Historically Speaking
Published
by The Afro-American Historical Association of the
Niagara
Frontier
, P.O. Box
63, Buffalo
NY
14207
Sharon
Holley and Madeline Scott, Editors
Volume
26 Number
1
April 2002
25th
ANNUAL FAMILY HISTORY DINNER
Dr. Barbara Seals Nevergold will be the Family History Presenter at the
Afro-American Historical Association’s 25th Annual Family History
Dinner on Friday, May 3rd 2002, 6:45 P.M. at the Golden Nugget (2046
Fillmore). Dr. Nevergold who
recently developed an interest in family history has researched both her
maternal and paternal families. Thus
far, she has concentrated her research on the
Central Louisiana
communities near and including the city of
Alexandria
,
Louisiana
.
Family names on her paternal side are; Seals, Lair,
Nasello, Buckner, Sewell,
Jackson
, Baylor, and the slave owners Cruikshank and Texada.
Family names on her maternal side are Hilt, Ellis, Williams, Lewis,
Sibley and the slave owner Wise. Her
research goes back to 1830.
Advance reservations are required for this dinner
which is open to the public. Donation
is $20 and tickets can be obtained by sending
payment to; AAHA Family History Dinner,
P.O. Box 63
,
Buffalo
,
N.Y.
14207
.
COLLECTING
THE STORIES OF
BUFFALO
’S
PULLMAN
PORTERS
For a large portion of the twentieth century
Buffalo
,
New York
was a major hub of railroad and commercial activity.
Buffalo
was a major point of entry for the commercial shipping of goods, as well as
passenger traffic, from the
Midwest
through
Buffalo
on to the East Coast. The city of
Buffalo
was also the home base of numerous
Pullman
porters and maids. The stories of
Buffalonians who worked in this important aspect of the railroad industry has
not been fully documented and told.
Dr. Felix L. Armfield, a member of the History and
Social Studies Education faculty at Buffalo State College, wishes to talk with
anyone having information relating to the life and times of Buffalonians who
worked as
Pullman
porters or maids. Former African
American Pullman porters and maids, as well as family members and acquaintances
of the former Buffalo Pullman workers, are especially urged to contact Dr.
Armfield. The oral interviews and
items collected will become part of the Monroe Fordham Regional History
Collection at Buffalo State College.
Dr. Armfield may be reached at Buffalo State
College at the following number (716) 878-5103, or by email at armfiefl@buffalostate.edu
.
NATIONAL
PULLMAN
PORTERS
MUSEUM
In 1925, A. Philip Randolph
organized thousands of
Pullman
workers into a
union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids.
Years later, Ms. Lyn Hughes was awarded a grant from the State of
Illinois
to found the A.
Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum. To
help raise awareness and funds for an expanded facility, the museum, with
financial help from American Family Insurance, has created an online Historic
National Registry of African American Railroad Employees. The site will collect
the names and stories of union members and others who worked for the railroads
between 1863 and 1969.
To register at the Historic National Registry of
African American Railroad Employees, as either a former porter or family member,
visit the A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum’s Web site at www.aphiliprandolphmuseum.org
, or call 771-928-3935
THE
AFRICAN AMERICAN ANCESTRAL HERITAGE TOUR, 2002
The Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier, in
cooperation with
Forest
Lawn
Cemetery
, will once again sponsor the Ancestral Heritage Tour at Forest Lawn this
summer. If there are actors or
actresses who may be interested in some of the reenactments of persons from
Buffalo
’s African American past, please contact us.
We will prepare the narratives for the reenactments.
We would also like to receive additional names of persons that you think
should be added to the tour. Watch
for tour announcements later this spring. Send
your comments and suggestions to Ancestral Tours,
P.O. Box 63
,
Buffalo
14207
.
25th
ANNUAL CARTER G. WOODSON ESSAY CONTEST
There were double winners at the 25th Annual Carter G. Woodson
Essay Contest. Writing on the theme;
“African American Celebrations and Festivals in
Western New York
,” the winners received a certificate and cash awards at the Awards Program on
Saturday, February 23 at the North Jefferson Branch Library and Center for
African American History and Research.
