History That Has Not Been Told: The Cultural Experience of African Americans in America

By Rev. Emmanuel Lofton

The book is designed to bring about an awareness of the cultural attributes of African Americans that was excluded from history as taught in the public school systems. Its purpose is to enlighten the reader of the struggles of African Americans in the United States. Although slavery had been legally abolished, the new codes and laws of discrimination made it difficult for Blacks to gain equality and parity in this country. Yet, through the decades, there have been those who were driven by a deep sense of purpose and committed to the goal to transform the oppressor, uplift the oppressed and restore human dignity. The book highlights some of the individuals who gave of their time, blood, sweat, tears and talents to make these United States better for everyone regardless of race, creed or color.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781665511902

Rev. Emmanuel Lofton

Reverend Emmanuel Lofton was born into a sharecropper’s family in Coahoma County, Mississippi in 1932. At age 11, he and his family moved to Crawfordsville, Arkansas where he completed his elementary and high school education. He enrolled in college but was called to serve in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. After serving his country, her returned to Arkansas and completed his education at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Sociology. he located to Blytheville, Arkansas and established himself as an Educator, political and Civil Rights Activist, Community Leader, Theologian and “Bridge Builder.” he was elected to the Mississippi County Quorum Court County Commission(justice of the peace) and ultimately became the first African American male to run for mayor of the city of Blytheville. he as received numerous civic recognitions and awards such as the Blytheville Chamber of Commerce Life time Achievement Award, the 2020 MLK achievement Award and Honary Recognition from Alpha Phi Alpha. Emmanuel is an avid believer in education and information as a means to elevate oneself from circumstances of poverty and social ideas of racial deficiencies.

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© 2021 Rev. Emmanuel Lofton. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  02/12/2021

ISBN: 978-1-6655-1187-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-1188-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-1190-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020925677

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Preface

Dedicated to

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Introduction

From Slavery to Jubilee

Freed- Man

Post Reconstruction

Civil Rights

Black America

We the People…………….Hidden Figures

The Royal Brotherhood Club

Juneteenth

Bibliography

References/resources

Preface

What Happened to Black History?

Undoubtedly Brown vs. the Board of Education a historical event in and of itself impacted the way history would be in an integrated classroom. The impressionable minds of black and white learners would challenge the real truth about American History. The Myth surrounding the depravity of the Native Americans and how the west was won could no longer be told as fact. White students would have to learn the real truth about their ancestry. African American students would learn that their ancestors held in slavery were not the lackadaisical, unintelligent beings white owners said they were.

What was better about white education as opposed to black education? Brown vs. the Board of Education was successful in overturning Plessy vs. Ferguson. It struck down the principles of separate but equal. It allowed black student to sit in an environment thought to be equal and forced racism into hiding.

Ultimately, History as a required subject for graduation was eliminated from the curriculum entirely and resulted in the under-education of both white and black students.

Dedicated to

The African-American community of Blytheville, Arkansas and surrounding areas concerning things about our cultural experience that we may not have known due to relevant facts not taught as a part of our schools’ history curriculum.

…..As soon as the black man finds the key, he discovers that the lock has been changed……..

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Acknowledgements

My sincere thanks and appreciation go to the following people who shared their bios and personal information for the writing of this book. Special thanks to everyone who submitted an article of information.

Dr. Anes Wiley Abraham

Tamara Askew

Xavier Billings

Att. LaTosha Wilkes Crawford

Eric K. Dargan

Delores (Dee) king-Freeman

Priscilla Gardner

Geneva Aldridge Harris

Rev. Dr. Gabriel Jackson

Tamika Jenkins

Barry Lofton

Daryl Lofton

Rev. Dr. Linda Marcell

Marcus McClain

Shirley Campbell Pulliam

Joel Rodney Riley

Herman W. Strickland Ed.D

The Washington Family

Leah Amanda Walker

Curtis Walker, Jr.

Jonet Washington

Reverend Roosevelt Wright, Jr.

