Extemporaneous musings, occasionally poetic, about life in its richly varied dimensions, especially as relates to history, theology, law, literature, science, by one who is an attorney, ordained minister, historian, writer, and African American.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
FREEDOM WAR SUMMONSES
FREEDOM WAR SUMMONSES
Blunting black self-initiatives has been purposefully carried out from the earliest days in America in various ways. Learning to read, write, compute resulted in getting whipped publicly or being sold down the river, away from family, by slave owners as trouble makers.
Dressing too well, speaking too well, or not deferring to whites, privately or publicly, was being uppity, resulting in like punishment.
Owning anything a pig, a duck , a cat, a dog, chicken , horse, mule, cow, hoe, shovel, hammer, cloth, a loom, was being too self-assertive , too self-sufficient. "I own you, so, therefore, all that you may own in the way of property, be it personal, private or real is my property." they said to the bewildered enslaved.
That was the legal rationale and the common law sustained it, in court, out of court, legally, extralegally.
Abjectly dependent on master was the desired state of affairs, for this sad state reinforced inferiority and superiority myths propagated by ruling whites to rationalize slavery.
Of course , there were exceptions among the black and white people, here and there, every now and then to these written and unwritten rules of African oppression that were carried out in different ways, some innocently; others knowingly, but as covertly as possible, given the awful consequences of discovery.
Naturally, slaves resisted, revolted, rose up! or attempted to rise up! from thralldom: Stono River, South Carolina, 1739; New York City, 1741; Richmond , Virginia, 1800; New Orleans/Baton Rouge area, 1811; Charleston, South Carolina, 1822; Southampton , Virginia, 1831; and then there was most successful American slave rebellion of them all, the "Freedom War," 1861-1865, (Civil War) when slavery was killed!
Many people may not conceive of the Civil War as a "Freedom War."
It may not have started out to be such, in their conceptions. But these were usually not slaves who held this view; this Holy redeeming view, that as "my God delivered Daniel, he would surely deliver me!" For the civil war, the Freedom War, surely resulted in an apocalyptical freedom for millions of enslaved Africans in America , through the working of man and the Holy Spirit!
This hallowed outcome had been prayed-for for centuries. This very happy result had been sought for, relentlessly, by running away; by buying their freedom and that of their families. This result had been lobbied, lectured, and lynched for.
This blessed result, beneficent outcome, had been argued for, preached for; spied for; lied for; fought for and died for in 435 battlefields by black men, United States Colored Troops, sailors, 200,000 strong! And by millions of so-called "contraband" auxiliaries, who had been supplying , building, fortifying, foraging, nursing, cleaning, scrubbing, digging, cooking, ironing, sewing, darning, washing, messaging, encouraging!
A "Freedom War" is what it truly was! "Freedom War" it still is for the sapient descendants of victorious African Americans in the year , 2019! The freedom war is not over!
The Freedom War It is still being fought against us by resisters, revisionists, demagogues, and too many: teachers, preachers, police, judges, lawyers, legislators, think tanks, businesses, journalists, landlords, real estate agents and blind, deaf, dumb, criminals who are in our midst who prey upon us!
So our "Freedom War" is an inside and an outside struggle against evil forces, wicked powers , predatory principalities in high-low places, among white people, black, other, people; Jew and Gentile, Catholic and Protestant; Muslim and Hindu!
This Freedom War is not about race, but about righteousness! It involves a new paradigm of people.
This paradigm works inwardly not outwardly, cosmologically not superficially. It works by discerning nor by suborning. It lifts up truth, learning, beauty, justice , equity. It puts down unholiness, injustice, ungodliness, wickedness and lies.
This newly-conceived "Freedom War" can accommodate all comers: since this 2019 "Freedom War" is not new at all, but very ancient ! Its laws are the holy books the Bible, Quran, Torah, Septuagint, Kebra Nagast: the Pyramid Texts; the Coffin Texts; inscribed in geometry, codified in genetics, natural history; in the pyramids, temples in Egypt, Nubia, Central America , Asia, Europe , South America and South, Central, West Africa, Persia .
Atten-hut ! Shoulder arms! March!