The campus wasn’t as busy as it usually was at this time of the year.  It seemed even the air was still.  It had been like that ever since those students got thrown out of the bowling alley Samuel Hampton thought to himself.  He was sitting alone in his dorm room blankly staring out of his window, watching the dance of the occasional piece of paper that was helplessly caught in the grip of the cold winter wind.  His solitude was broken by the sound of footsteps coming down the hall.  His heart tightens up as the steps got closer.  “I can’t believe I got myself into this mess”, he remarked to himself.  “All I had to do was finish school and stay out of trouble.”  The footsteps got close then passed his room and Samuel instantly relaxed.  As he continued his gaze out of the window he realized that in his heart he really didn’t want to get involved.  Maybe, he thought, if they come to the door I won’t answer.  I will just stay quiet and pretend I am not here.  At that moment he heard a voice in his head that reminded him of his father.  “No matter what the consequence, you always do what is right for you and the people around you.”  Deep in thought he almost didn’t hear the new sounds in the hall.  He noticed them just in time to see the shadow of someone’s feet under the door, followed by the knock that filled Samuels’s heart with wrenching dread.   With a heavy heart, and no hesitation, Samuel grabbed his coat and started for the door.  As he reached for the door knob he said a quick prayer and promised his mother he would be careful.  On the other side of the door he was greeted by Joseph Riley.  Joseph was a large young man but he also carried an air about him that, together with his height, made him seem over twelve feet tall.  He had the type of personality that would make even his worst enemy consider calling off the feud. Samuel couldn’t think of one reason why someone wouldn’t like him.
“So are you ready to go or what?”  Joseph asked in his usual cheerful manner.
Samuel looked up at him and asked “How could you be so damn happy at a time like this.”  Walking towards the stairs he responds in his usual light hearted way of speaking.
“Doing good things make me feel good.”
As they walked out of the dorm the cold late afternoon air hits Samuel and causes him to shutter and wish for warmer days.  When they get around to the front of the building Samuel could see streams of people heading towards the administration building.  He couldn’t believe how many people showed up, which made the choice he made to attended not such a bad idea.
“I told you, you would have been the only person left on campus if you had stayed.” Joseph told Samuel.
“Speaking of staying behind, where is Lee I figured he would have been already with you?”  Samuel inquired.
“You know this kind of stuff is right up his alley.  He told me he would meet us down here.   Supposedly he knows the guy that organized this whole thing.”  Joseph replied.
As they approached the admin building Samuel got his first glimpse of how large the rally was going to be, the sheer volume of the early crowd participants already exceeded his expectations.  Looking at the faces in the crowd Samuel noticed that no one was smiling.  Well, except for Joseph as usual.  Just then Joseph taps Samuel on his shoulder and directs his gaze towards the stairs of the administration building and right there in the mix of things is Lee.  As the pair wade through the sea of people towards the stairs Samuel can’t help but to think this might have been a bad idea knowing Lee’s mantra of “By Any Means Necessary.”  Lee McPherson was from California and had come to South Carolina to become a teacher.  After seeing the extreme measures that the laws and the people take to keep blacks subservient, his true nature bubbled to the surface.  He was the most militant student on campus, as far as Samuel knew.  He was ready to lay down his life in defense of black power.
“Hey my brothers I’m glad you could make it,” Lee says as he heads down the stairs to greet his friends.
Joseph with the same smile he had on his face when he picked up Samuel greets Lee.  “Hey man, I told you Samuel would support a good cause.”
“Well, I always knew old Samuel had it in him.”  Lee says as he moves down the stairs to shake Samuels’s hand.
“Hey Lee, this is a non-violent rally right?”  Samuel says in a joking tone of voice.
“Self defense isn’t violence, its natural Samuel.”  Lee reminds him.  “Look, I have to get some more things together before we get started tonight.  Get yourself a good spot and I will find you when I get done.”  Lee starts walking back up the stairs; he stops abruptly then turns around and asks Joseph.  “You told him who was speaking tonight didn’t you?”
“Not yet.”  Lee chuckles then turns around and continues up the stairs.  Joseph turns to Samuel with a sly smile on his face and says, “I didn’t want to tell you because I was afraid you wouldn’t have came out tonight, and you know we need all hands on deck.”  Samuel shot back a look of annoyance.
“I knew I should have asked you before I came out with you.  Who is it?”
“Your favorite orator,” Joseph says.  “Allen Moor.”
At the same time he said this he maintained a sly smile, as if to convey an apology.  Samuel didn’t react after hearing the news.  He just looked for a good place in front of the podium to stand for the rally.  Allen Moor was the fiery speaker.  He was also one who believed “By Any Means Necessary.”  I’m already here, Samuel thought to himself as he prepared his self for whatever to come.
About ten minutes after, Samuel and Joseph found their spot.  A tall and beautiful woman approached the podium and started speaking of the events at the bowling alley.  She talked at some length about the main street business’s right outside the campus being open to the black students, all except for the bowling alley. There was really no other form of entertainment in walking distance.  Being black students, they didn’t have access to disposable income to get a cab or the bus.  By Jim Crow laws being in effect at this time, it wasn’t safe to walk through the town.  It was like giving the towns people a reason to have a picnic.  Even with the serious nature of the things she was talking about, Samuel could not help but to be in a trance.  He was enveloped by the intoxicating sound of her voice.  His thoughts were being held captive by the fire and passion deep with in her eyes.  Samuel knew right then he had to meet her so he decided he’d better listen to her speech.  When she finished her last word the crowd around Samuel and Joseph erupted in a torrent of cheers and whistles.  Samuel had agreed with the things she had talked about.  He looked over at Joseph and saw that he was also in agreement with the statements.  Samuel wondered if he could get Lee’s attention right now so he could get up the stairs next to such an outright beauty.
There were a two more speakers before Allen Moor spoke.  To the surprise of Samuel, it wasn’t as political as Samuel thought it was going to be.  Mainly he was organizing an immediate boycott of the bowling alley.  He also stressed the fact that there would be no acts of violence by any of the students.  They just wanted to bring attention to the fact there is nothing separate but equal about not being able to bowl at the only bowling alley in town.  The conclusion of Allen Moor’s speech brought about another round of earsplitting cheers.
Amidst the jubilation of the moment, Samuel turns to Joseph and tells him “Let’s go and find Lee.”  Joseph loses his smile when hearing this, which prompts Samuel to ask, “What’s wrong with you?”
“You know Lee is going to the boycott don’t you?”  Joseph asks.
“Yes I know,” Samuel responds, trying not to reveal his real agenda.   “Did you ever stop and think I want to do my part in all this or maybe I want to go bowling one of these days?”
“First of all you didn’t even want to come,” Joseph says in an investigative tone.  “And now you want to go to the boycott.  What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing,” said Samuel.   “I just agreed with what was said and it’s the right thing to do.”
“What’s the right thing to do?”  Joseph chimed in.   “Go to the boycott or talk to that girl?  I saw you looking at her while she was speaking.  Go ahead and do your thing, don’t let me stop you.”
They slowly made their way through the crowd heading towards the front of the mass of people, which was moving off campus to the bowling alley.  As they got closer to the front of the crowd Samuel saw her, he couldn’t help but to think to himself how she got prettier as he got closer to her.  He was almost close enough to talk to her when he heard his name being called.  He looked up to see Lee making his way towards him.
“As I live and breathe, Samuel.  I figured the rally would have been all you wanted to handle for one day.”  Lee exclaims.
Before Samuel could get a chance to answer Lee, Joseph answered for him.  “He wanted to get a chance to talk to the lovely lady he can’t take his eyes off of.”
“You must be talking about Savannah.  He better be up on his civil rights movement because she is a die hard supporter.”
Upon hearing this Samuel was off.  All he really needed to know was her name.  Samuel approached her and introduced his self with a little joke.  She laughed a little and Samuel couldn’t believe how musical her laugh was. They talked for the rest of the walk to the bowling alley forgetting about the cold and the crowd they strolled along getting to know each other.  By the time they got to the bowling alley Samuel almost forgot why he was there.  As they started singing protest songs the owner came out.
“Now I don’t want no trouble so just get off my land and I won’t have to call the sheriff.”
Allen Moor walked right up to the manager and tells him, “We have every right to a peaceful protest.  We will be happy to leave.  All you have to do is allow these students access to your establishment.”
Hearing this upset the owner of the Bowling alley.  At the top of his lungs the alley owner screamed “I don’t care what kind of book learning you got boy, ya’ll are still a bunch of niggers and I don’t cater to niggers.”
Members of the student contingent heard this and responded with words just as malicious.  It appeared to Samuel that things were going to get out of control but he wasn’t concerned about his safety.  He was more concerned with his new friend Savannah.  Before things got out of hand Allen Moor with the help of others reminded the students why they were there.  After a few more minutes of a verbal tirade the owner walks back into the bowling alley and calls the sheriff.  The sheriff arrives at the bowling alley with the available deputies.  When the owner of the bowling sees the sheriff arrive he comes back outside more livid then before.  He walks over to the sheriff and they talk a little while.  At this moment Samuel starts to feel the dread creep into his heart.  The sheriff walks over to his car with the other deputies and talk amongst themselves.  Samuel watches as one of the deputies walk to the back of the car.  Samuels’s heart starts racing.  His flight or fight response is going to make him explode.  Being from the south he knows what comes next:  the shotguns.  He didn’t want to be any part of that.  He grabs Joseph by the shoulder and tells him “I think we should leave before something goes wrong.”  Joseph smiled at Samuel and Samuel knew right then that Joseph didn’t want to leave.
“Samuel.” Joseph said with a smile on his face “I am going to stay until justice is served.”
“The only thing that is going to happen is someone is going to get killed and it won’t even make the paper.”
Joseph looked at Samuel without the smile and said, “I am going to stay.  You can go back if you want but my place is here.”
There was no talking Joseph out of his decision Samuel thought.  As Samuel was assessing the situation he saw the deputy that went to the trunk of the car and he didn’t have a shotgun, he had a bullhorn.  The deputy handed the bullhorn to the sheriff.
“Alright,” he says in his best authoritative voice “you kids break this up and I won’t have to call the state troopers out here.”
Samuel breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that there was a possibility of a peaceful resolution.  His jubilation didn’t last long when he saw Allen Moor standing on top of a car addressing the students.
“This is a peaceful demonstration and we have a right to be here to bring attention to a matter that could be solved by merely allowing us access to the bowling lanes.  This boycott will not end until a solution favorable to our demands is met or agreed to be discussed.  Anyone who is not willing to take a stand may return to the campus with no fear of reprimand.” He the

