomas. By 1963, Jones met with the late Bishop Dr. Tony Clemon. He was the pastor of the Mt. Olive Church of God in Christ. Beatrice Jones was the member of Mt. Olive from that time until her passing. She worked with late Senior Bishop WBC Williams Sr. and other people. She served the church duties for decades. Beatrice Latrice Williams and Suvalu Jones has the following children: Reatha Jones-Sparkman (1937-present), Delores Jones (1943-present), Percy Jones (1944-1993), Lurline Jones (1948-present), Annie Mae Jones (1951-present), Robert Floyd Jones (1952-present), Joyce Ann Jones (1953-present), Larry Rufus Jones (1954-present), Betty L. Warren, Cottie Jones, Tinya Jones Brock, Suvalu Jones Jr., and Hayward Jones. Each of these sons and daughters traveled into many places like in Connecticut, Atlanta, Georgia, and California. For example, Hayward, Suvalu Jr., Reatha Sparkman, Lurline Sumler, Delores J. Gatlin, and Robert Floyd Jones live in Waterbury, CT. Larry lives in California. Annie Mae Brock lives in North Carolina, and Joyce Ann Fyffe lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Beatrice's daughter Reatha Jones-Sparkman was born in November 11, 1937 at Halifax, North Carolina. She is my 2nd cousin. She later lived at Waterbury, Connecticut. She also married Alvin B. Sparkman (1933-1987) on the date of April 8, 1957. Their daughter is Lynnette M. Sparkman (who was born on August 25, 1977). She or Lynnette M. Sparkman married David M. McLaurin on the date of June 27, 2009 at Waterbury, Connecticut. Lynette M. Sparkman is my 3rd cousin. Lynnette and David McLaurin loved their child unconditionally. Betty Leatrice Jones-Warren (1939-1999) was born on August 11, 1939 at North Carolina. She married Robert L. Warren (1937-1966) at Waterbury, Connecticut on the date of July 21, 1962. The couple had the son Ronnie Warren (1964-present). In 1961, Betty Warren had the child Robert E. Jones (1961-2019. His father was Robert Collins). Beatrice Jones' daughter Dolores Jones (1943-present) continues Beatrice's spiritual tradition, and she married Bishop Dr. Richard Gerald Gatling Sr. (1944-2014). Their children are Richard Gerald Gatling Jr. (1966-present. He first married Denise R. Williams on April 18, 1992 at Hartford, Connecticut. His second wife is Coretta Headen, who he married at August 27, 2011 at Hartford, Connecticut), my 3rd cousin Alicia Galting Sweat (1968-present. She married Mark A. Sweat on August 20, 1994 at Hartford, Connecticut. Their children are Amber Sweat and Mark Sweat Jr.), Pastor Dwain V. Gatling (1970-present. He married Antionette Champion on July 10, 1993 at Waterbury, Connecticut), and Evangelist Reanette Riddick (1972-present. She married Stephen Riddick on February 7, 2004 at Convetry, Connecticut).

 

This image shows the city of Waterbury, Connecticut.

Beatrice's son Percy Jones (1944-1993) was born on November 17, 1994 at North Carolina. She passed away on February 9, 1993 at Waterbury, Connecticut. Beatrice's daughter Lurline Jones was born in 1948. She married Sidney Francis Sumler Sr. on the date of December 8, 1967 at Waterbury, Connecticut. Lurline and Sidney Francis Sumler Sr.'s children are Brandon Garrick Sumler (1971-present), Regina Sumler, Barbara Joan Sumler, and Sidney Francis Sumler Jr. Beatrice's daughter Annie Mae Brock was born on November 27, 1951 at Martin, North Carolina. Today, she lives at Tampa, Florida. Robert Floyd Jones or the son of Beatrice was born on 1952 at North Carolina. Joyce Ann Jones was born on 1953 at Martin, North Carolina. She married Glastone Fyffe on June 6, 1980 at Waterbury, Connecticut. Their children are Shua Fyffe-Wally 1979-present. Her first husband was Wain C. Livingston and her current husband is Morro Wally), Marlond Fyffe (His wife is Lanna Fyffe), and Earl Fyffe (his wife is Tamara Durr). Beatrice's daughter Cottie B. Jones was born in May 8, 1941. She passed away at June 9, 1957 at Waterbury, Connecticut. She was 16 years old. Suvalu Jones Jr. was born on November 1, 1949. He lives at Waterbury, Connecticut. Beatrice's son Haywad Jones married a woman named Gloria. Beatrice's son Larry Rufus Jones was born on September 23, 1954 at Halifax, North Carolina (who now lives in Oxnard, California). He married Marionette Louise Thomas. Their daughter is Treana Renee Jones (who was born on December 25, 1985), and Treana lives in Southern California.

My 2nd grandfather was Adam D. His grandfather was my 4th grandfather named James D. James D. married Edney D. and they had a child named Alfred D. (1828-?). Alfred son was Adam D. My 3rd great grandfather Alfred D. married a woman named Jennie D. (1820-1910). They had the following children: Alfred D. (1860-?), Adam D. (1862-?), James D. (1863-?),  Daniel D. (1868-?), and Frank Grant D. (1869-1949). Frank Grant D. married Eliza Whitaker on February 9, 1898 at Halifax, North Carolina. My 3rd great uncle Frank Grant D. later married Malinda Washington on April 22, 1903 at Halifax, North Carolina. Frank Grant D. and Malinda Washington had the following children: Luther D. (1905-?), Juddie D. (1907-?), and George Washington D. (1909-1984). My 3rd great uncle Daniel Doggett (1868-?) married Mollie Demry on November 25, 1894 at Halifax, NOrth Carolina. Daniel and Mollie D. had the following children: James L. D. (1900-1980), Rosa Wooten (1903-1982), Nicy D. (1905-?), Urdiel D. (1909-?), and Vinnie Anne D. (1912-1978).

