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Susan
Mangatal - susan@ariousentertainment.us
Greetings
On-Line Family!
March
is National Women's History Month! For this entire month
we will recognize, celebrate and honor women around the
world. We will celebrate their diverse and historic
accomplishments, as well as their rich and varied contributions
to the history and culture of the United States and around the
world.
The idea to honor
women was established in this country in 1978 and it began as
"Women's History Week". In 1981 Sen. Orrin Hatch
(R-Utah) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) co-sponsored a joint
Congressional Resolution proclaiming "National Women's
History Week", which was passed. However, Congress
expanded the week to a month (coincides with Int’l
Women’s Day - which will be celebrated on March 8th).
According to the National Women's History Month Project
Organization the theme for this years' month long
celebrations is: "Women’s Art:
Women’s Vision." This theme represents the
originality, beauty, imagination and multiple dimensions of
women's lives
Last month we
celebrated Black History Month, and as you know history was and
is still being made before our eyes. We have chosen to
continue celebrating black history this month, but will focus on
celebrating and recognizing the bold and daring achievements of
notable African American Women who have impacted history.
 Recognizing and Celebrating Women's Accomplishments throughout
History - “National
Women’s History Month”
This week we honor African-American Women
who are "Firsts" during the 18th century (1700-1799)
and 19th Century (1800-1899)
1700s
1746: Lucy Terry Prince
(Poet) was the first African American women that composed a
poem. Her poem "Bars
Fight, is her only poem that has survived. Ms.
Prince was stolen from African as an infant and was sold
into slavery. Her freedom was purchased by Abijah
Prince who was a prosperous free black man, whom she married
and had 6 kids with. She was a very good speaker and
captivated many. She used her speaking skills to
defend her family's rights and property, which she did on
many occasions. She also used her skills to argued
unsuccessfully before the trustees of Williams College for
the admission of one of her sons, skillfully citing
scripture and law "in an earnest and eloquent speech of
three hours." Later, when a Colonel Eli Bronson
attempted to steal land owned by the Princes, the case
eventually made its way to the Supreme Court. Lucy argued
against two of the leading lawyers in the state, one of whom
later became chief justice of Vermont -- and she won. Samuel
Chase, the presiding justice of the Court, said that her
argument was better than he'd heard from any Vermont
lawyer. She died in 1821.
 1773: Phyllis Wheatley (Founder of African-American
literature) was the First African American woman to publish
a book of Poems on Various Subjects "Religious and
Moral. ". Ms. Wheatley was
from Senegal, Africa and was sold into slavery at the age of
seven as a servant and attended to her mistress
Susannah Wheatley from Boston. She grew up with the
Wheatley's children and learned to read and write English at
12 and was reading Greek and Latin classics and passages
from the Bible. She wrote her first poem at 13, and
she became a sensation in Boston when she wrote a poem on
the death of an evangelical preacher in 1770. There
years later 39 of her poems were published in London
as "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral,
which was the first book to be published by a black
American.
1800s
 Harriett Tubman formally Armanita Greene was
born into slavery on a Maryland plantation in 1820 or 1821.
She later took her mother's name," Harriet".
She was forced to work at the age of five. Harriet was a
very smart and strong-willed individual. When she was 13,
her head was accidentally injured by a rock that was thrown
at someone else, causing her to experience blackouts
throughout her life. In 1844, Harriet married John
Tubman, a free black man. She was allowed to sleep in his
cabin at night, but her slavery continued. A few years
later the plantation owner died. She knew she would be sold
to the even harsher conditions of the deep South if she did
not escape. She made her way on foot to Pennsylvania, some
90 miles, stopping at churches and aided by other
sympathizers in the network known as the Underground
Railroad. She worked hard for two years, saving
money to return to Maryland for her sister and her two
children. Soon she was making regular trips, each one
riskier than the last. She had shrewd planning skills and
always chose a different route and used disguises to avoid
being caught. There were rewards totaling $40,000 offered
for her arrest, but she was never caught.
During the Civil War, she
worked as a nurse and scout for the North. She was honored
more than once by the Union Army, although she did not
receive a pension for years. Eventually she led about 300
people to freedom in Canada and became known as the
"Moses of Her People".
In her later years, she
continued to serve others by establishing a home for the
elderly in upstate New York, where she died, in poverty, in
1913. The Harriet Tubman Home for Aged and Indigent Colored
People in Auburn is now a museum. Harriet Tubman was
an extraordinary woman who, despite physical hardship and
her own lack of education, dedicated her life to saving the
lives of others. She is a hero to those she rescued and to
millions who never met her, including Julia Abel.
 Edmonia Lewis was the first African
American and Native American woman to gain fame and
recognition as a sculptor. At a
time in America when slaves were just freed, she found
inspiration in the lives of abolitionists and Civil War
heroes. In a world which didn’t encourage women of
color, through incredible determination and sense of
purpose, Ms. Lewis created great art and received world
acclaim. Her early work commemorated abolitionists
and heroes of the Civil War, such as the medallions she
created to honor abolitionist martyr John Brown. She
also made a bust of Col. Robert Shaw, leader of an
all-Negro regiment, and sold hundreds of plaster copies
to raise funds for underpaid black Union soldiers. Her
marble statue, Forever Free, depicting a freed black man
and woman, became one of her most famous, and was
displayed at the Howard University Gallery of Art in
Washington, D.C.