n turns his attention towards the sheriff.  “We are not leaving until our demands are willing to at least be discussed.”
As Allen got down off the car Samuel took the chance to observe the crowd to see how many people were heading back and to his astonishment no one was going anywhere.  “You should go back to the campus.”  Joseph told Samuel while putting his hand on his shoulder.  “I won’t tell anyone that you left.”
“If you leave now,” Lee says walking into the conversation, “You will be the only one going back.  It’s like this Samuel, it’s not about whether you want to bowl or not.  What it’s about is equality.  There are black soldiers dying in war right know as we speak.  They are over there giving their lives for others to be free and you won’t even stand up with them so if they wanted to bring their family to this bowling alley they can get in.  I mean, it’s up to you but if not for them, do it for yourself and your kids and your kids’ kids.  Do it because it’s the right thing to do.”
Lee walked away leaving Samuel with his thoughts.  Only after a few moments of quiet deliberation Samuel decides to stay. He looked up at Joseph to tell him but it was like Joseph had read his mind because he had that sly smile back on his face.
“I knew you would do the right thing.” He said like a proud parent watching his child mature right in front of his very eyes.
Over Samuel’s shoulder Joseph sees Savannah walking towards the two of them.  “Listen Samuel I am going to find Lee because you are about to have your hands full.”
Samuel stood with a confused look on his face until he turned around and seen Savannah.  “I didn’t mean to run your friend off.” She says while giving him a hug.
“That’s ok; I would rather talk to you then him any day.”
As they talked, the sheriff called for back up.  He called the State Police chief who in turned sent troopers and also called the commander of the South Carolina National Guard who sent a company of men along with tanks and armored personal carriers.  The boycott was in full swing around Samuel and Savannah but they hardly noticed.  Samuel fell for her and the more she talked the harder he fell.  Samuel wondered what she thought about him.  She was only talking to him so it had to be good.  He wanted to see her again but how and when should he tell her.  Samuel pondered this thought for a few minutes and decided to wait until the rally was over to ask her.  Samuel basked in the warm glow of her aura as if he was on an island paradise where the sound of her voice was carried in on every crashing wave while the rays of the sun warmed everything, included his heart.  Savannah looked deep into Samuels’s eyes and knew at that moment this is the man she was going to marry.  She didn’t want to come right out and say it; she didn’t want to scare him off.
Before she could say anything they heard a terrible noise.  They immediately looked up to see if anyone heard it.  Everyone heard it, and it was getting closer.  The steady sound of large vehicles approaching, accompanied by the loud consistent squeak of metal gears.  The crowd starts to get restless, and then out of the bowling alley comes the sheriff and the owner.  Samuel looks at Savannah and sees the fear in her eyes.  He reaches down and grasps her hand and gives it a slight squeeze.  Savannah appreciated the gesture and gave his hand a slight squeeze back.  At that moment Samuel could see the headlights of the vehicle making the dreaded noise.  But there was a new sound in the air, worse than the troop carriers that now blocked off the streets.  It was the sound of boots on the ground.  Samuel started scanning the crowd for his friends but it was dark now and hard to see the faces of the people in the crowd.   He was squeezing Savannah’s hand harder now.  Savannah noticed and whispered in his ear “Everything is going to be fine. Your friends will come to your dorm room to get you.”
Samuel looked at her and smiled “I know you are right,” he replied.
Breaking in to their conversation was the voice of the sheriff over the bullhorn.  “This is an illegal assembly and you must leave the area or be forced to leave, it’s your choice people.”
That’s when Samuel saw them for the first time in his life.  The state troopers all dressed up in their riot gear.  They were lined up parallel to the armored personnel carriers and stepped in unison towards the students.  The mass of people didn’t budge except for a couple of people on the fringe.  Samuel and Savannah stood their ground because by this time Samuel was strong in his decision to stand up for his and the basic human rights of others like him.  In the moments before the troopers met the crowd, it was silent.  The kind of silence that absorbed the sound the tees limbs make in their coordinated rustle in the wind.
The stillness was broken by a blood curdling scream.  The scream that triggered the flight or fight response in students was emitted by a student.  He was struck by a baton being wielded by a rather large state trooper.  This single action started several minutes of maddening violence.  The dynamics of the group of students changed and not for the better.  It was a mad scramble to run away from the unwarranted and brutal violence that was taking place.
Still holding Savannah’s hand, Samuel turned and started to run.  He helped Savannah get in front of him so he would be between her and the atrocious acts that were taking place behind them.  As they are running Samuel steps on the back of Savannah’s shoe which causes her to trip. Samuel catches her before she hits the ground and manages to pull her out of the heart of the crowd to the side of a building.
“Sorry about that.” Samuel said as she put her shoe back on.
As she rose, they locked eyes in a space and time only meant for the two of them.  They were abruptly brought back into reality by the relentless sound of wooden batons striking the human body.  From around the back of the building came members of the National Guard.  Samuel grabbed Savannah and they continued to run.  Samuel started to notice that it wasn’t only  the bowling alley parking lot cleared,  it was the streets.  They were being herded by the Police and the National Guard back to the campus.  Street after street they passed only confirmed what Samuel thought.  Before they knew it they were right back on campus.
Samuel and Savannah walked hand in hand to Samuel’s dorm room to wait and make sure Joseph and Lee were alright.  On the way Samuel and Savannah talked in between Samuel stopping the occasional passer bys to ask about the names of the people who were injured.  Hearing no information about his friends, they continued to his room.  Once they got to his room they got to know each other and realized they had a lot in common.  Samuel just couldn’t help it he had to know if she was into him.  “Savannah I want to keep seeing you.”
Savannah smiled and got off the bed and moved by the window to be close to Samuel.  “You’re seeing me now.” She replied.
“No I mean… “