Rosa Wooten was born on April 11, 1903 at North Carolina. She married John Bridges (1879-?) on January 17, 1930 at Halifax, North Carolina. Later, she married Jim Wooten (1909-?) on July 27, 1952 at Halifax, North Carolina. She passed away on November 18, 1982. My first cousin Vinnie Anne (or Lavenia) D. was born in 1912 at Halifax County, North Carolina. She married Fletcher Crowell Jr. (1911-?) on March 21, 1933 at Greensville County, Virginia. Vinnie Anne and Fletcher Crowell Jr. had the following children: Fletcher Crowell III (1935-?), Richard Lee Crowell (1939-?), Jean Carol Crowell (1942-?), James Crowell, Matthew Crowell, Evelyn King, and Dorothy Gray. Fletcher Crowell III was born on February 3, 1935 at Halifax, North Carolina. He married Shirley Ann Crowell on September 2, 1958 at Newport News, Virginia. Their children are Tawanna Janene Crowell and Tammy Rayletta Crowell-Jones. Tammy Rayletta Crowell-Jones married Ricky Jones. Tammy Rayletta Crowell was born on August 31, 1968, and she married Ricky Jones on December 18, 1993 at Newport News, Virginia. Tammy and Ricky Jones' daughter is Destiny Rayl Jones, and she was born on May 7, 1998 at Newport News, Virginia. Destiny Jones is my 4th cousin. My 3rd cousin Tawanna Janene Crowell's  (who was born on September 2, 1970 at Virginia) daughter is Jazmine Janae' Crowell (who was born on January 28, 1989 at Hampton Virginia). Jazmine Crowell is my 4th cousin.

 The Perkins Family

The Perkins family has a very long history. The African American Perkins family originated in Northampton County, Virginia. Later, they traveled all across America from Maryland, North Carolina (in Rockingham, NC, Weldon, NC, etc.), and to as far north as New York state. My 4th great-grandfather George Perkins I was born in Virginia at 1815. He married a woman named Esther Perkins (1816-?). Their children are Julia Perkins (1835-?), Easter Perkins (1840-1910), James Perkins (1841-?), Emily Perkins (1844-?), George Perkins II (1847-1932), and Caroline Perkins (1862-1927).  My 4th great uncle George Perkins II (1847-1932) married Fannie Lou Blackstock on the date of 1868 at Virginia. George and Fannie Perkins had the following children: Gundora (Geneva) Perkins (1868-1931), Sophronia Perkins (1870-1926), John Thomas Perkins (1874-?), Victoria Oliver Perkins (1876-1956), Louvinia Perkins (1879-1923), George D. Perkins (1880-1928), Charles A. Perkins (1884-1951), Ellen Perkins (1888-?), Fannie Perkins (1890-?), Doctor Rutherford Perkins (1891-1991), Woric Perkins (1896-1938), and Hattie Perkins (1899-?).

My 1st cousin Gundora (Geneva) Perkins (1868-1927) married Dennis Harris (1860-1928) on May 17, 1881 at Rockingham, North Carolina. The children of Geneva Perkins and Dennis Harris are Cynthia (Lucinada) Broadnax (1885-1931), Suetha P. Harris (1888-?), Dennis H. Harris (1890-1937), George T. Harris (1891-?), Linda Harris (1891-1931), Tom Harris (1893-?), and George J. Harris (1896-1954). Cynthia Broadnax married Dennis Broadnax (18881-1975) and had the following children: Ollie May Broadnax (1919-1960), Dennis Daniel  Broadnax Jr. (1914-1978), Jeneva Broadnax (1915-1974), Irene Broadnax (1920-2015), Wi;llie Broadnax (1923-?), Mammie Broadnax (1923-2004), David Daniel Broadnax (1925-?), Troy Lee Broadnax (1928-?), and Jesse Broadnax (1829-1997). My 3rd cousin Irene Broadnax married King David Sam William Fountain on March 31, 1936 at Henry, Virginia. This family later lived in Bridgeport, Connecticut as a product of the Great Migration. Irene Broadnax and King David Sam William Fountain (1914-1964) had the following children: Clyde William Fountain (1937-1992), Bishop Franklin David Fountain (1939-2005), Norman R. Fountain (1941-2010), Alvestico Fountain Sr. (1943-present), Erma Fountain Johnson (1946-present), Bishop Venoal Fountain (1947-2015), Jo Anne Fountain (1953-2002), Yvette Fountain Drummond (1956-present), Madeira Fountain Walker (1963-present), Donald Fountain, Robert L. Fountain, Jacqueline Fountain Campbell, Sharon Fountain Whitmore, and Zorene F. Fountain Meekins.

My 1st cousin Charles A. Perkins married Pearly Tinsley (1886-1960). Their children are James Allen Perkins (1904-1975), Ernest Perkins (1909-1937), Lettie Lee Perkins Cohen (1910-1997), Willie Mae Perkins (1913-1973), Pearl Perkins (1918-1956), Mammie Perkins (1920-?), Rachel Perkins (1922-?). My 2nd cousin James Allen Perkins (1904-1975) married Bertha Lee Wade (1905-1979) on October 11, 1922 at Henry County, Virginia.  James Allen Perkins and Bertha Lee Wade had the following children: James E. Perkins (1923-2012), Pauline Agusta Perkins (1926-present), Alvin Rufus Lee Perkins (1928-1982), Bertha M. Perkins (1931-present), Remona Leigh Perkins (1934-present), Ralph Allen Perkins (1937-2004), Betty Ann Perkins (1940-2012), Delores Perkins Wells (1943-present), and R. Otis Broadnax (1926-2006. His mother was Gertrude Braodnax). My 3rd cousin James E. Perkins married Doris Mae Cooper (1930-2009). Their children are Arnece Perkins Sims (1949-present), Everett Clinton Perkins (1965-present), Ellsworth Perkins, Kevin Perkins, and Ernest L. Perkins. These human beings are my 4th cousins. My 3rd cousin Ralph Allen Perkins married Jerline Broadnax Perkins (1940-2019) on the date of June 29, 1963 at Rockingham, North Carolina. Their children are Racquel Perkins (1975-present), and Cassandra Wrenn. They are my 4th cousins. Another relative of the Perkins family is my 4th cousin Cherry Denise Collins-Warren. She was born on November 12, 1963 at Northampton County, Virginia. She married George Alfred Warren on February 18, 2000 at Northampton County, Virginia. Cheryl's parents were Renzie Collins (1932-2017) and Laurie Winkie Church (1937-present). Renzie Collins' parents were Authur James Collins (1891-1950) and Daisey Ellen Collins (1897-1975). Daisey Ellen Collins' parents were Jackson Satchel and Harriet Susan Kelley (1860-1927). Harriet Susan Kelley's parents were George Kelly (1830-?) and my 4th great aunt Easter Perkins (1840-1910). Easter's parents are George Perkins I (1815-?) and Esther Perkins (1816-?).