 1859: Harriett Wilson First African American
Novelist. Ms. Wilson a
mulatto woman from New Hampshire published a novel in
1989 with the stated hope of earning sufficient money
simply to survive. Instead, her novel Our Nig; or
Sketches From the Life of A Free Black, became a
powerful and controversial narrative that continues to
touch and unsettle readers around the world.
 1862: Mary Jane Patterson was the first African American
woman to receive a B.A. Degree from the established
American College - Oberlin College. She
was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, she was the oldest
of seven children. In 1856, she and her family
(The Paterson's) moved to Oberlin, Ohio, where they
joined a growing community of free Black families who
worked to send their children to the college. Her
family boarded large numbers of Black students in their
home. In 1862, she graduated from Oberlin College,
becoming the first Black woman to receive a B. A. degree
from an established American college. Eventually, four
Patterson children graduated from Oberlin College, all
becoming teachers. Ms. Patterson first known
teaching appointment was in 1865, when she became an
assistant to Fanny Jackson in the Female Department of
the Institute for Colored Youth in Philadelphia.
In 1869, Ms. Patterson accepted a teaching position in
Washington, D. C., at the newly organized Preparatory
High School for Colored Youth later known as Dunbar High
School. She served as the school's
first Black principal, from 1871 to 1874.
1864: Dr. Rebecca Lee
Crumpler became the first black women to receive an Medical
Degree in the U.S. She was born
and raised by her aunt who influenced her to go into the
medical profession since medical care for the needs of poor
blacks was almost non-existent.. She worked as a nurse
in Charleston, MA between 1852-1860 and She pursued an M.D.
which she earned and graduated from the New England Female
Medical College in 1864. This was a significant
achievement at the time "because she was in the first
generation of women of color to break into medical school,
fight racism and sexism," said Manon Parry, curator at
the National Library of Medicine's History of Medicine
Division. "It was common theme that minority females
went into the profession to provide medical care for
underserved communities.
1866: Cathy Williams was the first recorded African-American
female in the U.S. Army. Ms.
Williams was born in Missouri in 1844, her mother was a
slave and her father was a free person of color. As a
young girl she worked as a house slave on the Johnson
Plantation in Jefferson City, MO and was freed in
1861. At 17 Ms. Williams was impressed into the 8th
Indiana Volunteer Infantry. For the next several years
she traveled alongside the infantry accompanying the
soldiers on their marches throughout AK, LA, & GA.
She was present at the battle of Pea Ridge and Red River
Campaign. She officially enlisted in 1866 and joined
up with the U.S. Regular Army in St. Louis, MO, after
passing the physical exam she signed up for a three-year
tour of duty under the name William Cathay, she disguised
herself as a male for many years. However she was
discovered after 2 years and was discharged in 1868.
Ms. Williams' story first became
public knowledge when a reporter from St. Louis heard rumors
of a female African-American who had served in the military,
and came to hear her story. A brief description of Williams'
life and military service, told in her own words, was
published in the St. Louis Daily Times in early January
1876.
 1885: Sarah E. Goode was the first African-American
women to receive a patent for a bed that folded up into
a cabinet. Ms. Goode was
born into slavery in 1850. She was the first African
American woman to be granted a patent by the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office for her invention, the cabinet bed,
on July 14, 1885. Freed at the end of the Civil
War, Goode moved to Chicago and became an entrepreneur.
As owner of a furniture store she noted that city
apartment dwellers often had little space for beds. She
conceived the design of what we know today as the
"hide away" bed. She described the design as
"a folding bed" whose hinged sections were
easily raised or lowered. When not in use as a bed,
Goode's invention could also be used as a desk.
 1897: Dr. Matilda Arabella Evans was the
first African American woman licensed to practice
medicine in South Carolina. The
Dr. graduated from the Woman's Medical College of
Pennsylvania (WMCP) in 1897. Her survey of black
school children's health in Columbia, South Carolina,
served as the basis for a permanent examination program
within the South Carolina public school system. She also
founded the Columbia Clinic Association, which provided
health services and health education to families. She
extended the program when she established the Negro
Health Association of South Carolina, to educate
families throughout the state on proper health care
procedures.
 1898: Dr Eliza Ann Grier became the first
African American woman licensed to practice medicine in
the state of Georgia. Dr.
Grier was an emancipated slave who faced racial
discrimination and financial hardship while pursuing her
dream of becoming a doctor. To pay for her medical
education, she alternated every year of her studies with
a year of picking cotton. It took her seven years to
graduate. Although she was plagued with financial
difficulties throughout her education and her career,
she fought tenaciously for her right to earn a living as
a woman doctor.