In addition to the presenters of essays, program
participants included Mrs. Sandra Williams Bush, Library Branch Manager, gave
the welcome; Makeda Holley, student at
Buffalo
Traditional
School
presented a reading entitled, “Who Was Carter Woodson?” Mrs. Wanda Hackney,
President of the Historical Association, presented the awards.
Co-sponsoring organizations included; the Department of Extension
Services—Buffalo & Erie County Library; the Buffalo Lit-Mus Study Club;
and the North Jefferson Branch Library and Center for African American History
and Research. Sharon Holley, member of the Historical Association’s Board of
Directors was the contest chairperson. The
1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers in the
contest, and their prize winning essays are as follows.
1st
Place
Curtis
N. Gardner, Jr.
`
Grade 5
Buffalo
Acad. for the Visual and Performing
Arts
“The
Ford-Dubois-Cox Family
Reunion
”
The Ford-Dubois-Cox family reunion started in 1983 in
Buffalo
,
New York
. I
interviewed my grandmother who gave me much information about the history of our
family, since some of these things happened before 1991 when I was born.
She said the family reunion
was her brother, Rev. Henry Ford’s idea. He
was the founding pastor of
Jordan
Grove
Baptist
Church
, where
many of our family members still attend; including me!
Well, Granny said a lot of our family members had been attending the
church’s “Homecoming” every
year. Rev. Ford said it would be
nice to have a reunion so the family could come together for a happy occasion,
instead of a funeral. That
started the whole thing.
Our family reunion was first called the Ford-Dubois family reunion.
These two families have a special connection.
You see, Granny told me that she, Lurie Ford Dubois, and two of her
sisters, married my granddad, Glen Harvey Dubois, and two of his brothers.
To these unions 21 children were born; and we grow more every year!
Then the name Cox came up. One
of Granny’s sisters who did not marry a Dubois, married a Cox.
The family was small, so they added that name hoping they could find some
more members of the Cox family. We
are still searching.
Our family
reunion is celebrated the second weekend in August every year.
Family members and lots of family friends come together to celebrate with
us. It starts on a Friday night.
We have a family social with all kinds of activities; basketball games,
eating plenty of good food, playing games, talking, looking at photos and videos
of old family reunions, and welcoming new family members.
Saturday, we have a family choir rehearsal, since we always do all the
singing at morning worship on Sunday. About
50-60 family members get together. When we sing together, believe me, it sounds
great! We have a lot of talented
people in our family. We are really
blessed. After rehearsal, we have
a family picnic at a local park. Out
of the six times our reunion has been held in
Buffalo
, we have had a food time every year.
We are looking forward to next when the reunion will be in
Buffalo
again.
I know it might sound strange but, we have never had a fight or
disagreement at our reunion. I think
that’s because we are all Christians. We
always invite God to be with us and we always thank him for his goodness to us
and for his traveling grace.
Saturday night
is “party night”. The younger
family members dance, eat some more, and talk into the “wee” hours of the
night. I like to stay in the hotel
with other relatives from out of town. That
way I get to go swimming with them at the hotel.
Sunday morning
the family goes to church. Not only
do we have a lot of singers in the family, but a lot of preachers too!
My granddad, Rev. Glenn Dubois is the pastor of our church.
There are at least 8 other preachers in our family who also come to the
reunion every year. One of them
preaches the sermon, the family sings and some of the ministers pray.
After morning worship, we eat again and sometimes have an afternoon
service. The family sometimes does a
musical concert or an original play written by a family member.
Sometimes after that, we go
back to the hotel and swim again before our banquet.
At the banquet of course, we eat again, and we honor our ancestors and
the accomplishments of family members.
Monday is our
tour day. In 2000, we took the
family on the “Motherland Connextions—Underground Railroad Tour.”
The Station Master is Mr. Kevin Cottrell.
The tour guide told us about the courage of Africans who staked their
lives for freedom, and about the Native Americans, African Americans and
Europeans who helped slaves to escape to freedom.
We stopped AT THE
Michigan
Avenue
Baptist
Church
and saw the hidden section where
runaway slaves had to hide while going to
Canada
. We
also went to
Niagara Falls
and saw where slaves crossed over the
water to freedom. Boy! I’m sure
glad I wasn’t born in those days!