*Adam D. was my 2nd great grandfather, and he was born in 1862. He had many children. In 1886, he married Georganna Tillery. Later, he married Mary L. Hyman on June 26, 1905 at Halifax, North Carolina. He had children with Mary Eliza Edmonds too. Then, he married Nancy Reynolds on August 12, 1908 at Halifax, North Carolina. Adam and Georganna Tillery had the following children: Carl, Arthur Lawerence, Ada, Penora, Mancy, Oren, and Ily. Adam and Mary Elizabeth Edmonds has the following children: Ethel Lee Edmonds, Ernest Edmonds, Mary Selma Edmonds, and Hattie M. Edmonds. Adam and Nancy Reynolds had the following children: Leatte, Alphonso, Elvin, Sarah, James, Cleveland, Joseph, Roberta, Geneva, Emma Eunice, Carrie Bell, and Paul. All of these children are related to me.

Adam D. and Nancy Reynolds (1888-1982) had a child child named Joseph D. (1922-2001). Joseph D. was born on August 7, 1922 at North Carolina. He married Sherlene Johnson on July 29, 1946 at Halifax, North Carolina. Joseph D. and Sherlene Johnson had the following children: Shirley D. (1947-present), Jacqulin D. (19502016), Joycelyn D. (1950-1994), Joan D. (1953-2012), Henry D. (1955-1955), Clifford, and Jospeh C. D. Jr. (who passed away in 2007). My first cousin Joseph C. D. Jr. had a duaghter named Venita La Shon D. My first cousin Jacqulin D. (1950-2016) had the following children: Charles Williams, Michael Fuller Sr., and Marcus D. Shirley D. and Henry Louis Spencer Sr. (1937-1995) had the following children: Chandra Dionne Spencer (1969-present) and Sean Reco Spencer (1972-2015). Shirley D. and James Brayboy had the child of Troy Spencer. Shirley D. and Robert Forest Clark (1943-present) had the daughter of Tawanda Joette D. (1967-2016). Sean Reco Spencer was born on July 1, 1972 at Harlem, NYC. He passed away on October 3, 2015 at Baltimore. Sean Reco Spencer and Karen Williams had the following children: Lashawn Marie Spencer and Shaquel Dion Spencer (or my 3rd cousins). Joan D. married Donald Kiah,and they have a child named Tony Cornell Kiah. My 2nd cousin Chandra Dionne Spencer was born in 1969 at Maryland. She married James Parker Jr. Brittenia Lashell Lee is my 2nd cousin, and she was born on June 4, 1974 at Virginia. She married Harvey David Ramsey on the date of April 27, 1998 at Norfolk, Virginia. Brittenia's brothers are Atoy Lamont Lee (1971-present) and Malvin Keith Lee (1973-present). Brittenia's parents are James Moore and Jonell Lee (1952-2016). Jonell Lee's parents were Sarah D. Lee (1917-2013) and James Wendell Lee (1920-1955). Sarah's parents were Adam D. and Nancy Reynolds.

She was my 1st cousin Macenia Upshur and her daughter Lucille.

The Upshur family

The Upshur family has a long history. They originated from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. My 5th great grandfather was Benjamin Brickhouse I. He was born in 1750. She married Polly Brickhouse (1760-?), and they had a child named Benjamin Brickhouse II (1791-1878). Benjamin Brickhouse was born in Northampton County, Virginia, and she married Eliza Collins (1805-?). Their children are Johnson Brickhouse (1826-?) and Benjamin Brickhouse. Johnson Brickhouse or my 3rd great grandfather was a member of the 9th Colored Infantry as being part of the Union during the Civil War. He was enlisted in 1863. Johnson Brickhouse married Julia Perkins (1835-?), and their daughter was Anna Eliza Brickhouse (1857-1921). Ann Eliza Brickhouse was my 3rd great aunt. She at first married James Burton Jr. (1848-1931) and later she married James Kelly (1846-?) on February 12, 1893 at Northampton County, Virginia. 

Anna Eliza Brickhouse and James Burton Jr. had the following children: Juliet Brickhouse (1875-1972), Nollar Rosa Burton Upshur (1877-1961), Sadie Brickhouse (1880-1952), Virginia (aka Jennie) Burton (1883-1968), Isaac Burton (1885-1972), Preston Burton (1888-1957), David Burton (1890-1946), Margaret (Maggie) Burton (1887-?), David Burton (1887-?), and Henry Burton (1886-?). Anna Eliza Brickhouse had the following children with James Kelly: Lloyd S. Kelly (1894-?), Lillie Kelly (1894-?), Charles Kelly (1896-?), John Kelly (1902-?), and Helen Kelly (1898-?). Nollar Rosa Upshur was my 1st cousin. She was born on September 6, 1877 at Northampton County, Virginia. She married Ruben Benjamin Upshur on April 26, 1898 at Northampton County, Virginia. Their children are part of the Upshur family, and they are related to me. Nollar and Ruben Upshur had the following children: Ollief S. Upshur (1899-1995), James Velvet Upshur (1901-1975), Milton Alfred Upshur (1904-1977), Marrie Upshur (1906-?), Eskie Upshur (1907-?0, Reuben Upshur (1909-1938), Curtis V. Usphur (1913-1984), Alice G. Upshur (1915-1938), Andrew Phillip Upshur (1915-1995), Baylise Upshur (1919-2014), Belle E. Upshur (1921-?), Evangeline Virginia Upshur (1921-1995), and Helen Burton Upshur (1926-2006).

My 2nd cousin Andrew Phillip Upshur was born on April 21, 1915 at Exmore, Northampton, Virginia. She married Hazel Virginia Douglas on April 27, 1948 at Northampton County, Virginia. Andrew Phillip Upshur lived in New York state (in Buffalo) before his passing, and he was a member of the U.S. Army during World War II. Their child was Andrew Philip Usphur Jr. (who was born on April 5, 1954. He is my 3rd cousin. He is from Buffalo, NY). She married Teria Ashe Upshur . Andrew Upshur Jr. and Teria Upshur’s children are Jordan Upshur and Langston Upshur (these two children are my 4th cousins). Rachel L. Denby is my 5th cousin who was born in 1898 at New Jersey at Essex County. Her parents are Talbert W. Denby (born 1955) and my 5th cousin Louise E. Nahala-Nottingham (born August 31, 1964 at Northampton County, Virginia). Louise's parents are Percell Isaiah Nottingham (born 1943) and Clara Anne Upshur (born 1944). Clara Ann Upshur was born on February 3, 1944 at Northampton County, Virginia. Her parents are Willis Nelson Upshur (1914-1998) and Anna Louise Satachel (1915-1992). Willis Nelson Upshur's wife of Ann Louise Satchel is related to the Perkins family too. Evone Elizabeth Fisher (born on August 21, 1964 at Northampton County  Virginia) is my 5th cousin. Her parents are Willie Dosey Fisher 9born 1933) and Evonee Collins (1940-1993). Evonee Collins' parents are Charles E. Collins (1915-1988) and Virgnia Mae Willis (1919-?). Charles E. Collins' parents are Arthur James Collins (1891-1950) and Daisey Ellen Collins (1897-1975. Daisey is related to the Perkins family).

