Kingsley Heritage Celebration 2012:  The War of Jubilee

Jacksonville, FL:  The National Park Service invites the public to the 14th Annual Kingsley Heritage Celebration.  This year the event focuses on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which was called by many as the War of Jubilee.  This tumultuous time in our history signaled the end of bondage for more than four million enslaved African Americans.  In this conflict, African Americans fought as soldiers, worked as spies, and spoke out against the horrors of slavery.  This years celebration honors the role of African Americans in the Civil War as our nation remembers this important anniversary.

Special afternoon events will be held on February 18th and 25th, and are sponsored by the National Park Services Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve.  These events are free and open to the public.  The goal of this annual celebration is to allow the local community to explore cultural traditions found in modern American society that originated during the plantation period.

These events are a celebration of the determination and perseverance of the human spirit to survive against incredible odds, explains Superintendent Barbara Goodman.  The goal is to present this history in meaningful ways to our community. The arts have united people through the ages, and it will help us learn more about our shared history through the cultural influences that we hear and see every day.

Surrounded by ancient live oaks and stately palms, Kingsley Plantation overlooks the Fort George River on Fort George Island in the Timucuan Preserve. The rich and diverse history of the plantation includes the story of wealthy English planter Zephaniah Kingsley and his wife Anna Madgigine Jai, who was born in Senegal and purchased by Kingsley as a slave. The history also includes the stories of the men, women, and children who struggled to survive enslavement, in an era when wealth was sometimes measured in human property.

Kingsley Plantation is a unit of the National Park Services Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in Jacksonville. Zephaniah Kingsley owned and operated a 1,000-acre plantation on the island during the first half of the nineteenth century. In addition to the scheduled events, visitors may also visit the grounds that include the original plantation house, kitchen house, barn, and the remains of 25 tabby slave cabins.  The Plantation house is itself Floridas oldest standing (1798) plantation era structure.

The grounds offer perhaps the most graphic evidence of slave living quarters and daily life experiences in the state, if not the South.

Located off Heckscher Drive/A1A one-half mile north of the St. Johns River ferry landing, Kingsley Plantation is open daily, at no charge, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.  For more information, call 904.251.3537, or go to http://www.nps.gov/timu, where you can access this full text press release and detailed biographies of the presenters and performers.

Details of the events are as follows:

Saturday, February 18:

1:30 p.m. – Rose Person, a Harriet Tubman reenactor, will recite poetry and explain Harriet Tubmans role in the Civil War as a spy, nurse, and occasional laundress, including her role in the Civil War events of Jacksonville.  Ms. Persons performances with the Tubman African American Museum have been lauded as deeply moving.

2:00 p.m. – Sparky and Rhonda Rucker, folk musicians, will present their poignant performance  The Blue and Gray in Black and White,  the story of the Civil War told through music and song. In over forty years of performing, Sparky and Rhonda have performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival as well as NPR’s On Point, Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, and Morning Edition.

Kids Corner:  Throughout the day, park staff will present childrens activities relating to the Civil War and the Underground Railroad.  Kids will be able to design their own drums, make a rag doll to take home and even send secret messages like Civil War spies.

The Kingsley Plantation Main House will be open for viewing from 10 am until 1:30 pm.

Saturday, February 25:

1:00 p.m. -54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first all-black regiment of the Civil War, a group of soldiers that paved the way for other black men to join the Union army, in the form of the United States Colored Troops (USCT), will be the topic of the day.

Volunteers from the local reenacting group, which portrays the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, will be on hand to discuss the experiences of the first all-black regiment of the Civil War.  The original regiment spent time in Northeast Florida during the Civil War.

Park rangers and volunteers in period costumes will demonstrate various tasks involved in the operation of a large plantation.  Demonstrations will include cooking, spinning, weaving, dyeing with indigo, woodworking, and gardening.

For more information, please call Kingsley Plantation at (904) 251-3537 or visit http://www.nps.gov/timu.

Like us on Facebook at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and follow us on Twitter @TimucuanNPS.