She interrupted him “I know what you mean, I was waiting on you to ask me.  I thought I was going to have to do it myself.”
Samuel was the happiest he has been in his entire life.  Being so close to her made him forget the terrible things that they just witnessed.  So into each other they didn’t notice the stream towards the front of the campus.  As Samuel leaned in to kiss her the door flew open and in came Joseph.
“Hey Samuel what happened to you?  Ran like everyone else.  I am glad to see you are all right. “  “Excuse my manners Samuel, I’m glad you two didn’t get hurt.”
“What about Lee?”  Samuel inquired.
“He’s fine, right now he is organizing a bon fire right at the edge of campus right in front of the state troopers.  You two are coming right?”
Savannah answered for the both of them “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”  She looked at Samuel and in her sexiest tone she said “We have the rest of our lives to kiss.”
Samuel laughed and put his coat back on and they headed out to the bon fire.  When they got to the front of the campus Samuel couldn’t believe how big the fire was, and right off campus in plain site were the state troopers.  When they caught up with Lee, Samuel asked “Why are the police still here?”
“They said to keep us from leaving campus.”  Lee told him.
“They can’t do that.” Savannah chimed in.  “There is no reason to keep us on this campus, this is still America.”
Savannah started walking towards the police who were in the street near the campus.  This attracted the attention of some of the attendees of the bon fire rally.  Samuel, Joseph, and Lee followed Savannah along with, from what Samuel could tell, forty people.  When the troopers saw them start to gather they took up a defensive line along a small hill with shotguns and semi automatic rifles locked and loaded, trained on the gathering crowd.  Although they went down, none of the forty members of the group attempted to leave the campus. The bon fire raged on behind them as they talked and some of the students hurled insults at the police but they held their ground.  Samuel and Savannah were immersed in conversation.
Joseph came over, “Samuel, can I talk to you for a second.” He said in a matter of fact kind of tone that surprised Samuel.
“I’ll be right back,” Samuel tells Savannah.
Samuel and Joseph walked a few feet from Savannah and Joseph immediately started talking.  “Look, you can’t use the struggle of our people to get a girl.”
Samuel felt a slight bit of anger at hearing this “What do you think I am out here doing?”
“It just wouldn’t be fair for the movement or to her if you lie about who you are.”
“Joseph listen I will admit that when I first started I was just going to stay to talk to her, but we started talking about life and our position in it and what we deserve as citizens.  I want to be on the long list of names of people who gave of themselves for freedom.  And you know.”
“No I don’t, why don’t you tell me.”  Joseph said with that famous smile creeping back onto his face.  The smile was infectious because Samuel couldn’t help but to smile also.
“I like her.  I feel as if I have known her for years. I think this might be my first and last love.”
“So it’s like that is it, love at first sight.  Nothing wrong with that, so excuse me for my assumption earlier, I meant nothing by it.”  Joseph said apologetically.
As they turned to walk back up to where Savannah was, they noticed in the distance the red lights of an emergency vehicle.  Samuel thought, “What could be going on now?”  As he stood beside Savannah he pointed it out to her.
“Take care of my boy he’s a nice guy.” Joseph said as he walked pass the two of them.
Savannah looks at Samuel and asks “What’s that about?”
Samuel with a straight face tells her “I told him how I felt about you.”
“What did you tell him?” she inquired.
“I told him the truth.”
“Which is what?”
“That I have fallen for you.”
Upon hearing this Savannah, smiled and leaned in and kissed Samuel passionately, but only long enough to leave Samuel wanting more.  By this time the campus had the red flashing lights of a fire truck reflecting off the windows of the many buildings. As the firemen waited, the state police created a secure area around the bon fire.  Once this was done the firemen got out of the truck and put out the bon fire.  Where the police thought that this would send a signal to the students that it was over, this had the exact opposite affect.  It enraged the students and a lot more moved down toward the street where Samuel and Savannah was standing.  It was dark now that the fire was out.  The police holding the line couldn’t see the students as well as they had been.  They could, however, tell that the crowd had gotten larger and more agitated.  The insults were flying a lot faster now.
Savannah looked at Samuel with a look of concern “Maybe we should leave because the only thing that is going to happen now is they are going to put back on the riot gear and come through here swinging.”
At first Samuel didn’t want to leave.  He had convinced him self that he was in it for the cause and he wanted to see this through to the end.  After seeing the worry on Savannah’s face he decided not to say anything to her about staying, he only wanted to make her happy.  “Let me tell Joseph we are leaving and that I think he should do the same.”
As they were walking  toward Joseph Samuel saw what looked like a glass bottle flying over his head with a trajectory that will drop it right on the state police defense line.  Before Samuel could let anyone know what was about to happen he fell to the ground.  Samuel lay on his stomach on the ground.  When he first realized where he was he noticed he couldn’t hear.  His hearing was starting to come back when he saw another students lower back just explode and there was blood everywhere.  Gunshots filled Samuels’s ears.  There was a searing pain in his side and he had a sensation of warm liquid running down his side. I have been shot Samuel said to himself.  The pain was unbearable, and then through all of the chaos going on around him Samuel heard a familiar voice.  It was Lee “Don’t worry Samuel I got you.”  As soon as Lee moved Samuel the pain was too much and he passed out.
Samuel woke up the next morning in considerable pain.  He looked around the room he was in and realized he was in a hospital.  He tried to sit up but the pain of his gun shot wound prevented this from happening.  As he settled back in his bed he noticed a newspaper beside his bed. He picked it up and read the head line “POLICE KILL FOUR NEGROS WHILE PROTECTING PRIVATE PROPERTY IN AN OVERNIGHT RIOT” Samuel didn’t want to read the details he only wanted to know who had been murdered.  When he found the list his heart sank and then broke.  In one night he lost his best friend and the love of his life, he couldn’t believe it.  Before Samuel allowed his self to cry, he made a promise to his self to keep fighting until every man regardless of race would be truly equal.

