My Thoughts on This Memorial Day

On May 28, 2018May 28, 2018 By dancingpalmtreesIn Edward G. Palmer, Edward Gordon Palmer, Edward Palmer, Great, Great Grandfather William Henry Halstead, Memorial Day, Memorial Day 2018, The Daily Post, The Daily Prompt, Uncategorized, William Henry Halstead8 Comments

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/ceremony/

My Thoughts on this Memorial Day

Today we Americans Honor and Remember Those Who died in Battle.

Though my ancestors did not die in battle I still Honor their sacrifice.

First My Great, Great Grandfather who being a Free man remembered his sisters and brothers in slavery chains and joined the battle for Freedom.

William Henry Halstead

In December of 1863 my Great Great Grandfather, William Henry Halstead, who lived in Tarrytown, New York, traveled to New Haven, Connecticut to join the 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry. On his Volunteer Enlistment papers it notes his occupation as a farmer. He enlisted for three years and was discharged on the 24th day of October 1865. He married and had five children. William Henry Halstead passed away in 1888 and was buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Tarrytown, New York. His wife moved to New York City with her five children. Her children grew up in Harlem and belonged to various organizations such as Odd Fellows, Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic and the Daughters of New York.

Edward Gordon Palmer

My Father Edward Gordon Palmer who served in Air Force during the Korean War. Daddy dropped out of City College in New York to enlist in the Air Force. Fortunately My Dad was stationed state side and did not have to go to Korea but I’m still glad he Loved this country enough to volunteer.

Of course I’m also glad that after he ETS’d he went to work at Wright Patterson Air-force Base in Dayton, Ohio, was introduced to and married my Mom Mable Palmer which resulted in myself and Stephen. Obviously I mention my Dad because I Love him and still impressed that despite the fact Black Americans did not have Civil Rights as in every war since the American Revolution Black Americans have always stood up and defended our country always hoping and praying for the Double V. Victory Overseas and Victory at Home.

As most of you already know I too served in the U.S. Army because despite the fact that America does not believe in Black people I still believe in her and what she could and should be for All Americans.

One day the hopes, dreams and prayers of my ancestors will be fulfilled and we will have that Victory at Home.

William Henry Halstead Headstone ~ Sleepy Hollow

William H. Halstead name as inscribed on the Colored Soldiers Monument in Washington, DC

America My Country! Sweet Land of Liberty! Let Freedom Ring!

Veterans Legacy Program: “Pride of the Buffalo Soldiers” – VAntage Point

On February 9, 2018February 9, 2018 By dancingpalmtreesIn Bob Marley - Buffalo soldier, Buffalo Soldiers, Edward G. Palmer, Edward Gordon Palmer, Edward Palmer, Great, Great Grandfather William Henry Halstead, Uncategorized, William Henry Halstead6 Comments

https://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/45148/veterans-legacy-program-pride-of-the-buffalo-soldiers/

To All My Readers of African Descent Listen to the part of the Video that says the Buffalo Soldiers did not look for or seek recognition or validation from white society to succeed. Obviously in American Blacks and all people of Color are under attack. We are not wanted. Many are hoping to see our erasure from the landscape however Take Pride in your Race. Our Culture! Our Traditions! It’s Up to Us and We as Black People cannot rely on other races to assist or to support our causes! Do For Self!

Despite negativity from evangelicals and fundamentalists We Will Not be wiped out or exterminated. The success, riches and wealth of America was pretty much built on the backs of Africans. We are here and we are not going anywhere!!

Say It Loud!! I’m Black and I’m Proud!

Black History is American History!

Share Your World – October 23, 2017

On October 23, 2017October 23, 2017 By dancingpalmtreesIn Cemetery, Great, Great Grandfather William Henry Halstead, Share Your World – October 23, 2017, SYW, Uncategorized10 Comments

Share Your World – October 23, 2017

October 23, 2017 Cee Neuner

I combined the last three Share Your World questions as work has been very hectic and there was an incident on my job that was disturbing to say the least. One of the employees Snapped. Therefore even though I’ve been acting normal and trying to keep my emotions and feelings under control the altercation I witnessed has affected every aspect of my life.

I apologize to my readers.

Was school easy or difficult for you? How so?

Both. Fairly easy concerning academics except math. I hate math and I suck at math. I Love English and History. Then and now.

Difficult because I was bullied in school. The summer before I graduated High School and went into the Army I was pushed down a flight of steps. Children can be and are cruel. Very cruel.

List some of your favorite types of animals.

Cats. Dogs. When I was a teenager gerbils.

What is your favorite large city you have been to? What is the one thing you remember most?