Our family has
done some good things, and had a lot of fun doing them together.
In August 1983, my Granny said that the Harbinger Magazine did an
article on our reunion. They
included lots of pictures of our family. Granny
still has copies of it, but she said Unique Graphics doesn’t publish the
magazine anymore. That’s all right
though. We’re still growing and
glowing, as out first family reunion logo says.
We’re also checking on the Dubois family tree.
You know W.E.B. Dubois was a great man, and we recently found
book that has pictures in it of Dubois’ grandfather who looks just like
my granddad and his brothers. So, by
our next reunion in
Buffalo
, we hope to find out if we were
connected to this great African American man.
1st
Place Devin
McCrea
Grade 6
St. John
Christian
Academy
“The
Houston
Family
Reunion
”
I would like to tell you about my family reunion, the Houston Family
reunion to be exact. It was all
started by my great-grandparents – William Wallace Houston, Sr., and Lula
Houston. They had 12 children, one
of the 12 was my grandfather, William Wallace Houston, Jr.
He was founder and Bishop of the Bethel Tabernacle United Holy Church of
America on Clinton and Watson Streets, here in
Buffalo
.
The Houston
Family reunion began over 45 years ago. It
is always held during the first weekend in August, and rotates annually to
various cities throughout the
United States
. In
August of 1998, my
Buffalo
relatives hosted the Houston Family
reunion. On that Friday we chartered
a bus and took the scenic route to
Niagara Falls
,
New York
and to
Niagara Falls
,
Canada
. We
saw attractions like the
Whirlpool
Falls
, a clock made out of flowers, went to
the
Observation
Tower
, and topped off the evening with an
adventurous, and drenching boat ride on the Maid of the Mist!
Then we returned to the hotel hospitality room to greet incoming
relatives and to enjoy some refreshments. On
Saturday morning, we gathered at
Como
Park
for a good old-fashioned barbecue.
We had hot dogs, burgers, fried fish, baked beans, potato salad, chips,
ice cream. And lots of pop (family reunions are one of he rare occasions when I
can drink pop!). We played tons of
games such as badminton, volleyball, relay races, and enjoyed all of the
activities on the playground. Around
4:00 P.M.
we returned to the hotel to freshen up
and prepare for our banquet at the Hearthstone Manor.
We had fun
there as well! We sang song,
remembered deceased family members with memorials, danced, had gift giveaways,
shared some encouraging words, and last but definitely not least, we joined
hands and sang the O’Jays Family Reunion song.
All of the kids competed to see who could stay up the latest on Saturday
night, but year after year the same person wins, ME!
On Sunday
morning, we had praise and worship service at the
First
Shiloh
Baptist
Church
. I
always feel so proud when my family is asked to stand as visitors.
After church, we left to prepare for another barbeque for those family
members who traveled long distances. This
time, it was held at my Uncle William’s hose.
Another good time was had by all! We
hugged, said our good-byes, and promised to keep in touch until next year.
Family reunions
are important to me because we don’t see every member of our family everyday.
A family reunion is a time when we can get together and have fun!
You may have your family reunion in your area, or around the country it
really doesn’t matter as long as you are with family.
In 1998, our
family poem was called, “We are a family,” and this is how it goes:
“We
are a family”
Since
before any of us were born,
God
planned for us
to
share our lives with each other.
He
knew exactly how our strengths
and
weaknesses
would
balance one another,
and
the depth of love and commitment
we
would learn to feel.
He
knew that the richness of our
separate
characters
would
be developed through the hard times,
and
that mutual trust and respect
would
be born as a result of
overcoming
trials together.
He
knew that we would laugh together
…and
cry together.
He
knew that we needed each other…
to
hug, to help, to teach, to share…to love.
The statement, “The family that prays together stays together,” is
really true. I think that if
everyone followed that rule this world would be a better place!!!!
2nd
Place
Terrence
Melvin
`
Grade 6
St. John
Christian
Academy
“Martin
Luther King Day”
Martin
Luther King, Jr., was born on
January 15, 1929
in
Atlanta
,
Georgia
.
