The Genealogist

The Legacy of Black Fatherhood

By Dana Ross

Some write and speak on the importance of embracing the historical contributions and legacies of our ancestors who were enslaved because of the significant role they played in shaping American society and culture. They emphasize the need of knowing where we come from in order to plant a stronger foot on the path to our future. However, few of us embrace the historical examples and legacies of family structure and life as set by our ancestors; in particular our male ancestors.

Despite the images of enslaved Black men, depicted in history books as lazy, cowardice beings, they were loving, nurturing and protective fathers. There are several periodicals and resources written by enslaved men and women as well as a collection of voice recorded interviews with former slaves who serve as witnesses to the true make up of the enslaved family and their communities. More importantly they document the positive images set forth by Black fathers during that era. They were said to take great pride in their ability to care for their families and would sacrifice their lives for their children with the same compassion and love as enslaved women. Many would purchase their wives and children with money or in exchange for extra labor in order to keep their family members out of slave auctions.

\”Researchers acknowledge the business acumen of enslaved Black men. Their research shed light on the slave owners who acknowledged this as well. There are documented accounts of business transactions of enslaved men; how they brokered for land, bought their relatives freedom and made decisions which benefited their families\’ future. My great-great-great grandfather Frank Cooper was an astute enslaved businessman. Although he was responsible for driving his owner, he was also a Minister who later organized and founded five churches.

The founding of these five churches led to the Frank Cooper Missionary Baptist Association. My family\’s first church, McCanaan Missionary Baptist Church, was built in 1875 in Sardis, Georgia, Burke County. This area is known as \”Cooper Hill\” named after my family. Unfortunately the original church was destroyed by fire in the early 1890\’s and reconstructed in 1912. According to researchers, the church was more than likely burned down by klansmen. Today, this church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural design. He rebuilt the church on his property, over 340 acres, where he raised his twelve children and tended to his farm. My family still owns and farms on this land today. The land includes a family cemetery where several generations of my ancestors rest.

Black men during this era were dehumanized, humiliated and oppressed; however it did not deter them from being nurturing, loving, fathers, caretakers and entrepreneurs. They were able to rise above the social system set against them by pulling on their inner strength and love for their families. Even though some inevitably fell prey to the institution of slavery, there are more than enough documented stories and recorded family histories which evidence the significant and prominent role of Black fathers. These men were able to overcome the adversities of the institution of slavery on the strength of their family; leaving us a legacy to reconnect with. \”

The above is an excerpt from my book, \”Black Fatherhood: Reconnecting With Our Legacy.\” My main goal in writing this book and accompanying documentary was to show despite mounds of derogatory statistics about Black men in their roles as fathers, there is a strong legacy of Black men (from their time of enslavement to present) who were and presently are proactive fathers. However, in order to reconnect with this legacy, I felt it was imperative to unmask the many extraneous circumstances Black fathers face.

I interviewed over 360 Black men for my project and counting; there will be a part 2. No one has sat down to ask Black men who aren\’t in the home what keeps them from being a part of their children\’s lives or what their immediate family structure entailed. Most of the books and statistics published concerning Black men are based on erroneous \”findings\” and the authors\’ personal ideologies on the issue. This is dangerous and sets precedent for the perpetual cycle of negative stereotypes of Black fathers overall; casting an even darker cloud on Black men and families. I included Black men who were absent from the home in this project as well so we can clearly understand, explore and define their issues. Once defined, these issues can guides us as we take a proactive role towards alleviating as many of these circumstances as possible; laying a foundation of tools to build stronger Black families for future generations of Black fathers. This should be viewed as a small task when compared to our ancestors who were able to be proactive Black fathers while enduring the harshest physical and mental treatment known to mankind. It\’s time to reconnect.

About The Author

Dana Ross is a filmmaker/author and has written a book and documentary entitled, \”Black Fatherhood: Reconnecting With Our Legacy.\” To view the documentary visit her site, http://www.purequality.com.
Dana can be reached directly via e-mail dross@purequality.com.

Our Weekly GenMates Update

Hope that your week has gone well? I know for us it’s been a little mad to put it mildly. As some of you will be aware my other half had a knee operation early in the week and I have been running back and too trying to look after them! Anyway things are slowly getting on the mend. So that is good news!

GenMates is continuing to grow at an amazing rate. We are seeing so many new members joining and taking advantage of the facilities on offer and it’s great to know that we are providing something that genealogists clearly want. We already have plans for a number of other sites in associated niches (areas of interest) so watch out for the news on those.