Best Wishes,
Emily Palmer, Park Guide
Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve Kingsley Plantation
11676 Palmetto Ave.
Jacksonville, FL 32226
(904) 251-3537-office
(904) 251-3577-fax
Emily_Palmer@nps.gov

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Gemini One Films in association with Private Side Media

presents WE REMEMBER RAINES , a documentary about the history and legacy of William M Raines High School, Jacksonville, FL

Film Screening: We Remember Raines February 22, 2012 7:00p

University of North Florida Andrew Robinson Theater Jacksonville, FL Parking $3

RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/events/323152844396195/

Exclusive Premiere: WE Remember Raines February 25, 2012 8:00p

William M Raines Auditorium Jacksonville, FL

http://www.facebook.com/events/324810967557072/

Director: Emanuel Washington
… Executive Director: Andrew Wright
Narrators: Ben Frazier and GeneDotCom
Photography: Tamica Jackson and Donnell Bennett
Assistant Director/Producer: Diallo Sekou
Film Editor: Maxie Coleman
Music Director: Tony White
Theme Song: Tru.Ski The Transmitter
Graphic Design: E. Street Paperie

For more information contact ewashington@nokturnalescape.com or call (904) 465-6891

sponsored by
Nokturnal Escape Entertainment, LLC http://www.nokturnalescape.com/
Eartha MM White Legacy Fund http://www.jaxcf.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=530
Jacksonville Free Press http://jacksonvillefreepress.com/
“Still Raines”
William M Raines High School National Alumni Association
Blinkvirtualbuzz.com http://blinkvirtualbuzz.com/

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As America celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. ‘s birthday this week and is getting ready to celebrate Black History Month in February, I have reflected on the state of liberalism and its impact on the Black community and have concluded that I am very confused!

What am I confused about? Before Obama’s election as president, no one thought we would ever see a Black person elected president because of racism.

Since Obama has been elected president, can one reasonably postulate that racism has become less of an issue? If the answer is no, then how do you explain Obama’s election? Remember, conventional wisdom was that America was too racist and would never elect a Black president (and remember, whites are still a majority of the electorate, so therefore, there were a lot of whites who voted for Obama).

If the answer is yes, then why do liberals constantly blame the plight of Blacks on racism? You can’t have it both ways.

So, whites are too racist to care about the plight of Blacks, but no longer too racist to vote for a Black candidate for president?

Is it white America’s fault that they helped elect a Black president that took almost two years before he met with the Congressional Black Caucus (despite meeting with gay and Hispanic groups sooner and more frequently); is it white America’s fault that they helped elect a Black president who told the CBC last September to “stop complaining” [about him not doing anything for the Black community]; is it white America’s fault that they helped elect a Black president who has fewer Blacks in his administration than George W. Bush?

Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver (from Kansas City, MO and Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus) famously said last year, “if Obama was white, we would be marching on the White House.” Cleaver was making reference to Obama not paying attention to the Black community.

Here you have the first Black president of the U.S. who is doing everything in his power to ignore the very community that gave him 96% of their vote. And people like Cleaver are giving Obama a pass simply because he Black?

Why was there no outcry from the NAACP, the Urban League, Al Sharpton, or Jesse Jackson about Cleaver’s racist comment? So, it’s racist when a white person in power ignores the Black community, but it’s ok if a Black person in power does the same thing?

King fought and died for the principles he believed in. King constantly criticized both Kennedy brothers over civil rights; he constantly criticized Johnson over Vietnam. I can’t imagine King giving Obama a pass simply because he was Black. His moral compass would not have allowed him to remain silent.

Cleaver, and those who think like him, does a great disservice to everything that King stood for.

There are more Black elected officials than ever before, but the pathologies in our community are getting worse (unemployment, crime, teenage pregnancy, etc.).

Who is to blame for this? White folks? Devall Patrick, the Black governor of Massachusetts, has not improved the plight of Blacks in his state. David Dinkins (New York), Tom Bradley (Los Angeles), Coleman Young (Detroit), all former mayors, never improved the plight of Blacks in their cities with their liberal policies. Was that because of racism also?The two exceptions to this were former mayor of Atlanta, Maynard Jackson and former mayor of Washington, DC, Marion Barry. Why were they so different than the other Black mayors?

They focused on increasing Black entrepreneurship by increasing more opportunities for private sector and government contracting. These two mayors created many Black millionaires, who created jobs, and hired people who paid taxes and helped to create stable communities.