The Collins Family

The African American Collins family lived in the Eastern Shore of Virginia for centuries. They are related to me in many ways. First, it is important to go way back. My 2nd great grandfather was Harry Bailey. He was born in 1855 in Virginia. His mother was Emily Bull. Harry Bailey married Esther Brickhouse Bailey (1862-1955) on 1882 in Locus Mount, Virginia. Harry Bailey and Esther Brickhouse Bailey had the following children: Carlton Bailey (1883-?), Effie Sarah Bailey Bryant (1891-1977), Ida Bailey (1892-1910), Calvin Bailey (1892-1954), Carrie Bailey (1895-?), Evaline Bailey (1895-?), and James Bailey (1896-?). Effie Sarah Bailey Brant was my great-grandmother who was born on June 13, 1891 at Virginia. Her first husband was Jacob Collins (1869-1928). Effie Sarah Bailey Bryant and Jacob Collins married on the date of July 4, 1909 at Northampton County, Virginia. Their child was my great-uncle Wilbert Collins (1909-1990). Effie’s 2nd husband was William Henry Bryant (1892-1962). Wilbert Collins married Lillian Mapp to have the following children: Ralph William Collins (1928-2008), Mallie G. Collins (1930-present), and Richard Collins (1935-?).

Wilbert Collins was born in Northampton County, Virginia and he passed away at Philadelphia on June 22, 1990. Lillian Mapp Collins lived from October 15, 1909 at Virginia to May 26, 1996 at Philadelphia. My 2nd cousin Iris P. Douglas-Collins (1955-1995) married Archie Lee Collins Jr. (1952-1994). Their child was Archie Lee Collins III, who has links in Florida. Iris P. Douglas’s mother was Dorothy Mae D. (1937-2014), whose father was James Curtis D. (1915-1992), whose father was Carl Doggett (1886-1968), and whose father was Adam D. Archie Lee Collins III is my 2nd cousin. His father was Archie Lee Collins Jr., whose father was Archie Lee Collins (born in 1933), whose father was George Henry Collins (1897-1965), whose father was Douglas Collins (1877-1920), whose father was Caleb Collins Jr. (his wife was Peggy Bailey. Caleb Collins lived from 1834-1920), whose father was Caleb Collins (whose wife was Adah). Caleb Collins lived from 1834 to 1920. Adah Collins lived from 1838 to 1896. Caleb Collins’ father was Major Collins (1816-1877) and Lakey Collins (1810-?) was his wife.

She was Deaconess Clarine E. Jones-Reese or the wife my 2nd cousin Deacon William Edward Reese II.

More on the Reese family

There are many new research found about the Reese family. I am related to the African American Reese family found in Virginia on the mother's side of my family. Many of them traveled from Virginia into Georgia, Texas, other parts of Virginia, Pittsburgh, and other areas of America. Many people from the Reese family contacted me about finding out about their ancestors, so I am willing to show them the truth. This story started in Virginia during a long time ago. My mother told me about this story and wrote it down for many years. Richard Reese was my 3rd great grandfather, and he was born in 1835. Richard Reese married Jane Redman, and they had many children. Their children were: Thomas Reese (1864-?), Todie Reese (1866-?), William Reese (1867-1942), Eldridge Reese (1870-1931), Indiana Reese (1871-1946), John Reese (1874-?), Benjamin Reese (1874-1935), and Daniel Reese (1879-1939). Indiana Reese married George Seaborn (1862-?). One of their children was Hollie Ethel Seaborn (1908-1996). Hollie was my great grandmother.

Therefore, one of their (or Richard Reese and Jane Redman) children was Eldridge Reese. Eldridge Reese was my 3rd great uncle. Eldridge Reese married Gertrude Blow in 1891. She lived from 1876 to 1932. Eldridge Reese and Gertrude Blow had the following children: Nettie Jane Reese (1893-1958), Washington Reese (1895-?), Ursula Reese (1898-?), Erslin Ann Reese (1899-?), Johnnie Burrell Reese (1903-?), Georgiann Reese (1905-?), James Elliott Reese (1909-1982), Ernest Reese (1911-1990), Mary Gertrude Reese (1913-?), and Harris Reese (1913-?). Their (i.e. Eldridge and Gertrude Blow) daughter Nettie Jane Reese was my 1st cousin. Nettie Reese married Washington Harvell. Nette Jane Reese and Washington Harvell had the following children: Edgar Harville (1915-1976), Horace Alexandria Harvell (b. 1915), Hugh Robert Harvell (1917-1989), Hattie Harvell (b. 1924), John Harvell (b. 1926), Doretha Jane Harvell (b. 1933). Nettie Jane Reese passed away on April 6, 1958 at New York City.

Hugh Robert Harvell is my 2nd cousin. He lived from 1917-1989. He was born on July 17, 1917 at Jarrat, Virginia. He married Rosa Lee Massenburg on August 9, 1945 at Virginia. They divorced on the date of December 21, 1987 at Sussex, Virginia. Hugh Robert Harvell and Rosa Lee Massenburg (1924-2017) had the following children: Robert L. Harvell (1946-1988), Patricia Harvell Groce, Donald Harvell, and Lester Harvell.