When I was a child way back before the on set of the plague of television, for entertainment we used to listen to our elders tell stories of our past. In our present day and time technology has become so great as to render the art of story telling dead in its original form.  My grandfather was one of the greatest story tellers I had ever heard.  One of my favorite stories he would tell is one about how my family came to be in this country.  I am going to tell it as close as I can to the way I heard it, to try and preserve the tradition of story telling.

In the land of our ancestors in West Africa we were a people at war, a war not of our choosing but a war none the less.  We were at odds with a neighboring tribe in the kingdom of Dahomey.  During this war there were many lives lost on both sides.  Many of our people became prisoners of war. Among the people that were held captive was a young warrior prince named Kazoola.  He was sent to try and negotiate a truce between the warring parties.  He was our greatest general and leader.

It was said of him that he would have rivaled the great Hannibal if they were to meet in battle.  He studied in some of the greatest Universities in Spain.  He was a master of three languages Latin, Spanish, and English.  He also brought us many victories on the field of battle.  The king of Dahomey was ruthless as well as smart.  He knew that it would be just a matter of time before Kazoola would fight for his freedom.  If he was able to do this he could become a threat to the king’s imperial power.  The king being the smart man he was knew that he had to get rid of Kazoola.  He didn’t want to kill him, he couldn’t afford for him to become a martyr, or give his subjects a reason to rise up against him.

Kazoola was famous across many lands including his own.  The king received word that there was an American in the area that was interested in buying slaves at fifty U.S. dollars each.  This was the kings chance to get rid of Kazoola once and for all, the king sent for the American.  He showed up a day later, covered with the grime from an arduous over land march to where Kazoola and his kinsmen were being held.

The man that came before the king, to provide transportation for a man to steal the youth of our homeland went by the name of Captain Thomas Foster.  He was a fair and honest man who didn’t believe in the practice of slavery, but couldn’t afford to turn down any job he was offered.  He knew that the slave trade was coming to an end and wanted to secure a little money for him and his family.  He was the captain of a cargo ship by the name of the Coltilda.

The Coltilda had been leased by William Myer.  Now Mr. William Myer was a business man of the worst sort.  He amassed a large fortune dealing in human tragedy and suffering.  He was the largest importer of human beings on the Gulf of Mexico.  One night Mr. Myer was out drinking with Robert Jefferson who owned a large plantation and bought his staff of forced laborers exclusively from William Myer. Robert was complaining about the price of slaves going up due to the fact that the United States Government banned the practice of importing Moors for the purpose of enslavement.

William bragged to his friend that he could still get slaves into the country.  Not believing this, Robert told William that he would give him two hundred dollars for each Moor he got over to the States.  William agreed thus setting in motion the events that would change the face of two continents forever.   This is what led Captain Foster to be in Dahomey buying human cargo.  Kazoola was asleep in his cell when the king entered.  When Kazoola noticed that he was in the room he barley moved a muscle.

The king told him personally that he had been sold into slavery.  This came as a relief to Kazoola because he thought it was going to be the day that he was to be executed.  All of our people including Kazoola were gathered into the prison square were they were shackled to each other and led out of the compound.  It was a dreadful march to the shore.  Those that couldn’t keep up were put to the sword.

This went on for the three days it took to reach were the ship was docked.  Walking up the gang plank to the top deck of the Coltilda Kazoola caught his first glimpse of the ships captain.  Kazoola sized up the ship and its crew, trying to assess the situation.  Wanting to know how long they would be at the dock.  He wanted to know if he could get him and his people off of the ship before it set sail.  Kazoola looked up to see the flag of what country he would be going to if he couldn’t get his people off this vessel.

The captain waited for all of the chattel property to be brought aboard before he directed his crew to place them below decks.  On the way past Captain Foster noticed Kazoola.  He noticed how he didn’t walk like the rest of the enslaved people.  This on walked with his head up he also seemed to be aware of what was going on around him like this wasn’t his first time seeing a ship of this size.