The events of the last week have delayed some of our activity but we are rapidly catching up! The Genealogy Audio Articles and The Scrapbooking Audio Articles are getting there and as someone said to me the other day they will be great to listen to on the colder winter nights. Talking of winter nights I don’t know about you but it doesn’t feel like autum yet does it! Well certainly not here in the Uk where the trees are still looking very green and leaf laden! Oh that reminds me the other thing I was asked about the Audio articles was whether the audio files will be available as MP3 downloads so that people can listen to them on the move. I am working on that at the moment and seeing how we can make them available at a nominal charge for the lot - so again watch out for news on that.

During the week I made a special offer available of The Genealogy Guide and literally dozens of people took advantage of the offer. It’s still available if you want to grab a copy for yourself and I will probably leave it available for just a couple more days at The Genealogy Guide.

We also received quit a few emails asking if we could make other offers such as that one and I am pleased to say we are doing at PK eBooks - Your eBook Store! The site specialises in home and hobby quality eBooks and you will find eBooks on Scrapbooking Ideas, Coin Collecting, Stamp Collecting, Amateur Photography and much more besides! Do take a look at the site as you will find a lot of eBooks and there is even a free download which I think you will find interesting!

So there you have it a very busy week! Have a great week and I look forward to seeing you over at GenMates or at one of our other Genealogy sites!

10 Fun Family History Activities for Family Reunions

By Marie Christianson

September\’s coming. That means summer\’s wrapping up soon and the kids will be going back to school. Some will be moving out and heading off to college. Whatever changes occur when September comes, they pretty much return weeks later for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a holiday when you can have everybody together. Ever noticed why most movies featuring family members reuniting happen during Thanksgiving or Christmas? Those kinds of movies successfully reflect what does happen in family gatherings on those special holidays.

If you are the type who love having the family together and enjoy doing the planning of activities during those holidays, you can read on and get ideas about 10 family activities you can do with your loved ones. These family activities will make you reflect in your family tradition by thinking about your ancestors because these games concentrate on your genealogy or family history.

Let us get started.

1.) Color coordination
You can ask your family members to color-coordinate their clothes based on whose child they are. For example, you can ask Uncle George\’s family to wear red and Aunt Susan\’s family to wear green.

2.) Pictures down memory lane
Ask your family members to bring their photo albums. While you wait for the turkey to bake, you can exchange photo albums and recollect family reunions and family events where you were last all together.

3.) Family Q and A
First of all, you have to make a list of who are the people coming to the gathering. You have to do this so that you have an idea on what kind of questions you would have to make. The purpose of the game is to have everybody involve. Every one has their own questionnaire list that has questions like: Where was Grandpa Joe born? Which aunt had triplets? When is Tiny Tim\’s birthday? In that way, if these people are there, they can come up to them and ask them these questions. If not, wish them luck that there are people present who can help them answer it.

4.) Genealogical Tree
This is helpful to the younger generation, especially when they come up with a school project to do the exact same thing. Have every body chart out the genealogical tree starting from Grandpa and Grandma. The one that gets the most accurate and complete answer wins. Then show the work to everybody so that they have an idea of your genealogical tree.

5.) Cookfest
If your family is the type who whips up the most scrumptious dish, have them bring over their own recipes and swap it with one another. If you want, you can have a writer or an editor gather all your works and compile it in a mini-book you can personally publish and give everyone a copy. It will be your personal family cook book.

6.) Story-telling
Everybody, no matter how young or old, enjoy a good story. This can be done after the meal when everybody\’s stuffed and unwinding. Have them all in one room and tell stories from the present (what they are doing now? What are their plans for the future?) and the past (stories from when your uncles, aunts and parents were younger.) You get to know more about your relatives in that way. Have someone video-tape this session so that you can always look back on that moment.

7.) Roadtrip
You can have the Thanksgiving dinner close to your ancestral home. Since you are all gathered together, why not maximize the time and opportunity by heading out in a field trip or road trip and show the younger generation the monumental locations of your family. Like you can show them the hospital where Grandma gave birth to all her kids. You can show them your old school.

8.) Skits
In every family, there is always a performer. You can have the performers re-enact stories from your family history.

9.) Videocam Captures
Since everybody is already gathered there, you can have someone manage the video cam and capture speeches of everybody regarding what they think about your family. You can ask them quirky questions such as, \”Who is the last person from our family you would want to be stuck with in a deserted island?\” That kind of question ill always bring a barrel of laughter.

10.) Memorabilia
Every family also has memorabilia. This can be watches, jewelries or accessories that had been passed down from one generation to the next. Have them bring these and lay it all down in one table. If you want to set it up like that of a museum, you can have laminated label cards indicating the story behind the piece.

These activities will help you and everybody in your family member re-connect to the past and strengthen ties with blood relatives. After all, when times are tough, the people you can always run to in the end are your family.

About The Author

Marie Christianson is a senior business analyst at FamliyDetails.com. Visit FamilyDetails.com to create a family reunion website or for more articles and resources!