Tag: Gladys Young

Fannie Lou Hamer

On By dancingpalmtreesIn Black History Month, Fannie Lou Hamer - "Until I am Free You are Not Free Either", Fannie Lou Hamer - "We're On Our Way", Fannie Lou Hamer : At the 1964 Democratic National Committee, Fannie Lou Hamer ~~ One of the Queen Mothers of The Civil Rights Movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ralph Waldo Emerson Fannie Lou Hamer - "I Dont Mind My Light Shining", Uncategorized12 Comments

 

This is Well Worth a ReBlog for Black History Month Feb. 2017!! Celebrating the Women Warriors of the Civil Rights Movement!!  Long Live the Revolution!!

Fannie Lou Hamer ~~ One of the Queen Mothers of The Civil Rights Movement

I know that this weekend Americans are celebrating the Birthday and Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. but I want to focus on the Mothers of the Civil Rights Movement in America. Many Americans have no idea about these great African American Women who risked life and limb for the freedoms we now all enjoy and some take for granted. They endured jail under harsh conditions and were often beaten within an inch of their lives just because they wanted to register to have the Right to Vote!  Seems shocking but in terms of American History these protests, marches and speeches took place a scant 50 or 60 years ago. As I have heard some of the elders say, We Stand on the Shoulders of Giants. Fannie Lou Hamer is one of those Giants.

“God will not have his work be manifest by cowards,”- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fannie Lou Hamer – “I Don’t Mind My Light Shining”

 

Fannie Lou Hamer – “We’re On Our Way”

 

Fannie Lou Hamer – “Until I am Free You are Not Free Either”

 

Fannie Lou Hamer : At the 1964 Democratic National Committee

https://youtu.be/4cAqdCIC74k

As most of my readers know by now I’m not a woman who holds her tongue. I’m bold, brash, outspoken and unafraid. I call things as I see them. A Revolutionary, Activist and Outcast all wrapped into One! I’m beholden to no man save the Lord God. Real Life. Real Talk. Grown Folks speech.  Where do I get my Fierceness from?

I have neither chick nor child. Thelma Palmer Varner

I’m Free, Black & 21. Edward G. Palmer

Deborah all you need to do in this life is Stay Black, pay taxes and die. Edward G. Palmer

I also remember all the stories from my mother Mable Elizabeth Palmer, Grandmother Hattie Finney Banks, Maternal Aunts Helen James and Gladys Young; Paternal Aunts Helen Palmer Garcia and Thelma Palmer Varner of what it was like to be Black during the early part of the 20th Century. Jim Crow at it’s worst. Now there is a resurgence of hatred against People of Color and those who follow faiths outside Christianity. Yes History does repeat itself. The Tea Party, Christian Identity Movement, American Nazi Party, Klu Klux Klan, Fox News are all wearing the same White hoods under their three piece designer suits.

Back in 2014 when I turned 55 I entered the Council of Elders. I take my position and responsibilities seriously. I cannot and will not stand idly by while people are persecuted, harassed and bullied simply for the color of their skin. I believe everything happens for a reason. God, the Universe, Lord, Jehovah or Creator places us in certain situations to see what we will do, how we will react and will we really Live our Christianity or whatever faith you follow. As the Bible says, Faith without works is dead.

So as the expression goes if you can’t take the heat get out of the kitchen!  Okay So you know what’s coming next!! Get Ready!!

F.E.A.R ~~ False Evidence Appearing Real

We hide behind that Wall of Silence thinking if I’m just quiet enough I can slip under the radar. They won’t see me. I can hide and everything will be alright not knowing or not caring that Silence = Death.

We’ve become a society of trained apathetic circus clowns who when the powers that be say jump we ask how high. If we shuck and jive continually bowing down to the institution plantation head clowns. If we kiss their ass long enough perhaps we will be permitted the privilege of being allowed to slave another day.