Captain Foster looked into Kazoola eyes and saw the eyes of a man plotting.  It could be murder or it could be escape Foster knew he didn’t want to find out so he told his crew to keep an eye on him.  Kazoola just smiled upon hearing this.  When he got below some people noticed who it was and it sent a surge of energy through crowd, it was as if a cool breeze of hope blew through touching everyone.  As Captain Foster sat in his cabin waiting for the rest of the supplies to be loaded he felt uneasy about this trip.  He didn’t know why, he had made the trip enough that he had every moment committed to memory; he also had an experienced crew.  He decided not to take any chances he would leave as soon as possible.

The first half of the trip went off without any problems.  Kazoola was also pleased about the trip, just the fact that none of his kinsmen died, knowing that these trips usually resulted in the deaths of a lot of people.  When on the deck for the daily exercise Kazoola noticed on the horizon a large storm brewing.  After a few hours the storm was on them.  The waves were the largest Captain Foster had ever seen.  Below decks the captive people prayed and cried softly.

No one trapped in the belly of the ship had any idea of what was going on, they had never been in a storm at sea. It was pitch black and all they could hear were the waves pounding the hull of the ship and the voices of the crew between the roars of thunder.  All aboard was horrified at the thought of the Coltilda going down.  The storm raged as if god himself was mad at the captain and crew of the Coltilda for stealing a people from their land.  For twelve straight hours the storm went on. At one point it got so bad Captain Foster ordered for the slaves to be unchained from each other so they would have a chance to save themselves if the ship went down.  A few moments after they were unchained one of Kazoola’s cousins just couldn’t take it he ran up the stairs leading to the top deck were he was washed over board with members of the Coltilda crew.

When the storm finally broke and the sun came up Captain Foster looked over the Coltilda to see how bad the damage was.  It was a sight that he didn’t want to see.  The sail was torn into shreds.  During the chaos of the storm the smaller sail was thrown over board along with other essential supplies because the crew was afraid the ship was going to sink.  With no sail and half of the rations on the sea floor Captain Foster didn’t know how he was going to complete the final leg of his trip to violate the basic human rights of others.

After the Coltilda drifted on the waves unable to propel its self there started to be talk amongst the crew of a mutiny, because the ships crew wanted throw the hostages overboard to lighten the load and try to ride the currents to land.  Captain Foster refused this because he would not sacrifice the lives of the captive people when even in doing so wouldn’t guarantee their survival, it would only guarantee that they wouldn’t get paid.

Upon hearing the talk going around the ship Kazoola knew he had to do something if he and his people were to live. To get a sense of the mood of the crew Foster was walking the ship.  He was really trying to make sure there were no secret meetings going on.  When he got to the cargo hold he heard a sound that he had never heard before.  It was the sound of the English language coming from a man who was thought to be ignorant.  Foster was amazed at how well Kazoola spoke English.  Kazoola explained to Foster who had no idea about the plot against him.

Kazoola knew that the only way for his people to survive was to help the crew survive.  Kazoola also told Foster that he had the means to help fix the sail.  Before Foster accepted the offer of help he asked why he would help them.  Kazoola told him “if you don’t survive we don’t survive.”  Captain Foster pondered the proposal for a minute and then walked off.

He went top side and called the crew for a meeting.  In the meeting he assigned certain tasks to members of the crew.   The assignments were for some of them to arm themselves as they would be on guard duty and others would bring the sail down to the deck.  As the crew broke to take care of their assignments, Captain Foster called a few of his most trusted men back to follow him into the cargo hold.  When he got below decks he told Kazoola, “I hope you can fix it because if you cant I told the men they could lighten the load.”  Kazoola went to the top deck with a few of the women from his tribe.  Kazoola wasn’t worried one bit he knew the quality of his tribes seamstresses.

Once on deck he noticed that some of the crew was missing, they must have died during the storm he also saw the look on the crew’s faces.  It was the look of men ready to give up on life.  In his mind Kazoola knew that when the sail was fixed and the ship was back on course he could win favor with some of the crew for saving their lives.  Kazoola thought to himself while the women worked.  He was hoping that there wouldn’t be any blood shed during his escape, if only he could win over the whole crew.

He laughed to himself for having such a foolish thought because he knew that these men were working and wanted to get paid for their work.  At that moment Kazoola was torn from his thoughts by a crewmen cursing at one of the seamstresses.  Kazoola immediately rushed to her defense.  In doing so he caught the attention of the other guards who rushed behind him.

Before Kazoola could get a word out he received a blow to the back of the head that without hesitation knocked him out cold.  When he came to he was back below deck once again chained to his kinsmen.  He could tell by the motion of the ship that they were back underway which despite his headache gave him a feeling of comfort.  Just knowing that his tribe was going to make it to land meant he still had more time to free them.

The Coltilda had been damaged in a major storm and was low on supplies, Captain Foster knows that he must make port and take on fresh supplies before heading into the Gulf of Mexico with his precious cargo, so he made a command decision to make a stop in Jamaica.  When they reached Jamaica Captain Foster and a few of his crew took a row boat ashore to get supplies.

While in town Captain Foster got word that the authorities were on the lookout for the Coltilda.  They got word of the type of cargo she was brining in.  Foster knew this was a quick way to go straight to jail if they were to get caught, but he needed the money and so did his crew.  Back on board the Coltilda Captain Foster decided to go for it, he was a knowledgeable enough navigator to find an obscure route to Mobile Bay.

Kazoola knew after reaching their final destination a move had to be made he would not go into enslavement quietly.  When they reached Mobile Bay Foster sent his first mate ashore to retrieve William Myer and Robert Jefferson.  Once aboard Captain Foster led them down into the cargo hold where they went through and counted each person.  After receiving his money William told Captain foster to run the Coltilda aground and burn it. Back on the top deck Captain Foster paid his crew and issued his last orders for the crew of the Coltilda.

After running the ship on to a sandbar the captain watched the last crewmen depart the ship and began to make his final rounds.  When he got to the cargo hold Kazoola reached out and grabbed him and looked at him straight into his eyes and told him.  “I helped you to save the lives of your crew now help me save the lives of my people.”  Kazoola slowly raised his arms to show Foster his chains.  Captain Foster without a word dropped the keys and walked off. Kazoola unchained himself and passed the keys so that everyone else could free themselves.  Kazoola ran top side because he knew he had to stop them from lighting the boat on fire.  He ran through the ship as fast as he could, looking for any sign of a fire being started.

The Moors that freed themselves started to make their way to the top deck.  Looking around they saw for the first time the lights of the city of Mobile Alabama.  Kazoola made his way through the crowd that was forming on deck to the captains’ quarters.  He opened the door and sitting behind the desk drinking was Captain Foster.  Kazoola closed the door behind him and walked over to the desk Foster was sitting at.  Foster looked up at him and said “you know I have to burn the ship.”  Kazoola told him that he understood he was just doing his job but, there was one last thing he needed from Foster.