His name was Michael Luther King, Jr., but several years later his father
changed his name to Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., graduated from
Morehouse
College
in 1948, Crozer Theological Seminary
in 1951, and
Boston
University
. He
was first pastor at
Dexter
Avenue
Baptist
Church
. He
went back to
Atlanta
,
Georgia
and was co-pastor of
Ebenezer
Baptist
Church
in 1947.
Martin Luther King, Jr., was also involved in the civil rights movement.
He believed in non-violence to try to solve the problems of segregation
and racial inequality. He led the
boycott by
Montgomery
blacks against the segregated city bus
lines. He led many marches and gave
speeches. There was a very large
march on
Washington
, and this is when he gave his speech,
“I have a Dream.” Here are some
things from the speech which were: “I have a dream that one day all men and
women will be equal, I have a dream that one ay all little boys and girls will
be friends.
On
April 4, 1968
, Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot and
killed by an assassin’s bullet on the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel.
James Earl Ray was the one who killed Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther
King’s birthday did not become a national holiday until 1983.
Congressman John Conyers introduced legislation to make it a
commemorative holiday right after Dr. Kings assassination.
The bill was still stalled after 6,000,000 names were submitted to
Congress.
Shirley Chislom
and Conyers submitted legislation at every legislative session.
The legislation for the holiday was passed and signed into law by
President Ronald Reagan in 1983.
The M.L. King
holiday is celebrated in many ways throughout this country.
In the city of
Buffalo
there are several celebrations.
The Sunday before the holiday, there is a big celebration at Shea's in
downtown
Buffalo
. There
is singing, dancing, and speeches. The
performances are all done by local talent.
There was also
an interfaith celebration at
St. John
Baptist
Church
, this year for the Martin Luther King
holiday. The interfaith celebration
was started by Arthur O. Eve, who is the deputy speaker of the State Assembly.
He started this interfaith celebration several years ago.
There were ministers and priests from different religions who spoke about
Dr. King. I was able to participate
in the program by singing with the
St. John
Christian
Academy
students who were on the program.
Hilliary Clinton was the guest speaker of this year’s celebration and
talked about meeting Martin Luther King, Jr., at the age of 13 during a rally
for civil rights.
The Martin
Luther King Holiday has been celebrated every year to commemorate his life since
1983. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a
special person and fought for equal rights for all people.
2nd
Place
Brea
Bates
`
Grade 4
Elmwood
Franklin
School
“Kwanzaa
Celebration”
Kwanzaa is an
African American celebration of our history, culture, and family.
It was founded by Maulana Karenga in 1966.
Mr. Kenneth
Holley told me the history of Kwanzaa in
Buffalo
. He
said Kwanzaa has been celebrated for over 20 years in
Buffalo
at the
African
American
Cultural
Center
,
Watu-Sokoni
Center
, and the
Langston
Hughes
Center
. In
1976 he and his wife founded the Kwanzaa Committee of Buffalo.
The Committee helped to bring together people to organize one cultural
event each night for seven days starting on December 26th through
January 1st.
In addition to
celebrating Kwanzaa during the seven events, African Americans can celebrate at
home with family and friends. The
Seven Principles of Kwanzaa are called “Nguzo Saba.”
The principles are:
. Umoja (Unity)
. Kujichagulia
(Self-Determination)
. Ujima (Collective
Work and Responsibility)
. Ujamaa (Cooperative
Economics)
. Nia (Purpose)
. Kuumba (Creativity)
. Imani (Faith)
A
candle is lit each night representing each principle.
The colors of Kwanzaa are red, black, and green.
Decorations should include traditional African items such as African
baskets, cloth patterns, art objects and harvest symbols like corn.
In December
2001, I participated in a Kwanzaa at my school with two friends Chelsea and
Denise, and a Prep Teacher named Mrs. Chinn.
I explained two of the Kwanzaa principles—Kujichagulia and Ujamaa.
My friends explained the other principles.
All of us had a chance to light a candle.
Mrs. Chinn explained words like Harbari gani and many symbols of Kwanzaa.
She also provided each student with some yummy candy!
Finally, Mr.
Holley told me that because the Kwanzaa Committee is very well organized, Dr.
Maulana Karenga comes to Buffalo every year to celebrate Kwanzaa.