The son of Richard Reese (1835-?) was William Reese or my 3rd great uncle (1867-1942). He was born on May 5, 1867 in Virginia. He married Mary Taylor (1860) on 1899 at Norfolk, Virginia. Their children are: Jeanetta Reese, Novella Reese (1890-?), Richard Reese (1893-1962), Alice F. Reese (1896-?), Alphonse Reese (1897-1924), Olander Reese (1897-1964), Lula M. Reese (1897-?), and Alexander Reese (1899-1985).  Richard Reese married Mattie Owens (1893-1934) on April 10, 1912 at Richmond, Virginia. Their children are Sarah Reese (1915-?), Richard A. Reese Jr. (1915-1954), Lola Mattie Virginia Reese (1918-1982), Herman Reese (1920-1954), Doris Alease Reese (1922-1993), Davis Reese (1922-?), Gladys Lee Reese (1924-?), Margaret Reese (1927-1981), Deacon William Edward Reese II (1929-2005), and Edgar Reese (1932-2005). Richard Reese married Tula Bessie Williams (1894-1974) after Mattie Owens passed away on December 24, 1939 at Virginia. Deacon William Edward Reese II was my 2nd cousin. He married Clarine Elizabeth  on the date of April 25, 1951 at Prince George, Virginia.  Deaconess Clarine Elizabeth Jones-Reese lived in Disputanta, Virginia. She was very religious whose parents were Walter Jones and Lilian Hunt Junes. She worked at the Central State Hospital for over 30 years. She was part of the First Baptist Church at Disputanta. She worked at the Food Bank, was a member of the NAACP, and worked in her community in many ways.

Their children are William E. Reese III (1953-present), Sylvester Leroy Reese (1953-present), Garry Glen Reese (1955-present), Delores Archer-Korokous, and Al Justice. Garry Glen Reese is my 3rd cousin. She had children with a German born (and lives in Georgia now) woman named Petra C. Reese. Petra Reese works in dentistry. Their children are Lateefah Clarine Reese (whose child is Skye Janelle White born in 2012. Skye is my 4th cousin) and Jermaine Garry Reese (who married Jasmine P. White on March 15, 2014 at El Pasto, Texas. Their children is Sarai Reese or my 4th cousin). Lateefah and Jermaine Reese are my 4th cousins. William E. Reese III (born in 1953) married the late Valgeanette Hunt on July 5, 1975 at Prince George, Virginia. Their children are Latasha Lynette Reese (1980-present), Lola Syne Hobbs, William Reese IV, and Jeffery Hill.

Many of the Reese family lives in Pittsburgh. 

*Updates: I found more discoveries of the Reese family. Long ago, Richard Reese (1847-?) and Ann Howell had the following children: Thomas Reese (1863-1946), Indiana Reese (1866-1946), William Eli Reese (1867-1942), and Todie Reese (1866-?). Richard Reese and Ann Howell were born slaves. Later, Richard Reese married Jane Redman and had the following children: Eldridge Reese (1870-1931), John Henry Reese (1873-1945), Benjamin Reese (1874-1935), and Daniel Reese (1879-1939). The Reese family came from Virginia and traveled to Georgia, New York City, Pittsburgh, Michigan, and other places of America. Recently, I communicated with some of their descendants on Ancestry.com too. Richard Reese was my 3rd great grandfather. My mother talked about Indiana Reese (or Richard Reese's daughter) all of the time. Indiana Reese was my 2nd great grandmother. Indiana Reese married George Seaborn on the date of February 27, 1883 at Sussex, Virginia. They had a daughter named Hollie Ethel Seaborn Peeples. Hollie was my great grandmother and she lived from 1908 to 1996. I have seen Holie before when I was a child. She married Joseph Henry Peeples (1898-1972), who was my great grandfather. A lot of the puzzles are coming together.

The son of Richard Reese and Jane Redman was John Henry Reese (1873-1945). John Henry Reese’s first wife was Laura Reese (1899-1935). Laura’s father was a man named James Overton. John Henry Reese was my 3rd great uncle. Later, John Henry Reese married Helen Catherine Overton on the date of November 4, 1936 at Portsmouth, Virginia. Helen Catherine Overton lived from June 18, 1915 at Windfall, North Carolina to September 5, 2008 at Portsmouth, Virginia. John Henry Reese and Helen Catherine Overton had the following children: John Henry Reese Jr. (1937-2009), David Sylvester Reese (1939-present), Helen Aleene Reese (1941-present), Gloria Christine Reese (1943-2013), and Violet Mae Reese (1947-present). These children of John Henry Reese and Helen Catherine Overton are my 1st cousins. John Henry Reese Jr. lived from February 14, 1937 at Portsmouth, Virginia to February 9, 2009 at Portsmouth, Virginia. He lived in Portsmouth, Virginia throughout his life. He loved the sea and he served in the Navy, the Coast Guard, and he was a merchant seaman. Also, John Henry Reese Jr. was a member of the St. Paul AME Church in Portsmouth. John Henry Reese Jr. married a great woman named Sarah Ann Cooke (1945-1999) on the year of 1971 at Pasquotank, North Carolina. John Henry Reese Jr. and Sarah Ann Cooke’s children are: Carol Yvette Reese (1966-present), Johnny Reese (1969-present), Michael Anthony Reese (1965-present), and Sarina Reese (1982-present). These human beings are my 2nd cousins. Michael Ann Reese married Darcy Jo Matthews on March 30, 1987 at Hampton, Virginia. Johnny Alonzo Reese married Zina Nichele Graham on July 27, 1990 at Portsmouth, Virginia. Carol Yvette Reese married Philip Andre Corry Senior on March 13, 2004 at Portsmouth, Virginia.

The Artis family

Here are the following links of me to the Artis family:

1. My 2nd great aunt Mary Anna Bynum (1922-present) married Reddick Artis (1910-1968). Their daughter was Mary Louise Mason (1939-2002). Mary Louise Mason married Sheppard Mason, and their child is Michal Antonia Mason (1961-present). Mary Anna Bynum is the daughter of my 2nd great-grandfather Fenton Bynum Sr. (1885-?). Mary's mother was my 2nd great-grandmother Mary Belle Sykes (1894-1936).

2. Susie Claude is my 2nd great aunt. She lived from 1915-1999.  Susie Claude is the daughter of Arthur Boss Claude (1891-1974) and Martha Jane Claude (1880-1949). Susie Claude married Thaddeus Wilson Artis (1913-1968) and they had a daughter named Artis (1936-1936).

3. William Henry Claude (1938-2001) was my 3rd cousin. His parents were Thomas Jefferson Claud (1907-1997) and Elsie Elizabeth Owens (1912-2003). William Henry Claud married Christine Elizabeth Artis on the date of June 21, 1958 at Courtland, Virginia. Christine Elizabeth Artis' parents are Henry Artis and Elnora Jones. William and Christine Claud's children are Silvester Conrad Claud (1960-present) and Valencia Jean Claud (1963-present).