The city I live in New York City aka The Big Apple. All parts of the city are memorable. Most tourists concentrate on Manhattan where the majority of tourist attractions reside but the outer boroughs have their own special charm and elegance.

What do you consider is the most perfect food for you? (It can be your favorite food to something extremely healthy.)

To be honest chocolate. Dark Chocolate! LOL!! 🙂 😀

Are you focused on today or tomorrow?

Both. My mind is all over the place. I am rarely in the moment. I have anxiety and panic attacks plus what took place at my workplace a few weeks ago turned my life upside down in a bad way. More triggers. More worries. Crying. Tears. Insomnia.

The only place that I’ve found peace and solace in these upsetting nerve wracking weeks was a couple of Saturdays ago while walking through a local neighborhood historic cemetery near my home. Cemeteries are calm, quiet, restful, peaceful places great for introspection and deep thought.

If you could interview one of your great-great-great grandparents, who would it be (if you know their name) and what would you ask?

My Great, Great Grandfather William Henry Halstead who fought in the Civil War plus his wife. I want to know more about my Great, Great Grandmother and her life after her husband’s death.

What is your favorite outdoor activity?

Walking and taking photos.

In a car would you rather drive or be a passenger?

Passenger. I can’t drive.

If you could have three wishes granted for you alone, what would they be?

Health, Wealth, More time with my brother Stephen.

What inspired you or what did you appreciate this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

Whose Flag?

On September 27, 2017October 7, 2017 By dancingpalmtreesIn Edward G. Palmer, Edward Gordon Palmer, Edward Palmer, 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, Great, Great Grandfather William Henry Halstead, Uncategorized, Whose Flag?, William Henry Halstead10 Comments

Whose Flag?

Whose Flag? The flag that ignited the Trail of Tears and condemned my Native American Ancestors far from their Promised Land?

The Flag that ignited Manifest Destiny and stole, robbed, cheated and raped millions of Indigenous peoples to broken treaties, destruction and death.

The Flag that ignited the slave ships of the Middle Passage where my African Ancestors were kidnapped from the Motherland. Denied their heritage. Their religion. Their customs and traditions. And what of those thrown overboard as so much excess baggage. Or the others who jumped rather than condemn generations to slavery and Jim Crow.

The Flag that ignited the Dred Scott decision telling us we are only 3/5ths of a man? Where are we in the signing of the Declaration of Independence? Do you see any Native or African Americans in those paintings? Not even any women! So do we salute a flag, a symbol of colonialism, slavery, Jim Crow and racism? Since we were not included by the Founding Fathers most of whom were slave owners?

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dred-scott-decision

Do we honor a flag that forced my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents to get off the sidewalk when white people approached? Get to the back of the bus. Settle for sub-standard schools and housing. Forced sterilization which was done throughout the Southern Bible Belt states.

The flag of Dixie-crat racist Strom Thurmond whose death revealed the Black Daughter he had kept hidden for nearly 70 years?

Read the story of Fanny Lou Hamer one of the Mothers of the Civil Rights Movement.

What of our white Sisters and brothers like Murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner up to and including Heather Heyer? White Americans who fought evil and lost their lives. Does the flag represent them?

Does this flag represent the two Indian engineers who were murdered or the Chinese doctor who was dragged from his airplane seat?

Did that flag represent the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=47

http://www.history.com/topics/chinese-exclusion-act

What of the Japanese Americans who were stripped of all their worldly goods and sent to camps just because they resembled the enemy? And By the Way who is our enemy?

What of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama–a church with a predominantly black congregation that served as a meeting place for civil rights leaders where Four young girls were brutally killed.

What of the the nine who were murdered last year in South Carolina during a Bible study by one whom they welcomed as a fellow Christian but who turned out to be a demon.

Tell me again why I should put my hand over my heart or in my case salute since I am a U.S. Army Veteran for this flag. This flag who denied my Korean War Veteran Dad who was in uniform and hungry. Who tried to get a hot dog and the white man said we don’t serve Niggers?

Tell me why this flag and this country whom my Great, Great Grandfather William Henry Halstead who fought in the Civil War still denies it’s promise to me and all his descendants?

Did and was this flag the covering for the slave master who barged into my Great, Great, great, great Grandmother’s slave cabin late at night and forced himself on her?

Did and was this flag the covering and excuse for the Married Redneck Drill Sgt coming to my barracks and calling my name after hours?

Tell me again why we honor this flag and why does this cloth not live up to it’s promise to ALL Americans?

Fannie Lou Hamer

On February 3, 2017February 2, 2017 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

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.