Reflections.

 

On this time of the year, we acknowledge the history of a person who changed the world forever. Yeshua was born in Bethlehem in Israel. Back then, Israel was occupied by the Roman Empire's imperialistic forces. The Roman Empire has grown through war, pillage, murder, and corruption (after the Roman Republic ended). The oppressed in Israel and in other parts of the Middle East had to pay Rome tribute by taxes. Religious liberties were heavily regulated, and resistance to that oppression was abundant. There were political groups in Israel like the Zealots who wanted justice. Also, theological debates were abundant as found in the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Joseph and Mary raised Yeshua. So, Yeshua lived in a time of massive change. Augustus was the Roman Emperor, and the Edomite Herod Antipas worked to murder John the Baptist because of his spiritual messages. Yeshua's existence is confirmed by the New Testament, Josephus, Tacitus, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Thallus, Mara bar Searpion, even the Talmud, and other sources of importance. Yeshua not only healed people, but he gave parables and profound statements endorsing the separation of church and state, compassion for the poor, and that the Kingdom of God is within you. 

In other words, God gives people the power to do great and righteous things via sincerity. Yeshua always talked with the rejected, the poor, the outcast, and other people suffering with a sense of glorious empathy and compassion. His inspirational words are always known by us. Materialism by rejected by him as he sent the money changers out of the Temple and rejected arrogance. His words of wisdom spread fast. In less than 400 years after his death and resurrection, the gospel spread into Asia, Africa, Europe, etc. At a young age, Yeshua taught people in the Temple. He was a prophet who predicted the destruction of the Second Temple years before it happened (in 70 AD). He helped to save the life of a woman about to be stoned. Yeshua did more revolutionary actions like healing someone on the Sabbath and inspiring his apostles to use more peaceful methods in creating solutions. His message (of helping your neighbor, loving family, and growing spiritually) is relevant today with war in Ukraine, the rights of various people being violated worldwide, health disparities, environmental issues, the issues of racism, etc.  The Son of the living God sacrificed his life for us. That courage was also shown by the early Christians who suffered lions and death in the Roman Colosseum along with massive persecutions against Christians in many places of the world. After the Son of God's death and resurrection, the world has gone through massive social, cultural, and technological changes over almost 2,000 years later (from the advance of smartphones to Zoom communication). We have to be clear that we love our faith, but we won't use our faith as an excuse to advance persecution, oppression, and evil bigotry against human beings. Justice for everybody is what we stand for.

Happy Holidays.

 

Being 39 years old is a blessing. In life, you constantly learn new information in a stark fashion. That is why after many years of studying my family tree, I constantly discover new facts about where I come from and the human beings to whom I'm related too. I have shared information about where I came from with many people, both relatives and non-relatives alike. Diversity is a key part of family too. Families are diverse in political views, ages, backgrounds, birthplaces, and other avenues. Yet, we are similar in that we are from the same family, we are all humans, and we all love truth and justice. Recently, I learned about the Navy's first black yeowomen called the Golden Fourteen. These black women were the first black yeowomen to serve in the U.S. Navy which occurred during World War One. Their story has been written by Kelly Miller. One of the people in the Navy were Armelda H. Greene (who enlisted on August 13, 1918), Kathryn Eugenia Boyd (nee Fench), Pocohontas A. Jackson, Fannie A. Foote, Ruth Davis, Olga F. Jones, Sarah Davis, Sarah E. Howard, Marie E. Mitchell, Anna G. Smallwood, Maud C. Williams, Carol E. Washington, Josei B. Washington, and Inez B. McIntosh. My family tree is made up of doctors, educators, military veterans, a fighter in Normandy during WWII, activists, even some celebrities, and other heroic individuals. I have seen a lot of things in my life, and I will continue to see more life in the years and decades in the future, God willing. People learn that life has a purpose. We are more than atoms and molecules. We have intrinsic value, we have intellectual strength, we have emotions, and we have a soul in my opinion. Finding that purpose basically is about following what is right and desiring the joy and happiness that we all seek. We reject bigotry and oppression as these two nefarious evils are antithetical to truth and common sense. We realize how far we have to go when affirmative action, voting rights, and other human rights are threatened. Yet, hope is in the Universe when tons of young people (who are much younger than me) including older folks are sacrificing their time and efforts to help the poor, stand up for the oppressed, and seek solutions in a complex world. 