4. Robin Darelne Artis is my 5th cousin. She was born on November 28, 1958. The Claud and Artis family migrated from Southampton County, Virginia into Philadelphia regularly (as a product of the Great Migration). Robin Darlene Artis' parents are Robert Edward Artis (1933-present) and Ella Mable Claud (1935-2004). Robin Darlene Artis' son is Royse Ashley Britt.

Carlee Evans


My late relative Carlee Dorcus Eveans-Falucon’s life has been a mystery for me for a while. Now, in late 2019, I know more about her life. She was my 2nd cousin. A lot of this information is new, and I haven’t revealed a lot of this information in public until now. Carlee lived from 1918 to 1993. Her parents were the late Edward Franklin Evans (1876-?) and Mobie Lee Sykes (1886-1932). On an old document about Zilphy Claud from my mother, I found the name of Mobie Lee Sykes. That opened up a light bulb in my mind. Mobie Lee Sykes’s parents were Willie Sykes (1832-?) and Lydia Claud (1842-?).  Lydia Claud’s mother was the heroic Zilphy Claud (1820-1893). Zilphy Claud was my 5th great-grandmother, and Lydia Claud was my 5th great aunt. Now, Carlee Evans married twice. Her first husband was Andrew Jackson Langston (1915-1995). They were married at the date of August 7, 1933 at Nansemond, Virginia (or Suffolk, Virginia today). Their 2 children together were Catherine Eloise Langston (1933-2001) and Shirley Marie Langston (1937-2003). The couple of Carlee and Andrew Langston divorced on the date of December 19, 1953 at Nansemond, Virginia. Andrew Jackson Langston remarried to Ernestine Richard Wilkins (1919-2013) at February 4, 1955 at Nansemond, Virginia. Carlee Evans passed away on July 20, 1993 at Chesapeake, Virginia.

Carlee Evans married Rev. James Andrew Faulcon on the date of August 4, 1973 at Norfolk, Virginia. Carlee’s daughter Catherine Eloise Langston (or my 3rd cousin) was born on December 11, 1933 at Suffolk, Virginia. She first married George Washington McDonald (1933-1993) on November 15, 1952 at Nansemond, Virginia. They divorced on October 29, 1962. Later, Catherine married Samuel Almond on April 26, 1963 at Pasquotank, North Carolina. Catherine and George’s daughter is Vanessa Almond Vann (1953-2008). Vanessa Almond Vann was my 4th cousin, and she married Larry Wiggins Vann (1950-2009) in 1971 at Pasquotank, North Carolina. Their children are Kimberly Mikita Vann (1975-present) and LaRon Vann (who are my 5th cousins). Carlee Evans’ daughter Shirley Marie Langston was born on December 25, 1937 at Suffolk, Virginia. She was my 3rd cousin. She married Nathaniel Herman Ashe Sr. (1934-2014) on July 12, 1957 at Nansemond, Virginia.

Their children are Theresa Veronica Ashe (She was born on January 30, 1958 at Nansemond, Virginia. She married Henry Allen Brooks on 1979 at Pasquotank, North Carolina), Nathaniel Ashe Jr., Andrew Fitzgerald Ashe, Christopher Ashe, and Jacqueline Abdud Asim. Nathaniel Ashe Jr. (who is my 4th cousin) was born in February 6, 1959 at Nansemond, Virginia. He traveled the world as a businessman. He worked in New York City for time. At NYC, he met a woman from Singapore named Ai Choo Hi, and they both married at New York City on 1982. They had the following children: Keisha Mei Ling Ashe (She was born on March 2, 1986 at Virginia Beach, Virginia), Jonathan Wei Hong Ashe (He was born in October 20, 1988 at Newport News, Virginia. He married a Sister named Alexandria Ashe), and Nicholas Ashe. Keisha, Nicholas, and Jonathan are all my 5th cousins. My 4th cousin Theresa Ashe Brooks or the daughter of Nathaniel Herman Ashe Sr. and Shirley Marie Langston is a great person. Theresa Ashe Brooks’ late husband was the great man Henry Allen Brooks (1952-1996). She went to John F. Kennedy High School, studied Juvenile justice at Virginia Commonwealth University, and loves her family. Her daughters are Christina and Nicole Brooks.

The image on the left shows my 2nd great aunt Cora Bell Claud (1929-1964) with her son Philip George Darden (1950-2005) . The image on the right is Cora Bell Claud's husband and Navy veteran Bernard George Darden (1926-1998). 

More on the Claud Family

The Claud family is very diverse. Lila (Tigue) Claude lived from March 22, 1892 at Virginia to May 9, 1980 at Portsmouth, Virginia. She or Lila Claud was my 3rd great aunt. Her parents were the late Rev. James Thompson Claud (1857-1926) and Susanna Field Hurst-Turner Claud (1862-1949). Lila Claud married Matthew Harris first. Lila Claud and Matthew Harris had the following children: Onie Harris (1914-1997), James Alexander Harris (1915-1969), Buble Harris (1917-?), Junius Harris (1918-?), Jamison Harris (1918-?), Willie Lee Harris (1919-1985), and Arthur Harris (1922-2009). Lila Claud later married Richard Pullum (1885-1987) on January 28, 1933 at Portsmouth, Virginia. Portsmouth was a city where many of my maternal relatives migrated to from Southampton County, Virginia. Portsmouth is like a sister city to Norfolk, Virginia as both cities are so close to each other. Arthur Harris or the daughter of Lila Claud married Essie Marie Johnson on July 20, 1951 at Portsmouth, Virginia. Arthur and Essie Harris had one daughter named Delvonia Marie Harris (she was born on March 29, 1949). Arthur Harris lived from October 6, 1922 to January 27, 2009. Arthur Harris was my first cousin. He lived on Taft Drive. His daughter Delvonia Marie Harris first married Dennis Timothy Osby (1947-present) on the date of March 1, 1971. Their child was Mechelle M Osby. Delvnia and Dennis Osby had a divorce on the date of September 19, 1977 at Portsmouth, Virginia. Later, Delvinia Marie Harris married Therel Gene Gray (1951-present) on the date of June 14, 1980 at Portsmouth, Virginia. The daughter of Delvonia Marie Harris is Mechelle Monique Osby (She was born on September 14, 1971 at Portsmouth, Virginia). Lila Claud and Matthew Harris’ daughter of Onie Harris lived form July 16, 1914 to August 3`, 1997 at Baltimore, Maryland. Onie Harris married John Henry Whittaker (1910-2001) on December 21, 1930 at Portsmouth, Virginia. Their children are Henry Donzelle Whittaker (1932-present), Alfred Orene Whittaker (1933-present), Carolyn M. Barren, Patricia A. Phillips, and Reverend Belena M. Thomas.

