NOW DISTRIBUTED GLOBALLY

DISTRIBUTION UPDATE:

*now available* for sale on eBookIt.com
o www.ebookit.com/books/0000002017/What-the-World-Should-Know-About-Black-History-In-The-USA.html

...ALSO

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o Ingram Digital: http://www.diesel-ebooks.com (represents eBook retailers 

  world-wide)

.
BET YOU CANNOT READ THE FOREWORD.... WITHOUT READING THE ENTIRE LITTLE BOOKLET!  You be the judge... can it help people everywhere better understand race-relations in America? And, might readers feel more POSITIVE about our chances of bringing peace and harmony to the "global community" and new strength and prosperity to our "global economy"... IF they acknowledge and learn from mistakes of the past?

The primary goal is to inform, inspire, and motivate. It's about 32 pages (printed), with 15 pictures. It's priced at $2.99 as an eBook to make it as affordable as possible for schools and the eBook price is available to YOU - the lowest price allowed by our initial distributor. It will soon be available in print for $7.99,  as we explore strategies to attract donors to "sponsor bulk distribution" to under-funded schools, institutions, or organizations of their choice. The colorful cover also makes the printed booklet a great gift for coffee table display.

If you don't have a Kindle or other type eBook reader, don't worry, it will probably download to your computer as is! Or...you can download a FREE application to read it on your PC/MacBook/Phone: JUST CLICK HERE:   READ E-BOOKS ON YOUR COMPUTER

BLOG: www.learnaboutblackhistory.blogspot.com - TO COMMENT, If asked to select a "blog account" [LiveJournal, WordPress, AIM or OpenID], just open a FREE gMail account & join the conversation!)

NOTE: The "FOREWORD" appears below!!! Once you start... bet you can't stop! If we're wrong, please take time to comment. If we're right... please send this BLOG link to everyone you know... YES, even them!!!

For a Brighter, more Peaceful, Healthier, and Prosperous Future... for ALL,

Walter "Buzz" Luttrell

FOREWORD

"You Been Set Free" "When freedom came, my mama said Old Master called all of

'em to his house, and he said, ‘you all free, we ain't got nothing to do with you no

more. Go on away. We don't whop you no more, go on your way.’

My mama said they go on off, then they come back and stand around, just looking

at him and Old Mistress. They give 'em something to eat and he say, 'Go on away,

you don't belong to us no more. You been freed.' 

They go away and they kept coming back. They didn't have no place to go and nothing 

to eat. From what she said, they had a terrible time. She said it was bad times. Some 

took sick and had no 'tention and died. Seemed like it was four or five years before

they got to places they could live.

They all got scattered . . Old Master every time they go back say, You all go on

away. You been set free. You have to look out for yourselves now.'

—An ex-slave's account in Lay My Burden Down: A Folk History of Slavery, Ben

Botkin, 1945

--------------------

The above statement reveals the plight of a people facing a freedom almost as

formidable as the bondage from which they were released. The vindictive attitude

of many Southern slave holders was exemplified by the cry, "The Yankees freed

you, now let the Yankees feed you." Freedom without food, shelter, clothing or the

means to get them was to the black man — like the one above — an obvious step

backwards. Despairing of a place to settle, rootless bands of "freedmen" roamed the

South in that vague and hazy world between waking and sleeping, life and death,

bondage and freedom. 

"The South was a shambles, its major cities gutted or shelled, its farms neglected, 

crops un-gathered, banks closed, Confederate money worthless, and about 1/3 of its 

male citizens killed or wounded," according to Langston Hughes in a"Pictorial History 

of the Negro in America." Both black and white people of the South faced the immense 

task of re-establishing their lives. But the immediate future of freed slaves was indeed 

dark. 

To alleviate the situation, Congress established the Freedmen's Bureau, in March 

1865, to be administered by the Army and headed by Major General Oliver 0. Howard.

Against violent southern opposition the Freedmen's Bureau, supported by Federal

troops, distributed rations and medicine to the poor, black and white alike. The

Bureau built or helped to build more than 4,000 schools staffed with 9,000 teachers

who served almost 250,000 black students. 

At the time of the Emancipation, only one in every ten of the newly freed could 

read and write. Thousands of northern whites went to the South to teach at the 

Bureau's request, despite hostile threats. The task of teaching, especially under 

such conditions, seemed impossible. But, when the Bureau was abolished in 1870, 

approximately 21 per cent of the newly freed were literate.

(Author: That was in "just" five years 1865-70; imagine what we COULD have done? PLEASE, get this booklet and... and help spread the link to this site around the globe!)

The Importance Of Political Independence

When I was eight (1952) we didn't yet have a TV. So, my family drove our old run-down Chevy miles and miles through the country to watch Democrat Adlai Stevenson speak before some huge crowd (the national political conventions would not be covered by television until the next election). I remember sitting on the floor and sensing great excitement in a room crammed full of people. My father, a WWII army vet, was grinning ear-to-ear and there was much cheering all through the speech. Stevenson lost the election, of course, to General Dwight D. Eisenhower. My mom and dad were saddened.

