The Gist of Freedom Preserving American History through Black Literature . . ‪.‬ The Gist of Freedom

Before there was Sesame Street or Sesame Place, there was Coney Island,  “Granville’s Island”! 

Granville T. Woods Known as the “Black Thomas Edison” was an engineer who invented and patented the electric roller coaster, which he introduced in the summer of 1909 at Coney Island.

He developed dozens of innovative mass transit improvements. 

 

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Join David Head 

Edison sued Woods charging that he (Edison) was the first to invent the multiplex telegraph. After a costly court battle, Woods won the case. But even after losing to Woods, Edison remained so impressed with him that he offered the Black genius a partnership in one of his companies

Woods was inducted into the Coney Island Hall of Fame, and an adja­cent street was renamed Granville T. Woods Way.Woods was inducted into the Coney Island Hall of Fame, and an adja­cent street was renamed Granville T. Woods Way. 

List of BLACK RESORTS

1. Highland Beach, Maryland


2. Gulfside Assembly, Waveland, Mississippi


3. American Beach, Florida



4. Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts



5. Idlewild, Michigan


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6. Freeman Beach, Wilmington, North Carolina



7. Sag Harbor, New York



8. Bruce’s Beach, near Los Angeles, California



9. Buckroe Beach, Bay Shore and Mark Haven, Virginia



10. Gullah Sea Islands, Coast of Georgia and South Carolina



The Idlewild Club House, Idlewild, Mich., September 1938. 

 

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#sesamePlace #GranvilleTwoods 

#GranvilleTWoodsPlace #GranvilleIsland’s

#coneyisland

 

Join The Gist of Freedom as we welcome Miss Penny Beckham, the volunteer director of The Plate of Love Soup Kitchen located at State Tabernacle Church of God in Christ in Buffalo. 

 

Beckham recalled many times seeing one of the victims of the massacre, Deacon Hayward Patterson take soup kitchen patrons aside while they waited for their food and give them needed encouragement.

"If you were down, he’d always say something to encourage you or lift your spirits," she said. "He was one of those people who’d build you up. Even if you didn’t think you did much, he’d make you feel like you did."

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Coordinator ...Missionary Laura Beckham Chefs: Jeffrey Peace & Terry Wideman

Soup Kitchen Hours of operation: Saturday, 10am-12noon Wednesday, 12noon

State Tabernacle, in the spirit of love, serves dozens in the community and those in need of a hot meal. The number of people served continues to grow and include not only individuals but entire families. It is set apart from many other soup kitchens in that we offer breakfast meal on Saturday when most other serve lunch.

State Tabernacle partners with WNY food bank and generous donors to bring this much needed service to a community with high unemployment, low income families and a growing homeless population.

We are expanding. Various individuals, ministries or auxiliary of the church assist in operation of the soup kitchen.

Volunteers are Welcome

 

Join Kimberly L. Simmons as she lectures on the Detroit River Project and the Vigilance Cmmittee.

 

The Life of Black Abolitionist Mary Ann Shadd as told by her descendant Scholar Irene Moore Davis!

A ceremony unveiling the statue of Mary Ann Shadd took place Thursday, May 12, 2022, at Windsor University in Canada. 

Sculpted by local artist Donna Mayne. Watch it on the University of Windsor'sYouTube channel.

Shadd a black abolitionist was one of the first Black female newspaper publishers and female journalists in Canada. Shadd founded The Provincial Freeman in 1853. 

Shadd also helped her cousin, Osborne Perry Anderson pen the book “Sole Survivor, A Voice From Harper's Ferry” which is an account of his extraordinary and courageous role in John Brown’s Harper’s Ferry Raid!

The event was live-streamed from the University of Windsor's downtown campus for the greater community.

Buffalo Massacre Dr. Manisha Sinha’s Monthly  Black History University Recap!

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In honor of one of the ten victims, Ms. Pearly Young we ask that you donate food to your local food bank. Mrs. Young ran a food pantry and every saturday, for 25 years she donated food.

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R.I.P #BuffaloSaints~ NY state abolished slavery in 1827, but Black people remained in danger of enslavement & kidnappings.

In 1835, to fight back, Black abolitionist David Ruggles helped to found the N.Y. Committee of Vigilance an hybrid of the Black Panther Party & The NAACP.

Black New Yorkers remained in danger of enslavement or re-enslavement through widespread kidnappings. Black sailors would go missing from ports. Children would disappear on their way home from school.

In 1835, to fight back against the onslaught of oppression, Black abolitionist and businessman David Ruggles helped to found the New York Committee of Vigilance (NYCV), a multi-racial organization a hybrid of the Black Panther Party and The NAACP, would defend Black New Yorkers from predatory whites.

 Jamila Brathwaite, authored “The Black Vigilance Movement in Nineteenth Century New York City,” writes, Ruggles fearlessly boarded ships in the New York harbor in search of Black captives or for signs of participants in the illegal slave trade. He published a list bounty hunters kidnappers and the free black traitors who aided them.

His work would not have been possible without the efforts of the Black community and leaders like William Wells Brown, a promenient Black Aboltitionist from Buffalo. Brown along with unnamed black people passed along intelligence, fed, clothed, and sheltered fugitives. They also noted suspicious activities and people.

Ruggles’ bookstore on Lespenard Street. It is the first known Black-owned bookstore in the United States.

 



 

Listen to Grady Lewis's in depth interview on the Gist of Freedom. Grady bought a drink for the mass shooter, in the Buffalo area shooting, one day before the allegedl gunman from Conklin, NY opened fire and live streamed the shooting of ten Black People at the supermarket in a predominantly black neighborhood.

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A Saint who cared for people in the community was one of the victims of the Buffalo mass shooting. Pearly Young, 77, ran a food pantry in the Central Park neighborhood for 25 years, feeding people every Saturday.

Young was killed Saturday while shopping for groceries.

She loved singing and dancing.

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New Zealand took 3 days to ban assault rifles after the mass shooting that inspired the Buffalo shooter.

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Lewis said he and the shooter discussed "theories" like Time Machines, Critical Race Theory (CRT) and  black holes just hours before the alleged shooter opened fire in the parking lot, which left 10 people dead and three wounded.

“I’m wondering, could I have talked to him and said, ‘Hey, we’re all one," Lewis told ABC News. He came back here to the same spot where I bought him something to drink and shot people that looked like me and would’ve shot me if I was standing near.”

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In 1835, to fight back against the onslaught of oppression, Black abolitionist and businessman David Ruggles helped to found the The New York Community of Vigilance (NYCV), a multi-racial organization that would defend Black New Yorkers from predatory whites. Jamila Shabazz Brathwaite authored “The Black Vigilance Movement in Nineteenth Century New York City,”