Many years back, my later uncle Bill talked about the Nottoway Native American tribes. Recently, I knew that Susanna Turner (1862-1949) or my 3rd great grandmother was a descendant of Nottoway Native Americans. My mother also talked about the Hardy family. Not only are many in the Hardy family descended of Susanna Turner, but many of them are my maternal cousins. Leroy Hardy Jr. is my 2nd cousin. He was born on November 10, 1961, and we share the same 3rd great grandfather Reverend James Thompson Claud (1857-1926). Rev. James Thompson Claud was the husband of Susanna Field-Hurst Turner. Today, Leroy Hardy Jr. is the tribal council member of the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia Inc. (Official). He is the co-owner at the Hardy family farm. He lives in Sedley, Virginia, and he was born in Franklin Virginia. His parents were Leroy Hardy (1921-1996) and Olga Jannette Warren (1929-1978). Leroy Hardy Jr. has worked hard throughout his life. He married the love of her life who is Nancy Fulton on the date of September 5, 1987 at Newport News, Virginia. Nancy Fulton was born on May 11, 1963 at San Diego, California. Her parents were Cephas Fulton (who was born on June 31, 1938) and Hiroko Hodaji (1933-2008). Nancy Fulton’s sister is Debra Lisa Fulton who was also born in Long Beach, California on October 17, 1968. Debra Lisa Fulton married and divorced Joseph Edward Dismuke. Now, Debra Lisa Fulton is married to Godfrey D. Weekes on January 18, 2003 at Marion, Indiana. Leroy Hardy Jr.’s grandmother is Virgie Mae Claud Hardy (1895-1968). My mother has heard of Virgie, and she is my 3rd great aunt. Leroy Hardy Jr. and Nancy Fulton has the following children: Aaron Lee Hardy, Stephen Hardy, Daniel Hardy, Joshua Hardy, Alisah Joy Hardy, Kristen Hiroko Hardy, and Bethany Olga Hardy. These children are my 3rd cousins. Therefore, we are all related, and we are all family.

There are other people related to the Claud family. My 5th cousin Brittany Markeia Amefu was born on November 21, 1994 at Portsmouth, Virginia. Her parents are Norbert Kwami Amefu and Dotsie Mae Claud (she was born on November 1, 1960 at Southampton County, Virginia). Dotsie Mae Claud's parents were Thomas Lee Claud (1929-1995) and Dotise Anne Barnes (1930-1989). Dotsie Anne Barnes's parents are Thomas Jefferson Claud (1907-1997) and Elsie Elizabeth Owens (1912-2003). Thomas Jefferson Claud's parents were Richard Washington Claud (1874-1945) and Ann Elizabeth Claud (1876-1960). Richard Washington Claud's parents are George Washington Claud (1854-1923) and Martha Ferguson (1830-?). George Washington Claud's mother was Zilphy Claud (1820-1893).

Tony Sanchious is my 5th cousin. He was born on July 23, 1975 at Lynchburg, Virginia. His parents are Theodore Sanchious (born 1946) and Gloria Sanchious (born 1946). Gloria Sanchious was born on October 12, 1946. By 1968, she lived in Philadelphia. Gloria is my 4th cousin and her parents are Willie Shuler (1914-1985) and Ella Lou Claud (1919-1971). Ella Lou Claud is my 3rd cousin. Willie Shuler and Ella Lou Claud had the following children: Willie Shuler Jr. (1943), Gloria Sanchious (1946-present), Baby Girl Shuler (1952-1952), and Barbara Ann Holmes. Ella Lou Claud's parents are Joseph James Claud (1894-1988) and Georgia Bynum (1893-1975). Joseph James Claud's parents are Frank Thomas Claud (1861-1948) and Elizabeth Whitehead (1868-?). Joseph James Claud and Georgia Bynum had the following children: Amos Columbus Claud (1916-1965), Ella Lou Claud (1919-1971), Christopher Claud (1920-1985), Ruth Victoria Claud (1923-2003), Bishop Lloyd C. Claud (1926-2011), and Frank Daniel Claud (1929-1988).

There is more information about my late 2nd cousin Elgin Madison Lowe Sr. (1914-2000). His father and mother were Bishop Charlie Wesley Lowe (1875-1954) and Louisa A. Sykes (1876-1955). My late 1st cousin Louisa A. Sykes’ parents were Willis Sykes (1832-?) and Lydia Claud (1842-?). My 5th great aunt’s Lydia Claud mother was my 5th great grandfather Zilphy Claud (1820-1893). Elgin Madison Lowe Sr. was born on March 15, 1914 at Southampton, Virginia. He and his family later moved into Suffolk, Virginia. By 1932, he was a graduate of Nansemond Collegiate Institute. He got a teaching certificate from the institute in 1934. He taught at the Jefferson Elementary School in Sussex County, and he was involved in the Windsor plus the Isle of Wright County school system. He was the principal of Camptown Elementary, Georgia Tyler High Windsor Elementary, and Booker T. Washington Junior High Schools. He served many administrative positions. He was one the board of visitors at Virginia State University and Norfolk State University. Elgin Madison Lowe Sr. was the first black school principal in Virginia to be elected rector of the board of visitors at Virginia State University. He wrote many books including his autobiography. Elgin Madison Lowe Sr.’s brothers and sisters are: Howard H. Lowe (1898-1958), Flossie Baylee Lowe (1899-?), Palease Lowe (1900-?), Charlie James Lowe (1901-1967), Danier Elsie Lowe (1917-2007), and Joseph Isaac Lowe (1919-1974). Elgin Lowe Sr. married Lois Elaine Ballard (1910-1990) and had the following children: Jean Dencye Lowe (1936-present), Elgin Madison Lowe Jr. (1939-present), and Sandra Marilyn Lowe (1943-present). Elgin Madison Lowe Sr. and his other family members including his cousin Iola Branch were pictured in ca. 1948. My 3rd cousin Jean Dencye Lowe married Hubert Lathen Teague (1928-2004) and had the following children: Marsha Lynn Teague (1957-present), Lance Madison Teague (1958-present), Brad Steven Teague (1970-present), and Ryan Teague. Elgin Madison Jr. married Moizelle Hortense Henderson. The couple has the following children: Denise Renee Lowe (1964-present), and Mark Madison Lowe (1971-present). My 4th cousin Denise Renee Lowe married Joseph Talmadge Walters on December 19, 1992 at Richmond, Virginia. Their children are Benaiah Madison Walters (born in 1996) and Jennifer Michelle Walters. My 4th cousin Mark Madison Lowe married Ponnette Rozzell Smith on the date of September 18, 2004 at Richmond, Virginia. He or Mark Madison Lowe was born on March 22, 1971 at Richmond, Virginia. Elgin Madison Lowe Sr. had a long legacy involving education, political work, and spirituality. I am related to the Lowe family on the mother's side of my family.