So, on the one hand, Blacks said America would never elect a Black because of racism. Blacks then turn around and say Obama can’t do anything to specifically address the needs in the Black community because of racism (meaning white racist will accuse Obama of being partial to Blacks).

I am confused!

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm. He is also a contributing editor for ExcellStyle Magazine (www.excellstyle.com), Freedom’s Journal Magazine (www.freedomsjournal.net), and U.S. Africa Magazine (www.usafricaonline.com).

P.S. – Because of the many emails I get asking me to write more about issues relating to Africa, I have an announcement. I will continue to write my weekly Thursday columns as normal. But, I now will also write a column focusing on Africa every other Tuesday beginning next week. If you have a particular country or issue you want me to consider, please let me know and I will consider all requests.

BCN – Mobile Global Media

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Come and embark upon a journey of understanding YOU

For questions/RSVP please call Beverly at (904) 302-5141.

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The Solution

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Co-sponsored by Blacksonville Community Network

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Barbara Goodman, Barbara_goodman@nps.gov 904-221-5568

           Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve Announces
       Significant Archaeological Discovery at Kingsley Plantation

JACKSONVILLE, FLA.  ---  Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
Superintendent Barbara Goodman announced a significant archaeological
discovery at an event at Kingsley Plantation on Thursday, November 10. The
discovery was of the previously unknown location of a burial ground,
believed to be a Kingsley-era slave cemetery -- with six early 19th Century
human burials confirmed.

Goodman announced the discovery to a group of Kingsley Plantation
descendants, including Dr. Johnnetta Cole, director of the Smithsonian
Institution’s National Museum of African Art.  There have been references
to the cemetery’s existence for more than a century, but the location was
never confirmed until this current research.

“This discovery is nothing short of momentous,” Goodman said.  “The fact
that we can now definitively say that we have found this remarkable
heritage site is very significant.  It is another important piece of the
story that we continue to tell about the Kingsley Plantation and the
people, both free and enslaved, who lived here.”

The archaeological research leading to the discovery was conducted by the
University of Florida Department of Anthropology in partnership with the
Timucuan Preserve.  Dr. James M. Davidson led an archaeological field
school at Kingsley Plantation between May 10 and June 18, 2010, when the
discovery was made.  The field school consisted of 17 students, numerous
volunteers and members of the Timucuan Preserve staff.

Davidson has been conducting archaeological field schools at Timucuan
Preserve since 2006 and has had many interesting discoveries, including
persuasive evidence for the presence of firearms among the enslaved
population (e.g., gun flints, lead shot, flintlock musket parts), and
evidence for the maintenance of African religion and spirituality (e.g.,
chicken sacrifice and burial; iron objects buried in floors of slave
cabins).  None of these findings have been as noteworthy, however, as the
current one.

 “Before we began this endeavor, we knew intellectually that a slave
cemetery existed on the island,” Davidson said.  “Now that we have actually
re-discovered it, we will be able to afford it a protective status it did
not have as a lost feature.”

 “For lineal descendants and the greater African-American descendant
community, I believe it is significant to know the actual place of burial
for those ancestors who endured enslavement, and who lived and died in a
foreign land to create the landscape that is now Kingsley Plantation,” he
said.  “To be able to know a bit about these anonymous men, women, and
children, and garner some insight into their lives through a respectful
viewing of their final resting place, is an opportunity very rarely seen.”

Still to be determined are: the full extent of the cemetery’s boundaries,
the number of remains interred, and the inclusive time periods of the
interments.

Goodman said she and her staff plan to confer with the descendant community
and the public to determine the most appropriate way to protect and
memorialize the site and provide for ongoing education about the lives of
the people interred there.

“There is much more research to be done at this site,” Goodman said.  “As
we continue to determine what that research will be, we will engage the
community on a number of themes that will help us properly respect and
honor those resting here.  That engagement begins today and will continue
through the coming months and years.”

On Saturday November 12, park rangers and the park archaeologist will
present a “Day of Discovery” at the site.  They will offer guided tours of
the grounds and answer questions regarding the history of Kingsley
Plantation and the cemetery.