Sandra King

Mary Rutland

I am eternally grateful to the Blytheville Courier News for allowing me to reprint from a previous publication of A Black History Exhibit, February 1963.

manuscript/organization/research

Mae Pegues/2020

About the Author

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Reverend Emmanuel Lofton was born into a sharecropper’s family in Coahoma County, Mississippi in 1932. At age 11 he and his family moved to Crawfordsville, Arkansas where he completed his elementary and high school education. He enrolled in college but was called to serve in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. After serving his country, he returned to Arkansas and completed his education at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Sociology. He located to Blytheville, Arkansas and established himself as an Educator, Political and Civil Rights Activist, Community Leader, Theologian and Bridge Builder. He was elected to the Mississippi County Quorum Court County Commission (Justice of the Peace) and ultimately became the first African American to run for mayor of the city of Blytheville. He has received multiple civic recognitions and awards such as the Blytheville Chamber of Commerce Life Time Achievement Award, the 2020 MLK Achievement Award and Honorary Recognition from Alpha Phi Alpha.

Reverend Lofton is an avid believer in education and information as a means to elevate oneself from circumstances of poverty and social ideas of racial deficiencies.

Introduction

Education has always been the means by which one could lift himself or herself out of poverty and find a meaningful place in society and be considered a success. Children of slaves and former slaves were encouraged to learn and get a good education. Many young men and women set out to accomplish this goal. However a black historian from Harvard University was concerned that books about African Americans were racist and inaccurate. Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950) said, Many of the history books written during his lifetime did not mention the cultural contributions of American in a holistic manner. As a result of his findings, in 1915, Woodson organized the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.

In 1927, Woodson began the observance of Negro History Week to help make available, significant information about African American History. He went on to say that if a people have no recorded history of their achievements, in time it will be lost or claimed by others…

In 1975, Negro History Week was expanded to Negro History Month.

Although this period was primarily a period of celebration of the usual people of color, for example, George Washington Carver, Booker T. Washington, Harriet Tubman, to name a few, it did not educate about the others who made meaningful, life-changing contribution to society that were beneficial to all people. I, Emmanuel Lofton, M.S. of Sociology and a History and Government teacher in the Arkansas public school system did extensive research of African American history to be included in the curriculum as a course of study. In 2013, I wrote a research paper titled A Black History Exhibit published by the Blytheville Courier News that depicted African Americans and their contribution in medicine, sports, education, religion, the arts, and politics.

Black History Month is indeed a month of celebration, but more importantly a month of education. It is a time to study and learn about the significant contributions our ancestors and contemporaries have made in the development of our nation.

The history of African Americans can make us proud of who we are, and what we have done and what we can do as a people.

The events of the past few days brought about a great awakening of people of all races, creed, and color around the world. The brutal murder of George Perry Floyd, Jr., in Minnesota by a white police officer, shed a new light on the predicament of African-American males in the United States of America.

In a country whose constitution proclaims that all men are created equal and promote the rights and human dignity of all people has been outed by the action of one who has been sworn to protect and serve. For decades the effects of systemic racism and the ideology of white supremacy have led to unfair and unjust treatment of people of color.

On May 25, 2020, Mr. Floyd cried out more than twenty times I can’t breathe as the officer held him down, in hand cuffs, with his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and forty-six seconds. The televised event brought new meaning to the movement of Black Lives Matter. A midst a global pandemic of Coronavirus (Covid 19) masses of people around the world joined African-Americans in protest of modern day lynching of African Americans in the United States with a unified appeal that Black Lives Matter.

The purpose of this book is to point out some of the little known or talked about atrocities, brutality, social and economic injustices against African-Americans that were not taught in our schools as a part of the American History curriculum. It will also give credence to our many accomplishments, with-standing the road blocks and disadvantages we faced as African-Americans.

From Slavery to Jubilee

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Recently the president of the United States announced that he would hold one of his campaign rallies in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 19, 2020. There was public out-cry. Why this city and why this date? If for no other reason, one would think that this event would not have happened due to the spread of the coronavirus. No one in a leadership position would assemble a crowd of people in an arena where there was no social distancing, wearing of face covering as suggested by the CDC. It seemed that this president had no regards for the people who called themselves his base supporters, not to mention the current events of the day. Why this place and why this date?

The president showed no regards for the protest over the life of a black man taken in Minnesota. To many this was a racist demonstration against the Black Lives Matter movement and an obvious disrespect for the events that took place in Tulsa during one of the most segregated eras in US history. Likewise the date corresponded to