Posted by
Robin R. Foster
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
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The recent happenings in Jackson, Mississippi has triggered the memory of a song I wrote telling the story about when we escaped from Mississippi in the 1960's. My mom had gotten tired of being mistreated and cheated.
She left and went to Florida to find a place that was better and safer for us. As a child, I did not understand and was sad to see her leave. Many were left there, but my mom came back for us. I am so happy about that. This is one of the songs I dedicated to my mom for her courage in removing us from that place.
The song, "Blues of My Soul," is available on my album, "Butter on My Roll."
Please join us tomorrow night at 8PM EST on Over Troubled Water Blog Talk Radio for our show Oral History and the Origins of The Blues. Sheba will be our special guest along with Miami-Dade professor, Rob Moore.
Posted by
Robin R. Foster
Friday, July 8, 2011
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Imagine you are a child living in a little one room shack. It is night, and the only light you see is the moonlight coming through the window. You hear you mom and dad. Mom is crying, and Dad is scared because these people are coming to the house to kill him. There is no place nor no one for him to go to. You hear a lot noise outside. Then you see lots of light and hear a voice say, “Nigger come out!” Your mom begs your dad not to go, then a voice says, “If you don’t come out, we will burn the house down.”
Your dad looks over at you and your other brothers and sisters. He looks you in your eyes, and you see the fear in his eyes. He knows he is going to die. You are the oldest, and he knows you will understand because when you and he were alone hunting or fishing, he had told you that one day this might happen. That look that you see is him telling you, “Son, one day you or your sons, please defend your dad for what they are going to do to me and what they have done to so many more.”
Your dad walks outside in hope that they will make it quick. The only thing is these people do not want it quick. The slower you die the better it makes them feel. They come into the house and get you and your other brothers so this can be a lesson. Just as you look, your dad looks around, and his eyes lock on you for one last time hoping you will get a chance one day to pay back for what is going to happen to him. Then you see them put a rope around him and pull him away. For a very long time you can hear the scream of his voice in your head as you see the arms and legs come off his body. When they are finished with your dad, some of the men come into the house and rape your mom and your sisters and leave.
We need to think about all of those that have gone before us, in hope that one day somebody will stand up for them and for all the blood that was shed in the Mississippi mud, the Georgia red clay, Alabama, Florida, and all over the US. What about those that were lying in that dark ship so close to each other they could not move or turn over for that long trip from home to hell? There was no one to turn to.
Deal with it
There was only hope that one day these people will pay for what they were doing. No, but you do not want to think about those things because they are old. Those old things are in your blood. That pain and that fear is in you, and you must face it. If not today, tomorrow it is going to show up in your kids your grandkids. Somewhere it will come out. You can be the one to stop this pain in your bloodline only by admitting it happened, being willing to face it, and dealing with what happened to our people.
We must forgive ourselves for letting this happen to us. We must forgive those that did this to us. If you take a look at your self, you will find you are a new people. We were once a powerful people, but we started serving other gods instead the living God that is within us. We were told that this was going to happen to us. The seer of old said people were coming with smoking sticks and would take us a way in chains where we would be made to serve in a land not of our own for four hundred years. Everything was taken from us. We became a new people. We are not who we were in the days of old. It was said that God will redeem His people. He will bring us back to where we belonged standing next to Him. This should be taught in the churches, in the schools, and at home not only during black history month, but this should be taught twenty-four seven.
With the blessings of technology, all African ancestored descendants can develop an online haven where healing can take place. Let's recite and relish in our history. Let's come together to identify the principles that help us to enjoy freedom and happiness. Hopefully, "Over Troubled Water" will be the beginning of that for you. We welcome contributors who will share their history and perspectives that we may all learn and benefit.
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Our Motto:
"I believe that all men, black and brown and white, are brothers, varying in time and opportunity, in form and gift and feature, but differing in no essential particular, and alike in soul and the possibility of infinite development." --W.E.B. Dubois
The village is coming together! We are from many diverse groups from around the world. We invite you to use Over Trouble Water as an avenue that will spark much needed dialog. This dialog can lead to great enlightenment and healing. Every effort will be made to supplement using historical resources for further study, however, opinions or views expressed in articles reflect the contributor's life experiences and are the responsibility of the respective contributor. Comments should be addressed to the respective contributor.
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