Reduced to a mass of sniveling groveling cowards we’ve sold our birthrights for the few crumbs that drop from the Overseers table. We rant and rave against Trayvon Martin, Ferguson, Staten Island and other atrocities but back away from the injustice in our own backyards. Completely ignoring all the weapons within reach, easily at our disposal. All we have to do is pick them up use them but instead we say it’s not happening to me so I’m safe. Safe for how long? Who guarantees that you’ll magically be released at the age of 62 or now 66? There are no outside saviors. It’s you that will make a difference. Do you really think that by ignoring the cries of others that evil, harm, & wickedness won’t come your way? You’re living in a glass bubble. And why post scriptures of peace, love and redemption without acknowledging that even Jesus got angry and threw the money-changers out of the Temple. But No we mix idly among thieves, robbers, rapists, stalkers tethered to electronic mind numbing devices entranced by technological marvels ignoring the mud and filth accumulating on our clothes while building empires in the sand. Yes the brainwashing has been completed successfully and the new slave masters smile from on high.

My Grandmother Eva Sophronia Gordon Palmer
My Grandfather William J. Palmer with some of his children in Mt. Morris aka Marcus Garvey Park
Thelma Rosalie Palmer Varner

 

Share Your World – 2016 Week 35

On By dancingpalmtreesIn DeBorah, DeBorah Ann Palmer, Hattie Banks, Hattie Finney Banks, Helen Garcia, Helen James, Helen Palmer Garcia, Mable Elizabeth Palmer, Mable Palmer, Rufus & Chaka Khan - Once You Get Started, Rufus and Chaka Khan ~~ Tell Me Something Good, Share Your World – 2016 Week 35, Stephen, Stephen Vincent Palmer, Thelma Palmer Varner, Uncategorized11 Comments

 

https://ceenphotography.com/2016/08/29/share-your-world-2016-week-36/#like-19322

Share Your World – 2016 Week 35

With your answers, please remember we are in the SYW world which may not always match our reality.

041514 sywbanner

List 2 things you have to be happy about?

  1. My brother Stephen
  2. My Cat Sylvester
  3. A measure of health and strength
  4. My Blogging Family

As always I get carried away and can’t just list two!!

If you could take a photograph, paint a picture or write a story of any place in the world, what and where would it be?

Hawaii. It’s a place that I’ve yet to visit and is on my list of places to Travel when Retired.

Should children be seen and not heard?

Sounds like what my Dad used to say when we were kids, “That children should be seen and not heard!”  Ha! Ha! LOL!! Well that did not work as I was always bugging him. I think he used to say that as a joke. Daddy would come home from work and even though he was tired he would get down on the floor and play with us if we were awake and he always took us places on the weekends to give my Mom a break.

I never had children but when my young cousins were little kids I took them many places and enjoyed their company. Child care can be challenging but I enjoyed babysitting them. I encouraged them to speak up to talk with me. In my opinion communication with kids is vital. Even if you disagree with the child or they say something completely off well that gives the adult the opportunity to explain to them about plants, animals, people and life in general. Always listen to children. They have wonderful unfettered imaginations!

List at least five of your favorite first names.

  1. DeBorah
  2. Stephen
  3. Edward
  4. Mable
  5. Thelma
  6. Helen
  7. William
  8. Eva
  9. Gladys
  10. Clarence
  11. Hattie
  12. Veronica

Yup!! These are all Family Names!!  I know this list is more than five but once you get started!!

Family Photo_Collage (1)
Family Photo Collage

 

Rufus & Chaka Khan – Once You Get Started

 

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up? 

  • Health
  • Well-being
  • A nice clean safe place to Love. I Love Brooklyn!!
  • My Cat Sylvester.
  • Wonderful co-workers with whom I laugh and joke with about the nuttiness on our job.

 

 

 

 

The Road Less Traveled | The Daily Post

On By dancingpalmtreesIn 101st Airborne Division, 569th PSC, Army, The Road Less Traveled | The Daily Post, U.S. Army, Uncategorized, United States Army6 Comments

 

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/the-road-less-traveled/

DAILY PROMPT

The Road Less Traveled

Pinpoint a moment in your past where you had to make a big decision. Write about that other alternate life that could have unfolded.

Major Decision #1

November 1977 to November 1981 when I joined the United States Army. This gave me the opportunity to not only serve my country but travel to Europe and meet people from all over the United States. I did my Basic and AIT at Ft. Jackson, SC. I was posted at the 569th PSC in Augsburg, Germany and at the 101st Airborne Division located at Ft. Campbell, KY. During my four years in the Army I also went TDY (temporary duty) at various bases inside and outside the U.S.