 

Life can be very exciting. Over the course of a long time, I have learned so much about health and exercise. Yet, we have to expose those who exploit the truth about the benefits of healthy living as an excuse for them to bash body positivity. These haters promote the lie that body positivity is about naivete. No, body positivity is about treating a human being with dignity and respect, regardless of a person's size. You can promote healthy eating, exercise, and positive health culture without dehumanizing plus sized people. That point should always be made clear. Many of these types of haters also got Lizzo's name in their mouths. Lizzo is minding her business, and folks should learn the facts. The fact is that BMI is a myth and the percentage of body fat has nothing to do with BMI. There is article cited on NPR entitled, "Top 10 Reasons Why the FMI is Bogus" on July 4, 2009. He (or the author of the article) wrote the truth that the founder of BMI, who is the Beglian man Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelt, said that it should not be used to include the level of fat percentage in a person. There is no scientific or mathematical evidence to square a person's height involving BMI data. BMI is physiologically wrong as it takes no consideration in relative proportions of bone, muscle, and fat in the body. That is why athletes and other fitness people have a high BMI, because they strong bones and strong muscle tone with low fat. Christian Nordqvist in the article of "Why BMI is inaccurate and misleading" on January 19, 2022 cites the same thing about how BMI is fraudulent. This doesn't mean that we should reject taking our health seriously. We should eat healthy, exercise, and maintain healthy living. Yet, health is not about forcing people to look the same in an monolithic fashion. Health culture is about improving our mind, body, and souls to be content with our diverse humanities, out of a sincere motivation to live a fuller life without body shaming. That point should be emphasized completely. Also, many of the same ones who body sham women and men are some of the same ones who refuse to address food deserts, poverty, economic inequality, racism, discrimination, and other evils that contribute to health complications in the world in the first place. The haters of body positivity reject facts and human decency. They just want to talk hate. On the other hand, we believe in talking about solutions in fighting food deserts in poorer communities, addressing poverty, promoting healthy foods, advancing exercising, and living our lives to uplift human beings, regardless of their background or size. That's us. 

 

I found out that Venisha Deanna Rodgers Doran is my 5th cousin as we share the same ancestor of Zilphy Claud. She married James Melvin Doran Sr. on August 23, 1991 at Portsmouth, Virginia. Her parents are Johnny Nathaniel Whitehead and Gloria Lavern Rodgers (1956-1996). Johnny Nathaniel Whitehead's parents are Johnnie Odie Whitehead Junior (1928-2006) and Lula Queen Britt (1927-2015). Johnnie's parents are Johnnie Odie Whitehead (1893-1942) and Ella M. Joyner (b. 1892). My 3rd cousin's Johnnie Odie Whitehead's parents are James L. Whitehead (b. 1857) and Lula Claud (1869-1928). Lula Claud's parents were George Washington Claud (1849-1923) and Martha Velvin-Furgerson (b. 1830). George Washington Claud's mother was Zilphy Claud (1820-1893). 

There are many distant cousins that I didn't know about until late December 2022. This is the research that I have found. I am related to many members of the Branch family and the Pierce family. Here is the story. As many know, my 5th great grandmother Ziply Claud (1820-1893) was a former slave in Southampton County, Virginia. One of her daughters was my 4th great grandaunt named Lydia Claud (b. 1842). She married Willis Sykes in 1867 in Virginia. Later, they had many children who were Philip Sykes (b. 1861), James Sykes (b. 1865), Percy H. Sykes (1872-1948), Mattie Sue Sykes (1874-1942), Louisa A. Sykes (1876-1955), Jennie (Virginia) Sykes (b. 1880), Willie Corean Sykes (1881-1949), Mobie Lee Sykes (1886-1932), and Walter Sykes. My first cousin Mattie Sue Sykes married George Washington Branch (1864-1963) on January 18, 1893 at Southampton County, Virginia. Their children were Raymond Herbert Branch (1894-1973), Marvin George Branch (1895-1982), Mark C. Branch Sr. (1896-1953), Iolia Helen Branch (1900-1971), Alphonso Lee Branch (1901-1996), Willie Clayton Branch (1903-1965), Otis Maryland Branch (1906-1986), James Percell Branch (1909-1996), Jasper Branch, Walter Branch, and Philip Branch. My 2nd cousin Marvin George Branch married Junie D. Copeland (b. 1905) on July 5, 1923 at Virginia. Their daughter was Eleanor L. Branch (1925-2013). My late 3rd cousin Eleanor L. Branch married William H. Pierce (b. 1924). Their children are Caroline Pierce (b. 1944), Paulette Pierce Harris (b. 1945), Howard William Pierce (1947-2007), Harold H. Pierce (1947-1995), and Joyce Pierce (b. 1948). My 4th cousin Harold H. Pierce married Laura Vascones in 1972 at Manhattan, New York City. Their children are my 5th cousins who are: Timothy Howard Pierce Vascones (b. 1970), Caesar Wayne Pierce (b. 1972), and Hilda Laura Pierce Felix (b. 1978). Laura Vascones Pierce's parents are WWII veteran Alberto Vascones (1926-2017) and Tomasa Trinidad Gonzalez. Alberto Vascones came from Puerto Rico. Now you know the truth.