Then, in 1956, dad came home from work wearing an "I Like Ike" campaign button??? I was confused and said, "Dad... I thought we were Democrats?" Dad took my question very seriously, and called together my older sister, Julie (14), younger sister Marva (11), and little brother Marvin (10), and sat us down on the living room couch. Mom joined and sat in the old stuffed chair.

"We don't belong to ANY political party," dad said, as my mom nodded in agreement. Then he said, in a very serious manner, something that made such common sense that it stuck with me all my life. He said (paraphrasing) "If you pledge your vote to a single party, you excuse yourself from thinking.  We listen to both sides, read as much about the issues as we can and discuss them as much as possible. THEN we vote for the candidate we think will make the best president! Ike, in our opinion, has done a good job, and we're voting to re-elect him." Made perfect sense to me. An Independent thinker I would be.

Times were simpler back then... but I still admire and appreciate that ideal!

Why, ¿por qué? , 为什么, am I doing this???

This site is being launched to promote and receive feedback on the "booklet" titled, "What The WORLD Should Know About... Black History In The USA." It will soon be available as an eBook on Amazon/Kindle, then printed for use in schools and display on your coffee table. Now, here's why I wrote the booklet... and how I hope your feedback grows into an open and honest exchange about ANYTHING you wish to discuss. I am interested in virtually everything; especially, the social, political, economic, religious, and environmental issues that threaten our very existence today!

Ok, our starting point; "The Booklet." Following the infamous "race riots" that swept across the U.S. in the 1960's, there was great pressure by Black leaders to more effectively "integrate" the experiences and, especially, the accomplishments of Black people in U.S. history courses. Up until then we learned that Africans were brought to the the U.S. as slaves, later emancipated during the Civil War, and a few of them achieved important things - Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver - neither of whom was (admittedly) related to the more famous Washington who was the first U.S. President!

Aside from that, what THE WORLD seemed to learn about Blacks in the U.S. was based on observation; for the most part, we lived in slums in cities, shacks in rural areas, and worked in low-level jobs. The men as laborers, the women as maids-nannies. In the late 1940's professional sports were "integrated" and more Blacks were becoming successful entertainers - "high profile success!" Thus many people everywhere knew little about the "reality" of being Black in the U.S. Then... the riots of the '60's... and the whole world began to wonder; was it true that African-Americans achieved "on average" much less than Whites because they are intellectually inferior and lazy... Or was there more to the story?

So, in 1969, in response to complaints by many educators citing a great lack of educational materials for use in the teaching of Black history, I wrote a brief little 19-page booklet, more-or-less "summarizing" SOME of the Black people, events, issues, AND accomplishments that chould be included in school text-books on U.S. history. I was an account executive for one of the world's largest Black-owned public relations firms at the time, the booklet was written for and widely distributed to schools by a client company... and I thought, naively... "Well, that's a great start!," and just assumed that U.S. public school history books would steadily integrate the "role" of African-Americans in the development of this country. That was over 40 years ago!!!

Recently, I was talking with some young Black junior and senior high school students and was shocked by how little they know about Black History in general. These kids happen to attend up-scale suburban schools, yet said "Black History Month" is about the only time the subject comes up, that there's still very little relevant content in their history books. Now, there are some political AND practical reasons, I think, for this. And we can discuss them. But, being that African-Americans are the ONLY people - in a Nation of Immigrants - who were captured, chained,  and brought here NOT seeking the American Dream, but to provide free labor for those who could afford slaves - should not that fact, that difference, be acknowledged, discussed, and the effects analyzed?

I have updated and revised the booklet. When it is available, please read "What The WORLD Should Know About... Black History In The USA." I believe you will see how anybody, educators especially, will find ideas for lessons, projects, further research, and amazing "tidbits" for teaching students of ALL ages about the Black experience in this great country. The "Booklet" will be only about 20 pages (in hard-copy) WITH a large portion of photos/images. It will first be introduced for a few dollars on Amazon/Kindle. Then a fundraising campaign is planned for "KickStarter.com" where contributors can name schools or other institutions that will receive the printed booklet(s).

The booklet, again, is designed as a "starting point" for learning. Please read the section below, then tell us what YOU think about just that passage?
------------------------------------------------------

FOREWORD

"You Been Set Free" "When freedom came, my mama said Old Master called all of 'em to his house, and he said, you all free, we ain't got nothing to do with you no more. Go on away. We don't whop you no more, go on your way.' My mama said they go on off, then they come back and stand around, just looking at him and Old Mistress. They give 'em something to eat and he say, 'Go on away, you don't belong to us no more. You been freed.' They go away and they kept coming back. They didn't have no place to go and nothing to eat. From what she said, they had a terrible time. She said it was bad times. Some took sick and had no 'tention and died. Seemed like it was four or five years before they got to places they could live. They all got scattered . . Old Master every time they go back say, You all go on away. You been set free. You have to look out for yourselves now.'

— An ex-slave's account in
Lay My Burden Down: A Folk
History of Slavery, Ben Botkin, 1945

Now... put yourself in THEIR position and tell us how you might have felt as one of those newly FREE people? Please... just THINK about it... then share your thoughts. 

Thank you!

TrueBuzz.v1