The Army reinforced the sense of discipline, accountability and responsibility that my parents Edward and Mable Palmer had already implanted within me. I received an Honorable Discharge and am very proud to be a U.S. Army Veteran.

1978 Augsburg, Germany
Deborah Ann Palmer U.S. Army 1977-1981

Major Decision #2

September 1995 when I decided to move forward in earning my BA at Marymount Manhattan College.  My Dad Edward G. Palmer had just passed away that year May 13, 1995 at age 65 and I then became responsible for both my mother Mable Palmer and my brother Stephen Palmer. I felt I needed to get my BA as being a College graduate was both my Dad’s desire and mine but I was just too busy running around living free and easy. Once my Father died I inherited his responsibilities and I felt that college would give me an up in terms of critical thinking and advancing my then career.

 

Being a student was both exhilarating and challenging. At that time Marymount Manhattan College was a private Women’s Catholic college which had just begun to admit men on a limited scale. Therefore the classes were small and the professors took a personal interest in the intellectual and educational development of each student. By the time I went to MMC all the instructors were secular not the Nuns that had preceded them many years before.  The professors and the Dean were dedicated to helping Ladies succeeded especially returning Women students like myself.

At that time I was 36 years old definitely not a teenager but an adult who worked full-time and a caregiver.  I did briefly attend Marymount Manhattan College around 1987/88 but being in my 20s was my wild & crazy period so I did not stick it out even though I was doing very well in school.  Not to say the professors were easy on the students in terms of work load. There were tons of novels and other books to read and 25 page research papers to write on a bi-weekly basis. I suppose it was stressful but a positive stress. An intellectual challenge and I rose to the occasion.

Entering college as an adult I knew that I wanted to major in English literature unlike an 18 year old who is inexperienced with the world in general and probably has very little work experience. At age 36  I had already served my country as a soldier in the United States Army and had many years in the workplace.  Many people including some relatives kept asking me “Why are you majoring in English? Are you going to become a teacher?”  My answer then as now is I Love English literature and I knew I could pass and no I had no intentions of becoming a teacher.

My Mom who was still living at the time never asked me any ridiculous questions. She was happy that I cared for her, went to work, studied hard in school and went to church. Mom was proud of me and my accomplishments. Sadly my mother followed my Dad into the hereafter August 1998 at age 68. Neither she nor my Dad ever got to see me graduate from Marymount Manhattan College May 2002 when I was 43 however their spirits spurred me on to successfully complete a difficult year long course called Women in Urban Leadership, make the Deans List in 1999 and graduate Cum Laude. Both my parents were born in 1930 at a time when racism, lynchings, discrimination and Jim Crow ruled America. They felt that my generation as the first generation to benefit from the Civil Rights Movement could and should uplift the race through education.  My accomplishments were not just for me but for my parents, grandparents, aunts and great-uncles who never had those opportunities.

Marymount Manhattan College opened up a new world to me, helped develop my writing skills and gave me confidence in those writing skills.  During this time the then Dean Joan Brookshire said to me that I had a gift for writing. My professors male and female built me up and I felt a sense of accomplishment.  So for me returning to college was probably the best decision of my adult life.

Marymount Manhattan College 2002 Graduation photo

 

France

On By dancingpalmtreesIn 9/11, African American Queen, African Goddess, Bangladesh, Bigotry, Buddhism, Buddhist, Christianity, Edward Palmer, Eva Gordon Palmer, Evil, France, French, French National Anthem - "La Marseillaise" (FR/EN), Gay, Gladys Young, Goddess, hatred, Hattie Banks, Helen Garcia, Helen James, Hindu, Homosexual, India, Iran, Islam, Jesus, Jewish, Judism, Love, Love Train [Original 12" Version] - The O'Jays (1972), Muslim, Paris, Racism, Terrorism, William Henry Halstead, William Palmer, Winston Churchill - We Shall Never Surrender (Full Speech)3 Comments

This is a very long two part post.

French National Anthem – “La Marseillaise” (FR/EN)

My blogging buddy K.B. who lives in Paris is safe, alive and well. He is grateful to all Americans for their prayers, encouragement and support.

