Gertrude Mossell (c. 1890 with their daughters) she was a journalist, educator, & the partner of Dr. Mossell. Her great grandfather, Cyrus Bustill, served with Washington’s troops during the American Revolution & helped found Philadelphia’s Free African Society. Her sister was Paul Robeson’s mother.

Gertrude Mossell (c. 1890 with their daughters) she was a journalist, educator, & the partner of Dr. Mossell. Her great grandfather, Cyrus Bustill, served with Washington’s troops during the American Revolution & helped found Philadelphia’s Free African Society. Her sister was Paul Robeson’s mother.

I loved both Buckeye and Heart the Lover so much. Am glad to learn of the other titles.

I really loved the new doc Becoming Led Zeppelin and tracing the early history of John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page as session musicians.

Yay. Thank you. Happy Birthday!

Stronger Than Fear?

I knew of Elizabeth Jennings Graham because @prisonculture.bsky.social took us here ⤵️ during one of her walking tours. It's near where she was thrown off the streetcar.

Miriam Sicherman's class of 3rd- and 4th-grade students had the idea for the street sign:
www.miriamsicherman.com/elizabeth-je...

As they correctly observed in the series Death By Lightening, future US president Chester Arthur represented her in court & her case was championed publicly by Henry Highland Garnet, James Pennington, Frederick Douglass & her parents.

I didn’t know about Mr. Beadle or his talented son. Thank you. They should be more widely known.

And a piece on Father Augustus Tolton! So glad you posted this.

The image is a man wearing a Prince Hall Masonic Insignia. Prince Hall Freemasons are the largest & oldest African American fraternal organization in history, comprised of hundreds of thousands of members internationally, & included prominent figures e.g. WEB DuBois, Thurgood Marshall & Count Basie.

The image is from a 1898 news story on the Spanish American War - I’m not sure if Baker is here - I wanted to acknowledge his sacrifice & offer a visual to convey that this is not just one story of American heroism. Black men have served & earned medals in US military conflicts since colonial times.

The good old days

Thanks for a fascinating mini bio which connects enslavement, which many view as distant, and access to Madison Square Garden, an institution which is part of our modern lives. All are connected and part of our current reality.