For the rest of the night Kazoola and Captain Foster ferried the Moors on shore until everyone was safely on shore.  Kazoola and Captain Foster stood on the beach in the dark and shared a hand shake Foster got back into the row boat and rowed towards the Coltilda while Kazoola joined his kinsmen on the beach without saying a word.  They never saw each other again.  Kazoola and his people found an area outside of Mobile to live in peace.  It wouldn’t be until seven years after the Civil War that Kazoola’s settlement would be recognized for decades to come as Africatown.

In the end Kazoola got his wish of freedom for his people without blood shed.  Kazoola always wished he could go back to the place of his birth but, he knew his place was here with his tribe in his new homeland.

By Xerxes Cudjoe El

In my lifetime I’ve been called a lot of names such as Negro, Black, Colored, Afro-American, and African-American. None of these are correct.  Before I realized who I was I answered to these titles at some point in time, well maybe not “colored” but certainly the rest. My path started when I found out the job of Governments.  Governments are in power to protect the birthrights of the people which are determined by where you come from in the Human Family. The Human Family, called “Nations” occupies different parts of the Earth using the names that have been provided for us like Ireland, France and Algeria.  The Human Families are identified by nationalities and not by shades or colors i.e., black or brown.  There is not, nor ever was, a nation of people attached to the Human Family bearing the names such as Negro, Black, or Colored.

So what is my nationality? What are my birthrights?  I started to go back in history and find out who I was. U.S history books all refer to me and people like me as Black, Negro, or Colored, but this can not be true because like I said, there are no Nations with these names.  U.S history made these brand names retroactive. These are not only untrue but misleading.  These names were coined by the Colonists.  These tags describe the Chattel property of the Colonists.  Chattel is defined in Blacks law dictionary as personal property animate or inanimate.  These tags are not proper nouns (person, place, or things) but adjectives which are descriptive terms.  They separate the people who take them as real from the Human Family.  As for Afro-American and African-American, these cannot refer to me either.

There is no nation on the planet named Afro and in dealing with the tag African-American; Africa is not a nation but a continent.  After finding this out I was even more confused than when I first started my search.  If I’m not one of those tags, then who am I?  I tried talking to other people but all they could tell me is what they had been told, which is: we are defined by tags.  So I started doing research. In doing this research I found that prior to the development of European history, meaning the medieval period, most of the known world was inhabited by a people known as the Moors.  This nation of people started on the continent of Africa.  They conquered land on mainland Europe as far north as Germany and France.  They lasted in Europe from 750-1492 AD when they were finally pushed off the mainland of what is now known as Spain.

Most people that were brought over to this country as slaves came from the Northwestern coast of Africa.  Knowing this I looked into the slave trade and found that most people came from what is now Morocco, Algeria, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Guinea, Sierra Leone and a few other nations which in ancient times made up the MOORISH NATION.  All the names of these African countries I have just mentioned are the European names for these countries and do not apply to the true nationality of these people.  Armed with this new information I am able to proclaim loud and proud, I am a Moorish National.  So I ask, “Who are you?”

As most of you already know rapper Lil Wayne is due to start a year-long prison term later this month. He will be serving his time in a New York correctional facility.

Lil Wayne mentioned in a recent interview that he views this situation as if, everything is meant to be, and he realizes that it’s an experience that he must need to have if God’s putting him through it.

I think I can honestly say that this is the first time that I have ever heard anyone say that they were looking forward to going to jail. I am surprised that the judge didn’t send him upstate for a mental evaluation.

It has been said that Lil Wayne’s performance at the Grammy Awards was his last performance as a free man. Many industry experts are wondering what type of effect will this situation have on his music career if any.

I attempted several times to make this post from the iPhone yesterday but…. It didn’t happen! So here it goes today and again I apologize about not posting this on time.

1. The most ancient lineage in the world is that of the Ethiopian royal family. It is said to be older than that of King George VI’s by 6130 years. The Emperor Haile Selassi I, ruler of Ethiopia, traces his ancestry to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba and beyond that to Cush, 6280 B.C.
2. Negroes lived in America thousands of years before Columbus. Central American monuments show numerous carvings of them as gods. When Columbus came to the New World, Negroes had been crossing from Africa to South America a distance of 1600 miles. The first white men to reach the American mainland, tell of seeing Negroes. Columbus who visited South America said that he had heard of them there.
3. The present Negro race of Africa perhaps did not originate there, but Asia and Oceania. The earliest inhabitants of Africa were not black but brown. Today the peoples of mixed and unmixed Negro descent living in Asia and Oceania probably exceed in number the present Negro population of Africa. India has millions of Negroes. The purest Negro types are in Southern Asia. In 1923, Dr. Joseph Rock, United States Department of Agriculture discovered a hitherto unknown Negro race, the Nakhis, 200,000 in number, in Southern China. In 1934, E. W. P. Chinnery discovered an unknown Negro people in New Guinea, near Australia. He reports that they have a civilization superior to their neighbors, who live under white rule.
4. In the United States Army Drafts in World War I, the Negro proved physically fitter than the white man. “For every 100 men physically examined the ratio of colored men found physically qualified for general military service was substantially higher than the ratio of the white men by just five per cent, namely 74,60 against 69.71.”
5. The peoples of Southern Europe, including Italy, and most of those of Eastern Europe, including Russia, are more illiterate than the Negroes of the United States. In seventy years Negro illiteracy has fallen off about 80 per cent. In 1870 it was 82 per cent; in 1930, 16.3.
6. Aframerican illiteracy, is three times higher than the white one, nevertheless, when certain states are matched against certain others, there are surprising comparisons. For instance, the Negroes of California, Minnesota, New York, Nevada, South Dakota, Oregon and Washington are less illiterate than the Native Whites of White parentage in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico. New York, Minnesota, Oregon, and South Dakota Negroes are less illiterate than Mississippi Whites. The Negroes of these seven states are less illiterate by 100 to 400 per cent than the foreign-born Whites of all the States, save one.
7. In The United States Army Intelligence tests during World War I, the Negroes of Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois and Ohio led the Whites of Mississippi, Kentucky, Arkansas and Georgia by from one to seven per cent.

As promised here are 7 more truly amazing facts about the black (Moorish) culture that your history teacher will never teach you.