I totally disagree with the hate towards France being spewed on Facebook!! Yes we all know that France was a Colonizer back in the 18th and 19th Centuries but the people alive today, the people maimed and killed in those horrible attacks have nothing to do with with what happened centuries ago. Yes we do need to learn and heed the lessons of the past. Colonialism and Slavery must continue to be taught in schools so we recognize wickedness and choose another path. On that note yesterday I left a group that I thought was about the positive because of the evil statements made against France. People who return hate for hate are little better than the oppressors.

Winston Churchill – We Shall Never Surrender (Full Speech)

https://youtu.be/CyoMp2JceOw

Governments often make problems that make others suffer. My parents, grandparents and great grandparents went through racism and Jim Crow but they did not hate this nation, their country. As a Black woman I experience bias, racism and bigotry often but that does not give me the right to lump all white people in the same pot as an excuse to hate and spew venom. As a Christian I represent Jesus Christ so I can never do this. My spirit and soul do not allow me.

Love Train [Original 12″ Version] – The O’Jays (1972)

https://youtu.be/iTp0AlTuPNA

Many of those murdered in France and on the Russian airplane blast were innocent children. Hatred solves nothing. We cannot go back and change the past. Also keep in mind on 9/11 many French, European and other nations supported New Yorkers and Americans. Being Pro-Black does not give me the right to be anti-white or anti-European. Why? Because the Love of God and His compassion is in my heart. Most people of color have experienced bias and bigotry in some form but I refuse to deny aid, support or prayer to those in need. I pray for everyone. I’m still praying for the innocent Russian people killed in that airplane explosion. Hate is divisive. Please do not use this tragedy as an excuse to incite or fan the flames of hatred. I wholeheartedly and unashamedly support and stand with the people of France and victims of terrorism worldwide! Show Love to all.

‪#‎France‬‪ #‎Paris ‬‪#‎OneLove‬   #America

********************************************************************************************************************************************

I Rise Above hatred, bias, bigotry & racism.

I know what it is to be treated with the wide brush of stereotypes.
Working with the general public can be a challenge and if you’re a Black Woman wearing a uniform, a uniform that designates a form of authority more challenges come your way.

My Great, Great Grandfather William Henry Halstead left his life as a Free farmer and joined the Union Army for the benefit of his enslaved sisters and brothers and for his descendants unseen and yet unknown. But maybe he did know that Stephen and I would reap the benefits of his sacrifice. My Dad Edward G. Palmer left City College and joined the Air Force to fight for an America that did not even consider him a man but duty and honor came first. Thanks to the sacrifices and Love from my ancestors my generation of Black Americans became the first generation to benefit from the Civil Rights Movement. I’m carried on the shoulders of giants.

My Mother, Grandmothers and Aunts rose above the indignities of Jim Crow.

Sadly some look at me and see only color or gender. I’ve been approached by white males thinking that I’m a drug dealer or available for sex. Obviously I had to set them straight.  They needed to be firmly re-educated.

But I’m more than race, nationality or gender. Like most people on this earth Black, Brown, or white I’m a human being of complexity. That’s why I had to speak out against vile remarks being leveled at the French people. God created people. Humans created race & divisions.

I’ve come to think that the reason God placed me in the museum was to root out my preconceptions, illusions and delusions about people of other faiths.
Over the almost 8 years I’ve worked there the Ladies and Gentlemen I’m closest to are Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu & Jewish. By being around and in close contact with co-workers outside of my faith I’ve learned a lot and mostly not to be judgmental. I’ve even visited their Houses of Worship and learned that these faiths are not so different from Christianity. If I had been born in Iran, Egypt, Bangladesh, India, I would be a practitioner of that faith. We are all people who want the same things in life.

One God. Many Paths.

Earlier this year I spent two weeks in the hospital. The reason I’ll keep private but the person who visited me and took me home is Gay. Again another lesson of acceptance. Every time I’ve prayed for help God sent someone from another race, faith, gender, or sexual orientation to assist me.

I could lower myself to the level of bigots, haters, slanderers & spew a fountain of venom and vindictiveness but I choose not to. I choose if not to Love everyone but to at least to respect all people regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation. When I make mistakes or say the wrong thing I go back and apologize. Nobody is perfect but these errors in judgement provide me the opportunity to examine myself.

I’m sure as I make my way towards March 2018 and retirement God will have even more Life Lessons on my path towards Enlightenment.

Still Rising.