It was high summer in Bisbee, and tensions were high. Two years before, posses of policemen and citizens had rounded up hundreds of copper miners and driven them out of town – to New Mexico, in fact – and the federal government was investigating. The year was 1919 and it was early July. The Independence …
Author Archives: tricia
“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” a.k.a. “The Black National Anthem”
“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” is a deeply religious song originally written to commemorate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. The writer was the principal of a school who was asked to speak at the birthday memorial event. His brother composed the music. A choir of 500 children first sang the song in 1900 at their school. The …
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Church Arsons and the Prevention Act – 1996
Approximately five years ago, Mt. Zion church in Greeleyville, South Carolina burned down. Though it is believed to have been a lightning strike that burned the church, it was not the first experience church members had with rebuilding after a fire. Back in 1995-1996, during a rash of church arsons, the church building had been …
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Longview, Texas – 1919
1919 was not a good year for race relations in the United States. If you are like me, the term “Red Summer” is new to you. The term is used to describe the many racial conflicts that happened all over the US that year. One of the less deadly conflicts – with only 1 death …
East St. Louis Massacre -1917
Prior to World War 1, workers had unionized. During the war, workers were scarce, so companies, like those in East St. Louis, recruited rural blacks to come and work in the factories and join a thriving and growing black community. Once soldiers returned to their jobs after the war, there was some resentment between white …
Introduction: Why history?
I am sure most are familiar with the saying, “Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it,” or, “History repeats itself” or some such comment. More recently, I have heard several people comment that you must face history and acknowledge it before you can learn from it. Considering these comments, I …
Candyland
Most of us are probably familiar with the game of Candyland – that sugary trek on a colorful path to the ultimate sugar rush castle! Thanks to a tip from a friend, I learned the backstory. The game was invented in 1948 by a (retired) school teacher, Eleanor Abbott, while she was recovering from polio. …
The First EMTs
Today when we call 9-1-1 for a medical emergency, a vehicle equipped with life-saving equipment is dispatched to your location, staffed by medically trained staff to treat you while you travel. But it was not always that way. As recently as the 1960s, if you called for emergency transport, you might travel in a paddy …
Sodom and Gomorrah
There is an account in Genesis 19 of the destruction of two wicked cities – Sodom and Gomorrah. Before that destruction, some angelic beings visit Abram’s nephew Lot, who lives in Sodom, to rescue him from the impending doom. The city’s inhabitants demand that these visitors be turned over to them for carnal reasons. Thanks …
Education: Abuse Prevention
In meeting friends who have experienced sexual abuse as children, as well as reading books and research, I have learned a few things about reducing the likelihood of sexual abuse. One of those things I’ve learned is that education is one way to help reduce abuse. The sort of education that is appropriate at a …