1. Beethoven, the world’s greatest musician, was without a doubt a dark mulatto. He was called “The Black Spaniard.” His teacher, the immortal Joseph Haydn, who wrote the music for the former Austrian National Anthem, was colored too.
2. Jose Vasconcelos (El Negrito Poeta), born of African Congo parents at Almolonga, Mexico, about 1710, wrote verses that were so popular that they entered into Mexican folk-lore and were printed annually on the calendars of Mexico until 1872, one hundred and twelve years after his death.
3. The Grimaldi, a Negro race, lived in Europe as late as 12,000 years ago. Two complete Grimaldi skeletons are in the Museum of Monaco, near Monte Carlo. Abundant traces of their culture have been unearthed in Southern and Central Europe.
4. Elam, a mighty Negro civilization of Persia, flourished about 2900 B.C. and is perhaps older than Egypt or Ethiopia. One of its later Negro kings, Kudur Nakunta, conquered Chaldea and Babylon and brought back to his capital, Susa, rich treasures among which was the famous statue of the goddess, Nana. Later it became the capital of Cyrus the Great and Darius. Susa is the Shushan of the Bible were Ester, the Jewess, sought the favor of King Ahaserus of Persia and Ethiopia.
5. Cheops, a Negro, built the Great Pyramid, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is 451 feet high, has 2,500,000 blocks of granite, each two and a half tons, covers 13 acres, took 100,000 men thirty years to build and was completed in 3730 B.C.
6. There were at least eighteen Ethiopian or unmixed Negro rulers of Ancient Egypt, the best known of which is Piankhi. Leaving his country in Central Africa, Piankhi conquered all Egypt to the mouth of the Nile in 750 B.C.
7. The Ganges, the sacred river of India, is named after an Ethiopian King of that name who conquered Asia as far as the river.

Well that’s it for today’s Amazing Facts About The Black Culture I hope you have enjoyed it and have found it informative. I will be back tomorrow with 7 more facts.

I am going to release 7 amazing facts that most people do not know about the black culture throughout what is known as black history month. The facts are based on statistics taken from the book, “100 Amazing Facts About The Negro With Complete Proof”, by J. A. Rogers.

A. Rogers devoted over fifty years of his life to his research. He had not only looked
at world history but also at the history of people of African origin, and had shown how their history is inseparable part of the history of mankind.

7 Amazing Facts That Will Shock You

1. The white population of New York is a third more illiterate than the Negro one.
2. Benjamin Banneker, a Negro astronomer, made the first clock made in America in 1754.
3. The word, “coffee”, comes from Caffa, Ethiopia, where it was first used and where it still grows wild.
4. George Washington sent a Negro slave to Barbados to be exchanged for a hogshead of molasses, a cask of rum and “other good old spirits”, in 1776.
5. The Negro arrived in the New World free from tuberculosis, and syphilis, or other venereal disease. Livingston, the famous African missionary, and a medical doctor says, Syphilis “dies out in the African interior. It seems incapable of permanence in any form in persons of pure African blood.” Syphilis originated in Europe in 1494, when there was a great epidemic of it. As this was two years after the discovery of the New World, it was erroneously believed to have been brought back by the sailors of Columbus.
6. The Negro was the first artist. The oldest drawings and carvings yet discovered were executed by the Negro peoples over 15,000 years ago in Southern France, Northern Spain, Palestine, South Africa, and India. The drawings are on rocks, the carvings on bone; basalt and ivory.
7. The oldest known representation of the human body is that of a Negro woman it was carved by a Negro sculptor of Grimaldi race from 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. It is called “The Venus of Willendorf” after the place in Austria where it was found, and is in the Vienna Museum.

Keep in mind that at the time this book was written that the Moorish people were referred to as Negro, just like today they are referred to as African Americans.

Written by Morrish National Xerxes Cudjoe EL

Parentage and wealth has afforded me an education and a life that is far from common.  Being from a lineage of great and noble men and women,  I was afforded the life of opportunity and I was able to see and do a great many things.  I was given the chance to have any number of jobs or state appointments, any of which could have carried me comfortably on through the golden years of my life.   However, I in my naivety,  plotted a course for life filled with high risks and high rewards. I have since decided to write a book of all my most vivid memories both good and bad, intended to excite the blood and urge all who reads to live a life with purpose.

When I was young I lived in what was then the heart of Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  My family was given tremendous access and influence across the color line due to my fathers placement on the board of the largest bank in Black Wall Street and being from the Kingdom of Morocco.  During that time in my life, one week stands out as a pivotal point in the development of my perception of the world.

For me it was like any other Sunday morning that summer.  It started with the in and out procession of people to the bathroom putting on their best Sunday dress because without a doubt everyone was going to church.  Not until we were in the car on the way to our first service, did I see the worry on my mothers face.  It was easy to tell when she was worried about something because she would furrow her brow and get the thousand yard stare.  It was as if she had seen an unspeakable horror and been forced to relive it over and over again.  My father sees this and immediately grabs her hand firmly, yet gently, and tells her everything is going to be alright, we have done nothing wrong.  Those were the only words spoken for the rest of the trip.  But the words spoken by my father did nothing to ease my mothers worry.

Sunday’s were a long day for my family because we would go to two church services.  The earlier service was across town in a Baptist church where the congregation was all white.  What must be understood is that at this time the country was in the midst of what would be called the Jim Crow laws of segregation, but as I said earlier, mine was a life of privilege   As we arrived at our first church of the day my mother turns to me and tells me to stay close.  I asked her why, and her response was “because I told you so”.  I heard what she said, but of course I didn’t listen.  I spotted one of my friends beckoning me and I took off running.  I heard my mother’s voice calling after me but I pretended not to hear her.  (I do not endorse disobedience or not listening to the elders, but at that young age we all had a little rebel in us.)  It had been a week since I had last seen David and as always we had a lot of catching up to do.  When I finally caught up to him behind the church he had to be wearing the biggest smile I had ever seen. I asked him why was he so happy and after a few minutes of the guessing game he finally told me he and his family was going to a picnic and the whole town was also going to be there.  I had never heard of a picnic before so I asked him what it was.  He started to weave a wonderful tale of all the things that were going to be going on.  He did such a good job telling me about it I could almost taste the wide variety of elaborately prepared food.   He also told me about all the games he and his friends were going to play late into the night.  After hearing all of this, I was bursting at the seams to be a part of this. Its going to be great I think to myself.   As I relish in the thought of the exciting things I will do and see, I am lost within myself.  I was rudely snatched from this moment of ecstasy by an angry voice.  “Boy! It’s about time for you to get back to your own kind”.  I knew enough at this stage of life to go and find my parents.  As I neared the front of the church I heard my name being called.  When I got to the front I saw my parents at the car in what appeared to be a heated discussion.  I assumed they were talking about what manner of punishment I was going to receive.  I slowed my pace and tried to get close enough to hear what they were talking about without being noticed.  The only thing I was able to hear was my mother saying to my father I told you so.  “Get in the car,” she tells me with the same look in her eyes that she had on the way to church.  As I climb in the back seat I think to myself that  I hoped I didn’t ruin my chances of attending the picnic.  The ride back to Black Wall Street was uncomfortably tense.  So much so that at that moment , I knew on Gods green earth I was going to be able to go to that picnic.