Cultural Staples of Norfolk, Virginia

There are lots of cultural staples in Norfolk, Virginia. Norfolk is the urban capital of the Hampton Roads region. Hampton Roads isn’t just found in Virginia. It is also found in Northeast North Carolina as many of our cousins or ancestors are from North Carolina. That is why we watch UNC-TV in Virginia. Norfolk came a long way. Back in the day, Norfolk was heavily segregated via Jim Crow laws until the 1960’s. In the 21st century, a new era exists in Norfolk, Virginia. The Chrysler Museum of Art is found near Downtown Norfolk. It is one of Virginia’s foremost art museums. There are American neoclassical marble sculptures, paintings, and other elaborate exhibits. It was created in 1933. Also, Town Point Park in Norfolk, Virginia has been home to yearly festivals and parades. Nauticus is a maritime museum that has hands on exhibits, high definition films, and educational programs to help people further understand the water environment in the world. Nauticus is home to the USS Wisconsin. The Hermitage Foundation Museum found near the Lafayette River has Asian and Western art plus Chinese bronze including ceramics, etc. The General Douglas MacArthur Memorial is located at Downtown Norfolk. It has a rotunda image. It has the tombs of both General Douglas MacArthur and his wife. The Virginia Opera is found in Norfolk. Norfolk Scope and the Ted Constant Convocation Center are venues where people go to for various concerts and conferences. The HBCU Norfolk State University, Old Domination University, and Tidewater Community College are all located at Norfolk, Virginia. The Naro Cinema is popular. Also, the historic facility of Attucks Theater is more than 100 years old with various musicians still performing there. The Waterside Festival Marketplace was opened in 1983 and rebuilt as Waterside District in May of 2017. The Waterside District has stores, restaurants, and other entertainment services. Harbor Park is a well-known baseball stadium that has existed for years. It overlooks the Elizabeth River. The Virginia Zoo and the Botanical Garden (which is Virginia’s largest botanical garden) are ever present.

Cultural Staples of Richmond, Virginia

As the capital of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia has a long history. Recently, the both houses of the Virginian legislature are mostly blue. Culture is found all over Richmond indeed. Many of the city’s large museums are found near the Boulevard. On Boulevard proper, there are the Virginia Historical Society and the Virginia Museum of Fine arts. On Broad Street, there is the Science Museum of Virginia. The Library of Virginia, the Valentine Richmond History Center, the Children’s Museum of Richmond, and the Virginia Holocaust Museum are found in Richmond, Virginia. The American Civil War Center is found in the city. St. John’s Church was the place of Patrick Henry’s speech about him saying, “Give me liberty or give me death.” The Edgar Allan Poe Museum has many of his writings and other artifacts as a child. There is the Bill “Bojangles” Robinson monument in Jackson Ward. The Altria Theater is the city owned opera house. The Leslie Cheek Theater reopened in 2011. Richmond’s music venue is found at the National Theater. The Visual Arts Center of Richmond has one of the largest nongovernmental arts learning centers in the state of Virginia. It was created in 1963 and serves 28,000 people annually. In downtown Richmond, there is the Virginia Commonwealth University including its schools of the arts (that is ranked as one of the best in the nation). Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and Monroe Park has enriched the lives of many people. The Arthur Ashe Athletic Center is a multi-purpose area named after Richmond resident and tennis great Arthur Ashe. It hosts sporting events, concerts, and other activities. The Richmond Raceway hosts many car races for years. The Diamond is a baseball stadium found on Arthur Ashe Boulevard in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond, Virginia is a great city with a lot of culture. It has great powerful influence in the development of how our world society operates.

Conclusion

It has been a long journey to discover more of my family tree. Not too long ago, I didn’t know that much information about my family tree beyond my great-grandparents. With new resources, DNA technology, and other assistance, I have witnessed an explosion of facts of my relatives in this time. When I found out about Zilphy Claud, I didn’t knew how she was related to me. After some time during the summer of 2018, I found out that she was my maternal 5th great grandmother. Zilphy Claud’s parents were A. Blunt and F. Blunt.  She was a brave woman who was born a slave and lived to see freedom after the American Civil War. She lived form 1820-1893. I am a direct descendant of Zilphy’s daughter named Sarah Claud (1842-1892). As for my paternal side, my 4th great grandfather was a man named James. He lived in North Carolina. He married a woman named Edney. Later, their children and grandchildren would be my ancestors. They lived in Halifax County, North Carolina or at Scotland Neck.

As time went on, my paternal ancestors traveled from North Carolina into Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York State. Many of my relatives are descended from my ancestor George Perkins too. I am related to the Peeples' family. George Franklin Shears III is my 3rd cousin. His parents are George Franklin Shears Jr. (born in 1943) and Bernetta Alberta Shears (born in 1950). George Franklin Shears Jr.'s parents are George Franklin Shears and Beulah Lee Shears (1923-2003). Beualah Lee Shears was a great woman (whose children are: Eugenia Williams [1915-1992)], Paul Alexander Williams [1917-2000], Charles H. Williams [born 1920], John B. Williams [born 1922], Beulah Lee Shears [1923-2003], and Lacountis Williams [born in 1928]). She was born on August 16, 1923 at Southampton County, Virginia. Her parents were John Burl Williams (1874-1946) and Ellen Peeples Williams (1889-1940). Ellen Peeples is my 2nd great aunt. Her parents are Charles Peeples (1855-1922) and Fannie Fronianna Susanna Virginia Brown (1857-1946). Charles and Fannie Peeples are my 2nd great grandparents.  The adventure is just getting started. I’m learning new information constantly about our distant cousins today. It’s an exciting time in my life, and I will always believe in justice.



By Timothy