Every surviving African American family had heroes or heroines at some point during their American journey. No, I’m not claiming that we all had someone in our family who broke the color barrier in baseball, became an ace “Red Tail” pilot, performed the first open heart surgery, lead the civil rights movement, or charged up San Juan Hill. There are very few of us who can lay claim to ancestors who may have led or even participated in events that changed, influenced, or shaped society, but still, we all have family that came before us who are worthy of the accolades and to even to be honored by the title of hero. This book is about my ordinary family. It is also in part, a history of the places, the institutions and events that shaped their lives. Whether your family history includes slavery, oppression, and discrimination, the Holocaust, big city tenements or whether your family was faced with some other seemingly insurmountable obstacle, the simple fact that you are here to read this book, and more importantly, the fact that you have the desire to read this book, means that in all likelihood, someone who came before you triumphed over adversity. Those ancestors also cleared a path for us, not only providing broad shoulders for us to stand on, but they left us with big shoes to fill. It is my prayer that this book encourages you to learn about your family’s history, gladly filling those shoes, and accepting the challenge to pass on any advantages given to you. If you are not already aware, educate yourself on the adversities and the struggles of your ancestors, but don’t be defined by them. Be defined only by their extraordinary triumphs. Be blessed.
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