Teresa Lorraine Hicks (b. 1976) is my 4th cousin, and we share the same ancestor of my 4th great grandparents Morefield Hurst Turner (1827-1918) and Miley Woodson Bozeman (1830-1910). My 4th great grandparents' daughter was Josephine T. Hurst (1868-1929), who was my 3rd great-grandaunt. Josephine T. Hurst married Kenneth Sykes on December 5, 1888 at Southampton County, Virginia. Their daughter was Annie Bell Sykes (1892-1987). She married John Stanley Everett (b. 1892). They had many children who were: James Madison Everett (1918-1981), Ethel Lee Everett Goodwin (1919-2007), Joe Anderson Everett (1921-2000), Georganna Everett (b. 1922), Thelma Laurene Everett (b. 1924), Timothy Everett (1925-2015), Theodore Everett (1926-2012), Dorothy Louise Everett (b. 1929), Inez Ruby Everett Midley (1930-2016), Lucy Everett (b. 1932), and Christine Elizabeth Everett Garrison (1933-2006). Thelma Laurence Everett married Ralph R. Hicks Sr. (1923-1988) on January 18, 1949 at Suffolk, Virginia. Their children are Ralph Roosevelt Hicks Jr. (1949-1971), Dwight Darnell Hicks (b. 1950), and Anita Laurine Hick (b. 1953). These are my 3rd cousins. Dwight Hicks lived in many places like New Mexico. He married Kayong Hae Hicks (b. 1952), and their child is Teresa Lorraine Hicks (b. 1976). Teresa Lorraine Hicks is a very accomplished person. Her hometown is Las Cruces, New Mexico, and she lives in Camp Springs, Maryland. She graduated from Las Cruces High School at Las Cruces, New Mexico in May 1995. Teresa Hicks is an MPA and is a survey statistician at the U.S. Census Bureau. MPA stands for Master of Public Administration. She earned her New Mexico State University B.A. in sociology. She was in the NMSU Pride Marching Band and won the Distinguished Black Scholar Award. She has a Townson University of the Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections. She went to the George Washington University School of Business and the Walden University (where she earned her MPA). 

A new year of 2023 is upon us. The previous year of 2022 is the fastest year that I have ever experienced in my life. It has been a year filled with successes like progressive laws being passed and setbacks like the U.S. Supreme Court promoting some of the most reactionary, nefarious decisions in a generation. The Ukraine war is one of the major international events of 2022. This started in February of 2022 when Russia used a preemptive invasion of Ukraine, which is a sovereign nation. Proponents of the Russian invasion of Ukraine unjustly talk about NATO. NATO is not perfect, but 2 wrongs don't make a right. It is wrong for Russia to target hospitals, apartment buildings, and other civilian locations in Ukraine. It is wrong for Russian governmental forces to lock up innocent Russian protesters in Russia. It is unjust for Russia to commit overt war crimes in Ukraine, including destroying electrical services in Ukraine. That is why we have to stand up and speak for Ukraine to be a democratic, independent nation. In the United States of America, many of us saw the coldest temperatures of our lives in late December 2022. The December winter storms caused the deaths of at least 26 people with thousands of people lacking power. In Buffalo, New York alone, there was 43 inches of now fell on Christmas morning. Where I was from (in Virginia), it was 14 degrees on Christmas Eve morning with a wind chill if 3 degrees. Donald Trump has been thoroughly exposed and could face charges in 2023 for his treasonous attempted coup d'etat against the American government, but some want to underestimate Ron DeSantis. No one should underestimate him as DeSantis is just as bigoted as Trump is. The difference is that Ron DeSantis is more slick and sophisticated. He exploits social issues as an excuse to bash progressive policies. Trump is a notorious racist, sexist, and xenophobe. He had a Mar A Lago dinner with the anti-Semite Kanye West and the white racist Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes. Trump didn't apologize for this meeting at all. Kanye has praised Hitler, and many people don't know that according to Trump's ex-wife Ivana Trump that Donald Trump had collection of Hitler's speeches in his bed side table in the 1980's. Trump asked his chief of Staff John Kelly why the U.S. military brass didn't have total obedience to him like the German generals under the Third Reich. At the end of the day, there is no other solution but a reconstruction of society, a radical redistribution of wealth, and a revolutionary change in society to make sure that justice for all is made for a reality. 

By Timothy