Little Rock 30
P.O. Box 8110
Fort Gordon, Georgia
30905
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Office Phone
706-793-2551
Abraham Lincoln with insight from Frederick Douglass freed the slaves. He just didn’t free the slaves, he freed all of us. Many people would argue that even today we are not free. The price of freedom is and will always be very high. We will only become free through education and changing the attitudes and prejudices, in our hearts.
Cast your vote today. One of the most effective tools for creating social change and making a profound historic difference is through the voting process. Never forget many warriors have fought and died for the right to vote.
Knowledge of your past, black, white or otherwise can become a powerful tool in the struggle for freedom and a brighter tomorrow. However, do not live in the past.
History is made and written each day. The world knows about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Oprah Winfrey, George Washington Carver, Rev. Al Sharpton, The Buffalo Soldiers, Marcus Garvey, James Brown, Muhammad Ali, Rosa Parks, The Original Tuskegee Airmen, Dr.Bill Cosby, Ulysses Wesley Mays and President Barack Obama; but, the biggest change may come through the ordinary citizen. Countless, Americans marched, sat down, stood up, were beaten, arrested, and even lynched before and after protesting and the quest for equality made national as well as international headlines.
Individuality and the ability to stand in the face of danger even alone, at times, are two strong attributes of the American people. However, unity and the belief in doing the right thing, even if it is not the right thing for you, is what makes us great!
Separate but equal, Jim Crow laws, being denied the right to vote or even the fundamental opportunity to learn to read and write, were the activities sanctioned and enforced by the United States governments at the state and local level against their own citizens. This was ironic for a nation,that proclaimed democracy and freedom for all as the cornerstones of its existence.
Time has a way of healing old wounds. Wounds have a way of leaving ugly scars. America is scarred and even today wounded, with the practices of racial profiling, police brutality, unfair housing /lending policies and rezoning neighborhoods and school districts for self interest and to place hard working honest Americans at a disadvantage.
Our history attests to the fact that rarely has a race of people had to endure so much adversity, hatred and oppression simply based on the color of their skin. Blacks (slaves) sons and daughters of slaves had to survive countless ordeals just for the right to exist and later to be recognized an Americans; these are just a few:
A) the slave ships or (vessels of death) as I call them because of the tens of thousands who died during the nightmarish voyage from Africa to America,
B) the separation of family and love ones; the slave was sold at auctions in the streets of America, just like the cattle to the highest bidder; regardless of family ties
C) the flesh-ripping whips of their self-proclaimed masters in the hot cotton fields of the Deep South,
D lastly, they had to overcome many injustices/countless roadblocks and hate groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan that were and are deeply embedded in the American culture solely to deter or derail their success!
However, with a strong belief in God, an unflinching will to survive against all odds socially and institutionally, and an inner courage known only to few, the slave and their descendants not only survived but flourished. Many went on to become truly outstanding members, in some cases the trailblazers of our society;
These are just a few;
Ms. Lucy Craft Laney born in Macon, Georgia on April 13, 1854, eleven years before slavery ended. Although there were laws that prohibited blacks from reading and writing during Ms. Laney's time, this former slave went on to become one of the most respected educators in our history. Ms. Laney started the first school in Augusta, Georgia for black boys and girls in 1883. Today, the Lucy Craft Laney Comprehensive High School in Augusta, proudly bears the name of this educational pioneer!
Williams Cathy aka Cathy Williams (disguised herself as a man because women were not allow to serve in the military) enlisted in the 38th US Infantry in 1866 (a newly formed all black unit) where she served for two years until she was injured. She had performed as well as any other Soldier by every account. However, she was released from service quickly after her secret was discovered. Private Cathy Williams, by serving with the 38th Infantry became the first African-American female to enlist in the United States Armed Forces and the nation's only Female Buffalo Soldier.
Daniel Hale Williams - Doctor Daniel Hale Williams performed the nation's first open heart surgery on July 9, 1893.
Realizing the dreams of equality and justice for all may one day rest solely with our youth. They have fresh new ideas and fascinating visions for the future. Please, do not bind or blind them with the shackles of hate and bigotry.
Your life is not your own. Americans are all certainly deeply connected.
"Indeed, Black history is not black at all; it is Red, White, and Blue."
SGM (RET) ULYSSES WESLEY MAYS
Motivational Speaking and Black History
Loyalty to your country, leaders, soldiers is paramount- but above be loyal to yourself.
Equality is non negotiable. Treat each decision as though someone’s life depends on it. It just might one day.
All your subordinates deserve outstanding leadership; it is your responsibility. to provide it.
Decisions shouldn’t be made in haste or anger – when time permits, seek a second opinion.
Every decision you make may not be the best one. Be smart and strong enough to recognize this.
Reach out to soldiers, peers and people in general. The great decisions are made when dialogue takes place.
Share information; a well-informed soldier is a well-rounded fighting machine.
Hold to the moral high ground, even if you’re holding it alone.
Inspire your troops to greatness. Encourage growth and participation in the leadership process. Disagreement can be a good thing.
Part with anything in the leadership process that’s nonproductive. This may include people.
“Great leadership is not a battleship. Nor is it a sinking ship, but when applied correctly, it can be one of the greatest partnerships known to humankind”.
U.W. Mays
LEADERSHIP
BLACK HISTORY - By the Letters
Ulysses W. Mays
Black history has many untold stories. The more we discover about our history/nation and its struggles for freedom, the more we learn about ourselves.
Let us not forget, it wasn’t just blacks marching and protesting about some of the injustices of this country, in the 1960's and 70's. It was black, white, red, yellow and every color in between. It was people of different backgrounds, religions, and social status.