“Visitors will have the opportunity to stop at a ‘reflection station’ to
share their thoughts, ideas, and stories related to their personal
connection to this discovery,” Goodman said.  “The National Park Service
wants to know what this discovery means to the community.”

Kingsley Plantation is the site of a former large estate on Fort George
Island.  It was owned in the early 1800s by Zephaniah Kingsley, a slave
trader and shipper who married one of his slaves, Anna Jai.  In 1811 he
freed her and their three children.  She went on to manage the plantation
in Kingsley’s absence and own slaves herself.  After the United States
annexed Florida in 1821, racial policies changed.  Interracial marriage was
prohibited.  Free blacks and those of mixed race were prohibited from
inheriting property.  In response, Kingsley eventually moved his family to
the free black society of Haiti.

Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve was established in 1988.  Its
46,000 acres contain unique natural and cultural resources, including one
of the last unspoiled coastal wetlands on the Atlantic Coast.  It helps to
preserve 6,000 years of human history in Florida, including vestiges of the
Timucua Indians, the French colonization at Fort Caroline, the period of
Spanish ownership, and the Kingsley Plantation.

                                ---NPS---

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Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has been the talk of DC this week, but for all the wrong reasons. A political newspaper released a story about Cain being accused of sexually harassing two women while he was CEO of the National Restaurant Association (NRA) in the ‘90s.

According to the newspaper, Cain reached an agreement to settle with the two women for an undisclosed amount of money and all the parties were bound by a confidentiality agreement that prohibits any discussions of the event(s).

As my loyal readers should know by now, I have a somewhat different take on the Cain situation. I want to focus solely on the way the story has been reported in the media.

The original reporting is filled with quotes by “anonymous” sources. During the past three days, I have seen journalists “high-fiving” each other over the reporters who wrote the article —“congratulations on your scoop,” they have said to them.

What is amazing is that these stories about Cain have been floating around town for years. Why didn’t journalists report on this when Cain was running for the U.S. Senate in Georgia a few years ago?

These DC journalists seem to be enjoying the game of destroying someone’s life in their pursuit of a Pulitzer (the highest award a journalist can earn).

Journalists claim to be objective and merely seek to report the facts. Well, that has not been the case for at least two decades.

The reporters refuse to reveal their sources, so the public has no idea where the initial information came from; the public has no idea what the motivation was of the person(s) who gave the information to the reporters. In essence, these reporters are asking the public to trust them.

So, let me make sure I understand this. Reporters that I don’t know, sources the reporters won’t reveal, not knowing the motivation of the suppliers of the information, but trust the reporters?

How many reporters would let a politician get away with the above?

One of the basic tenets of journalism is to verify, verify, and verify. Well, as part of the reading public, it’s kind of difficult to verify anonymous sources, integrate the motivation of an unknown source into our interpretation of the story and to trust reporters you don’t know.

The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) have created a generally accepted code of ethics by which journalist are supposed to abide by. According to the SPJ, “The SPJ Code of Ethics is voluntarily embraced by thousands of writers, editors and other news professionals. The present version of the code was adopted by the 1996 SPJ National Convention, after months of study and debate among the Society’s members.” To read the entire code, go to: http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp.

According to SPJ’s preamble, “Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues.”

Can these reporters honestly say that they “provided a fair and comprehensive account “of the Herman Cain allegations? How can a story that’s based on anonymous sources be “fair and comprehensive?”

The SPJ’s code of ethics further states:

*Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources’ reliability. Violated by the reporters.

*Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story. Violated by the reporters.

*Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone’s privacy. Violated by the reporters.

*Clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct. Violated by the reporters.

*Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others. Violated by the reporters.

Does any journalist actually believe these reporters have lived up to their own profession’s standards when it comes not only to the Cain story, but journalism in general?

Journalism today is going through the equivalent of the financial meltdown of 2008—they have lost all public trust.

While these irresponsible journalists seem to want to destroy Cain’s candidacy, their razing of Cain will probably serve only to raise Cain in the polls.

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm. He is also a contributing editor for ExcellStyle Magazine (www.excellstyle.com), Freedom’s Journal Magazine (www.freedomsjournal.net), and U.S. Africa Magazine (www.usafricaonline.com).

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