This year join me in celebrating the seven principles every day of the
year, not just during Kwanzaa.
3rd Place
Jasmine Morgan
`
Grade 6
Westminster
Community
School
“Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day”
Martin Luther
King, Jr., was born on
January 15, 1929
, in
Atlanta
,
Georgia
to a Baptist minister’s family.
Martin Luther King, Jr., was educated at
Morehouse
College
and Crozier Theological Seminary at
Boston
University
. He
studied the writings of Mohandas Gandhi whose nonviolent resistance to British
rule helped impel
India
to achieve their independence.
At
Westminster
Community
School
we had a Martin Luther King
Celebration. We did many things like
a play by the sixth graders called “To Tell the Truth.”
The play included 3 people. I
played the real role of Martin Luther King.
The other two were imposters. There
were also four other people who played…
Oprah Winfrey
(talk show host)
Alicia Keys
(singer)
Judge Hatchet
(Judge)
Lisa Lesley
(basketball coach)
There
were several questions asked by the four celebrity questioners to the 3 people
who played Martin Luther King, Jr. They
were all answered correctly. The
choir sang 3 songs and then there were 2 poems read by Lesley Holts and I.
Then we watched a short film about Martin Luther King, Jr.
My church also
celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. My
Pastor’s name is Robert Robinson. He
is the Pastor of Soul Saving Revival Center,
664 Fillmore Avenue
. On
Martin Luther King Day, we have all the members to read two paragraphs in the
passage of Martin Luther King. Then
we answer 3 questions about what we learned.
Some examples of the questions are…
1. Who did Dr.
King marry?
2. What did he
do for a living?
3. How did he
help rid the world of racism?
Then
we review the answers and name a fact about Martin Luther King, Jr.
You can be
filled with bitterness and hatred and a desire to revenge the death of Martin
Luther King, Jr. if you’d like. It
would be better if you make an effort as the inspiring Martin Luther King did,
to help all people. If you replace
that stain of bloodshed with love and compassion for all men, then you can be
proud of what you’ve done!!!!!
3rd
Place
Belinda
Brown
`
Grade 6
St. John
Christian
Academy
“Martin
Luther King Day”
We celebrate
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
because he helped to make changes in the
United States
. He
wanted African Americans (black) and white people to have equal rights.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. helped to change laws in the South by using
nonviolence, By using nonviolence
the laws were changed. For example
black people were able to sit in front of a bus and eat at restaurants that only
white were allowed.
The person that
organized the Interfaith celebration for Dr. Ling Day was Arthur O. Eve.
On
Monday, January 21, 2002
at
2:00 P.M.
St. John
Baptist Church, U.S. Senator Hillary
Rodham Clinton, religious leaders of
Western New York
and people who live in
Western New York
celebrated the life of Reverend Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. The
celebration started with the Martin De Porres singing two songs.
Then the students of
St. John
Christian
Academy
and the students of Buffalo Academy of
Visual and Performing Arts sang songs to give honor to Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. Next Mrs. Hilliary
Rodham Clinton spoke about how she went to hear Dr. King give a speech at
a church, and how she enjoyed his presentation on making changes in the
United States
. Also
how Dr. King had a lot of courage, hope and love for people.
After Mrs. Clinton spoke, several of the interfaith leaders of
Western New York
gave words of inspiration in honor of
Reverend King.
It was a nice
celebration and I learned a lot about Dr. King.
He was a great man because he sacrificed his life for people to have
equal rights. That’s why today we
sing “We Shall Overcome,” because it reminds us about changes in the laws
for civil rights and the many lives taken for freedom.
OCTOBER
ISSUE OF HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
The entire October 2002
issue of Historically Speaking will be devoted to the story of
Buffalo
’s Historic Nash House and the life
of the Reverend Dr. J. Edward Nash, Sr., and his wife Mrs. Frances Jackson Nash.
The October issue will provide information on the vision and plans for
the
Nash
House
Community
Museum
, and how that vision will impact the
entire community. If you know of
persons who would like to be on our mailing list and receive a free copy of our
newsletter (published in April & October), have them send us their name and
address. Send to Mailing List,
P.O. Box 63
,
Buffalo
14207
.
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