Instead of going home, we went as a family to have breakfast.  Everything from this point on seemed to put the cards in my favor.  Over the meal my mom lost her frown and the conversation was back.  During the ride to our church I plotted a course of action to achieve my ultimate goal.  I knew that the best time to ask was after church.  No one was ever unhappy after church.  We arrived at the church and I couldn’t wait to tell my cousins and friends about the picnic.  I ran off looking for them with not even a second thought as to if my mother would mind. When I found them they were all huddled up in the back hallway of the church like they were world leaders having a summit meeting.  Everyone that I went in looking for was here at this meeting I just had to know what was going on.  I also wanted to see if anyone else might have been going to the picnic so it will be easier for me to bring it up to my parents.  Everyone knows that early childhood secret.  Make it seem like everyone else gets to do something and you don’t because of your parents and, on a good day, they might let you go.  I had to see what they were talking about.  I pushed my way to the front of the crowd to the inner circle.  Once there I couldn’t believe the subject of conversation that had every child intently listening.  Last Friday a young man named George from Black Wall Street was accused of raping a white woman in the building in which he was employed as an elevator operator.  He was already in custody and there was still talk of grabbing him out of the jail and stringing him up.  My mind was blown after someone told me what the word rape meant.  I knew George, he was older than I, but he would stop and play baseball with us when he had the time. He would also speak to everyone, and since I could remember, no one had anything cross to say about him.  After hearing that news it made my picnic seem unimportant.  I was determined to tell everyone about the picnic that was going to have the whole town in attendance, except for the few unfortunate souls that didn’t get invited, and also to see whose family I could call on when I was talking with my parents. When I got the chance to speak I did it in grand fashion. I mesmerized the crowd with an exact re-telling of the story just the way I heard it.  No sooner then I was finished did I hear a chorus of laughter and groans of disapproval  that I chalked up to jealousy.  As the crowd dispersed I heard them saying  I would never go and that I was making it up.  Although I was upset at being  the laughing stock, I refused to be discouraged and was even more determined to go to that picnic.

I walked into the sanctuary still trying to shake off the laughs.  All over the room in various corners  it was the same conversation going on that I just left.  During the service the pastor spoke a little on Georges’ situation.  We also had a special offering to help pay his legal fees.  I took this as a sign that God was working it out and everything was going to be fine.  I waited until we were on our way to the family Sunday dinner to ask my Father if we could go to the picnic.  He looked at me through the rearview mirror and slowly pulled the car over.  He looked at me with a look that he usually reserved for talks about life lessons.  He told me that we don’t go to picnics it’s not something meant for us.  He also told me that he had never been to a picnic and that if he could help it, neither would I.  When he pulled the car over I knew the answer was no, but what I didn’t know was why.  I assumed it was for my running off this morning, but then determined it was because he was scared to go.  This should have been a great opportunity for him to get over his fear but, he used it as another excuse to hide behind his wall.  I sat back in my seat boiling in anger.

Sunday dinner was always at my grandmothers’ house so for the rest of the ride I tried to prepare myself for the ribbing that I was sure to receive when my cousins found out I wasn’t going to the picnic.  When we arrived the mood in the house was just as somber as it was at church.  Just as I expected, my cousins started in on me as soon as we were no longer in front of the adults, which didn’t help my mood at all.  As the food was being cooked, the adults sat in hushed conversation. The rest of the kids were off playing while I sat in quiet contemplation. There was no way I was going to miss this grand event, I thought to myself.  I had decided that I would go down there and hide in a tree until I saw David and his family, and stay close to them through out my time there.  As soon as I saw my chance I took off for the picnic.  When I reached the tree I climbed nearly to the top and hid amongst the branches so not to be seen.  I had a spectacular view of the grounds on which the picnic was going to take place.  After about twenty minutes of being in the tree people started to arrive.  It looked as if the whole town really did show up.  It was everything I could imagine and more.  All the food and fun David told me about was unfolding right before my eyes.  I wanted nothing more than to be among the festive events.  I meticulously looked over every face in the crowd trying to find David.  I must have spent two hours scanning the faces of everyone there looking for him to no avail.  I was hungry and tired of not being able to join in the fun so I had decided to give up.

As I started to climb down the tree, from the other side of the hill I heard a crowd of people jeering and shouting curses.  I hurried back to my tree top balcony to get a look at what was going on.  As the crowd approached the crest of the hill I could see smoke from torches rising in the air.  Soon after I saw the flames tickling the sky which was filled with the purple and orange colors of dusk in the summer time.  I was so enthralled with the colors of the evening sky, I almost missed what the commotion was about.  When I realized what was going on I was struck with horror at what I was seeing.  It was an angry mob and in the center of it all was George.  He had been beaten severely, people where throwing things and spitting on him.  I couldn’t believe it!  What happened to due process?  I was enraged and terrified all at the same time.  A man passed through the crowd with a rope with a noose tied to one end. He threw one end of the rope over a low tree branch.  In seeing this I screamed out for it to stop.  My cries, however, were not heard over the noise coming from the jubilant masses.  With the consent of the town, the man placed the noose around the neck of George.  A couple of men grabbed the rope and pulled until George came off the ground.  George’s body was kicking and writhing in obvious pain.  They tied the rope off around the trunk of the tree and began congratulating each other and watching a man die right before their very eyes.  Men, women, and kids were all fixated on the sights and sounds of murder.  I wanted to avert my eyes but couldn’t.  I was trying to comprehend what I was seeing.  The body slowly stopped kicking.  As I was climbing down the tree I seen them cut him down and throw their torches on him.  I couldn’t believe what I had just seen.  When my feet hit the ground I ran.  I ran as fast as I ever did in my life.  When I got back to my grandmothers’ house my mother was on the front porch.  I ran straight into her arms crying.  She tilted my head up until I met her gaze and she asked me if I went down to the picnic.  I was still unable to speak so I shook my head.  Just then she gave me some advice that after all these years has still yet to fail me.  “Sometimes it’s better to heed than to experience.”

I was never a huge fan of Janet Jackson… But after watching this video I just loaded my iPhone and iPod up with ever song that she has ever made Post your comments:

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