 
Senator
Barack Obama and his camp worked long and hard on this weeks'
primaries and caucuses. The fight became a bit difficult a
few days before the primaries/caucuses, due to old nasty politics we are
so familiar with. However, thousands and thousands of
folks went out and voted for Senator Obama. He won the
primary in Vermont by a large margin, but placed 2nd in the
other states. He was very close in Texas 48%, a state that
he was behind approximately 20 points (Senator Clinton won with
51%). As for the Caucus in TX he is ahead 56%, but the
final result has not been released yet, apparently it's still
being counted.
Overall
per CNN (as of today 3/7/08) Senator Obama is still maintaining
a substantial lead in Delegates. He has a total of 1520
delegates (1,321 Pledged and 199 Super delegates, and Senator
Clinton has a total of 1,424 (1,186 Pledged and 238 Super
delegates) The total delegates needed to get the
nomination is
2,025.
As
you know the accusations, attacks, maliousness,
distortions and hatefulness has taken over and has come to the
forefront, so the struggle continues and is growing very
difficult. The road on this journey is indeed long and
hard for Senator Obama and his camp, but we have strong hopes
and know that he is wise, inspires, projects sincerity and
patience. We also know he has envisioned the goal and has
concrete solutions to the many problems plaguing America.
There is no doubt that he appeals to all races, so I am
convinced he will continue succeeding, he absolutely has the
ability and wisdom to move us forward, and he will bridge the
gap on many issues.
We
are all
proud of Senator Obama, and know that he
will prevail. The
overall "Change", and the need for new we all are seeking will be delivered.
We have had enough with the old politics, the old tactics, and
the rhetoric. We are just tired of the same old mess with
the government and old families who have been in power for over
20 years.
I'm
sure this great momentum will continue for Senator Barack
Obama, and in all the other states the upcoming primaries and caucuses
are scheduled to be held, WILL indeed result in wins for him.
This Saturday,
March 8th is Wyoming Democratic Caucus and on March 11th is
Mississippi 's Primary. Those
who believe Senator Obama will be the next great President of
America must go out and keep up the
momentum by voting for Senator Barack Obama, so that he maintains his
current position as the front-runner in this democratic race; which will allow him to be the democratic nominee and ultimately
win the General election and become the next President of the
United States. Let’s
continue making history together!!!
Let
me leave you with a letter that was written in late January to
Senator Obama from Toni Morrison, the Legendary novelist,
editor, Professor, Pulitzer Prize winner, and the first African
American woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature in
1993. Feel free to let me know your thoughts on this
letter.
Dear Senator Obama,
This letter represents a first for
me--a public endorsement of a Presidential candidate. I
feel driven to let you know why I am writing it. One
reason is it may help gather other supporters; another
is that this is one of those singular moments that
nations ignore at their peril. I will not rehearse the
multiple crises facing us, but of one thing I am
certain: this opportunity for a national evolution (even
revolution) will not come again soon, and I am convinced
you are the person to capture it.
May I describe to you my thoughts?
I have admired Senator Clinton for
years. Her knowledge always seemed to me exhaustive; her
negotiation of politics expert. However I am more
compelled by the quality of mind (as far as I can
measure it) of a candidate. I cared little for her
gender as a source of my admiration, and the little I
did care was based on the fact that no liberal woman has
ever ruled in America. Only conservative or
"new-centrist" ones are allowed into that
realm. Nor do I care very much for your race[s]. I would
not support you if that was all you had to offer or
because it might make me "proud."
In thinking carefully about the
strengths of the candidates, I stunned myself when I
came to the following conclusion: that in addition to
keen intelligence, integrity and a rare authenticity,
you exhibit something that has nothing to do with age,
experience, race or gender and something I don't see in
other candidates. That something is a creative
imagination which coupled with brilliance equals wisdom.
It is too bad if we associate it only with gray hair and
old age. Or if we call searing vision naivete. Or if we
believe cunning is insight. Or if we settle for
finessing cures tailored for each ravaged tree in the
forest while ignoring the poisonous landscape that feeds
and surrounds it. Wisdom is a gift; you can't train for
it, inherit it, learn it in a class, or earn it in the
workplace--that access can foster the acquisition of
knowledge, but not wisdom.
When, I wondered, was the last time
this country was guided by such a leader? Someone whose
moral center was un-embargoed? Someone with courage
instead of mere ambition? Someone who truly thinks of
his country's citizens as "we," not
"they"? Someone who understands what it will
take to help America realize the virtues it fancies
about itself, what it desperately needs to become in the
world?
Our future is ripe, outrageously
rich in its possibilities. Yet unleashing the glory of
that future will require a difficult labor, and some may
be so frightened of its birth they will refuse to
abandon their nostalgia for the womb.
There have been a few prescient
leaders in our past, but you are the man for this time.
Good luck to you and to us.
Toni Morrison |
    
To all of you
our on-line family, thanks for reading, sharing your thoughts
and comments with us, and for always supporting
us. As you know without you there would be no us.
So thanks very much for your support and One Love!
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TransAfrica
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March
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Call
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