The Voice of a Slave: CNN Freedom Project

http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/08/21/spc-freedom-project-the-voice-of-a-slave.cnn

Check this video out. Its the voice of a man who was a slave who reveals briefly his experience. Of course I had to find something like this, but I’m really passionate about reliving history at the foot of the elders. I’ve always loved listening to the elders speak about their experience picking cotton and sharecropping and all of that, which nurtured my decision to write more about  black history.

Speaking of Slave Ships, has anyone ever wondered what happened to those ships? Why are there no authentic slave ships in museums? I’m not talking about the replicas. How did whole ships just disappear? Is it possible that the wood was used to make other things? It does after all hold a lot of energy. Blacks were also hung from trees, which is also wood. What do we call a thick Forrest? We call it the woods. Can there be a significance to this? Just trying to expand my understanding on the whole institution of slavery itself. It’s not just that blacks committed suicide, but could it also be that they were sacrificed as well? Not everyone jumped ship, some were murdered. Just a thought.

Something is Off…

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…about this story. This doesn’t look like a “disgruntled employee” to me. Vester Flanagan? Really right now? What kind of name difference is that from Bryce Williams? I’ll share my thoughts some other time. Now is the time to listen to the details before they change. Always pay attention when the story first breaks. To be continued….

#BeWoW is Back

be-wow-bloggerYayy, #BeWoW is back! It’s been awhile since I’ve drafted a “Be Wonderful on Wednesday” post. I really enjoy writing on the prompts! Special Congratulations to Ronovan Writes for his new laptop and to the Blogging community for banding together and helping him out. I do not have a #BeWoW post for today, I plan to publish one next week time permitting. I just wanted to give a special post highlight for Ronovan.

Something New: Embracing Change – Yecheilyah Ysrayl

My “Something New” Guest Post with Lisa Tetting. Thank you for having me.

Lisa W Tetting's avatarLisa W. Tetting

Try Something New Today!

Primarily, I would like to thank Lisa for giving me the keys to the house. It’s nice and cozy in here and you all look great! While I tend to be long winded, I have been given a copy of the house rules, so I’ll be brief.

Lisa asked me to write about newness today and I choose change.

We live in a world that celebrates routine and ritual, so it’s not always easy to embrace change. It is something that happens so frequently in our lives and yet remains something new; moving in and out of our day with the same glide as oil to a pan. Starting with a puddle and then auctioning pieces of itself off into different directions. But this is not easy for us to do; to forgo tradition for a road less traveled by. To be reborn in a way that blows our minds…

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Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Throwing Words

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Hey there loves, Welcome to another Writer’s Quote Wednesday Edition with Colleen of Silver Threading. I thought it would be fun to surprise her with a cartoon of us together since she got me so addicted to them.

Now, in other news, who’s throwing words tho?

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Whew, he said that.

There were lots of quotes I wanted to use from Richard Wright’s “Black Boy”, but I enjoyed this one the most as appropriate for Writer’s Quote Wednesday. I love Wright’s description of hurling words into the darkness and waiting for an echo because I think that is something all writers do. If we see light as symbolic of truth, of awakening, and of hope, then to throw our words into the darkness is to send hope out into the world. If someone responds, someone who has perhaps awaited this moment for some time, if that person responds, they are the echo that justifies the need for this light. They are the people who validate that the writing is not in vain and gives authors a kind of heads up that it is OK to throw more words out into the darkness. It is not from the perspective of writing specifically to be heard or writing for validation. The heads up instead informs us that there are others who are in need of the power these words have to offer.

About Black Boy

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Most of us are all familiar with Richard Wright by now (and if we aren’t Google is a gem) so I thought I’d give history on “Black Boy” instead, Wright’s Memoir.

From: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/b/black-boy/book-summary

 

 

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(clearing throat) yes these are cliff notes, don’t judge us:

“Black Boy”, an autobiography of Richard Wright’s early life, examines Richard’s tortured years in the Jim Crow South from 1912 to 1927. In each chapter, Richard relates painful and confusing memories that lead to a better understanding of the man a black, Southern, American writer who eventually emerges. Although Richard, as the narrator, maintains an adult voice throughout the story, each chapter is told from the perspective and knowledge that a child might possess. Yet, because the narrative is told with such force and honesty, the reliability of Richard’s memories is not questioned. By the story’s end, as Richard comes of age, the voice of the narrator and of the nineteen-year-old young man he has become merge into one.”

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And that’s it for this weeks segment. See ya next week 🙂

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Newsletters: My Policy

5591102-120875522_1-v1I just recently sent a welcome email out to my subscribers and I thought it would be a good idea to post it here for those who may be interested in joining my mailing list:

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Welcome!

Good Morning Everyone,

Guess what? We have new subscribers!

And I would just like to take this time to Welcome them. I only have two policies:

#1: We are Family

This means that I will treat my subscribers with respect. Their email is my email. I will never send vulgar, nude, or disrespectful emails to my family. I will never put someone on blast as to shame them. I will never spam your emails.

#2: No Spam

Because we are family, I do not spam emails. This Newsletter is different than most. I do not send pages and pages of articles or draft long post, that’s what my blog is for. Attention spans are short and I’m busy. I don’t have the time to keep you reading forever. This Newsletter comes out every now and again and will only include important, need-to-know information. It will promote new products and while I expect to receive support from subscribers, I will never force you to purchase.

So welcome to the family! Please take this time to browse our website. We are currently looking to upgrade soon, but for now we do hope that you enjoy your stay here.

Much Love,

 

Yecheilyah

theliterarykorner.com

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If you would like me to add your email to my Newsletter, please send it to me at the email below. Anyone who is already a subscriber can tell you I’m true to my word.

ahouseofpoetry@gmail.com

Its Raining…

rainingpouring

…it’s pouring

the old man is snoring

he went to bed

and bumped his head

and couldn’t get up in the morning..”

Who remembers this rhyme? For those of you who know this blog by now, you know I love the rain and guess what? It’s raining!

What I love about the rain is how it slows everything down. We live in an age where everything is rushed. Instant gratification has us pulling our hair out because the Internet’s not fast enough, traffic is not moving quickly enough, and if there’s an idea suddenly Writer’s Block sneaks in because the words don’t come fast enough. Everything has got to be at our fingertips or we’ll lose our minds. And then there’s the rain, which tends to put us in a relaxing mood. Some people are like the old man, and get sleepy during the rain because it’s relaxing. Its a great time to read and to reflex and to do some handwriting or some soul searching. It’s a good time to sit back and be still. I like to look at the rain as a time not to move. A time for simplicity. The rain, as a time for clarity.