Hello Atlanta December 2023

H ELL ATLANTA ISSUE 4 I DECEM BER 2023

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KW ANZAA

In This Edition East St . Lou is

Ro sew o o d

Race Riot s Ig b o L a n d in g

Black Miners African Visa

Yemoj a

Restriction Lifted

Pr ayer s & Pr aises

H ELL ATLANTA President and Chief Executive Of f icer Vice President Executive Editor Managing Editor Director of Information Technology Contributing Writers

Julius P. Hall Charlie Brown Epiphany L. Williams Dr. Amir Toure' Chris Smith Dr. Amir Toure?

Sharon Butts Craig Butts Andromeda Gibbons Artemus Gibbons Anderson Aries Stephen Spence Tori Anderson Julius P. Hall

Hello Savannah is a member of Our Black Media Group For inquiries or suggestions, contact us at:

912.598.6549 julius@ourblackmedia.com 7306 Highway 21 Suite 101 - 264 Port Wentworth, GA 31407

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cont ent s

7.Fal cons Foot bal l 11. Tr aining Time Out

8. Kwanzaa

by Tor i A nderson

by A r tem us Gibbons

14.Yemoj a - Mot her Of The Fish

by Stephen Spence

16.Sur pr isingSecr et s of sust ainingLov e

by Sharon and Craig Butts 17. Heal t h And Wel l ness 18. Know t his

by A ndrom eda Gibbons

by Julius P. H all

19.East St . Louis Race Riot s

by Stephen Spence

23. Tr ust

24. Bl ack Miner s

by Stephen Spence

by A nderson A r ies

26. Savannah Spor t s

by A r tem us Gibbons

27. Af r ican Visaby Rest r ict ions Lif t ed Stephen Spence

30.Hawks Basket bal l

32. Rosewood 34. A Mission To Unit e

by Epiphany L . W illiam s

by Stephen Spence

35. The Jour ney

by Julius P. H all

36. The Wat er Br ought Us Her e - Igbo Tr ibe

by Stephen Spence

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FROM THE CEO W elcome t o OUR magazine. W e are a mont hly publicat ion t hat w ill be bringing inf ormat ion and cont ent t o Our communit y t o bet t er inf orm Our cit izens. Each mont h w e hope t o cover t he subject s you w ant t o read more about . Unlike t he mainst ream media, at OUR Black Media, w e w ill highlight posit ive event s, progressive leaderships, and movers and shakers in our communit y, our st at e, and our nat ion.

Our mont hly publicat ions w ill t hrive t o show case f airness, openness, and t ransparency.

W e inf orm, you decide. Please st ay w it h us w hile w e're in our inf ancy, and join our grow t h by let t ing us know w hat is import ant t o you in a publicat ion like t his. All advice is w elcomed, and w e also accept let t ers t o t he edit or.

Our main goal is t o bring inf ormat ion t hat uplif t s and moves all of us f orw ard. In t he long t erm, w e hope t o st art a dialogue t hat w ill begin t o creat e ans Agenda f or America. Not just a Black Agenda, but a People's Agenda.

Our f irst t w o digit al magazines, The Po r t Cit y Review and H ello Savannah, current ly goes out t o over 50,000 emails in our area. W it h t he Sept ember 2023 launching of H ello At lant a, great st rides have been made AND w e're project ing a December 2023 launch dat e f or H ello Af r ica, and a January 2024 launching of H ello Jack so nville. W H O O D EE W H O O - - st ay t uned in and alert f or our Child r en's Co r ner , in January 2024.

Each mont h w ill be somet hing you'll be excit ed t o t urn t he pages of . This mont h?s issue - - K w anz aa & H o lid ay 2 0 2 3 , East St . Lo uis Race Rio t s, B lack M iner s, Ro sew o o d & t he I gb o Land ing M ass Suicid e (1 8 0 3 ) and m uch m o r e. * * * Sneak Peek ar t icles f o r Januar y 2 0 2 4 - - - A special D r . M ar t in Lut her K ing, Jr . Ed it io n, B ig Race Rio t o f S. Ar k ansas & Ar e B lack 's Tr eat ed Fair ly in D ub ai???

W e hope t hrough t his publicat ion w e show our readers t he great ness of OUR communit y in every aspect , f rom polit ics t o communit y act ivism, sport s t o ent ert ainment , and f rom f inance t o love and relat ionships.

This publicat ion is only available t o t he general public in a digit al f ormat now , w it h a limit ed number of print ed hard copies. Coming very soon, you'll be able t o subscribe t o get your hard copy in t he mail.

So st ay t uned, and as alw ays, shar e, shar e, shar e.

Julius Hall, President

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At l a n t a Fa l c o n s No v ember 20 23 Fo o t ba l l At l a n t a Fa l c o n s v s. New Yo r k Jet s Sun d ay , Dec ember 3, 20 23 1:0 0 pm M et Li f e St a d i um Ta mpa B ay B uc c a n eer s v s. At l a n t a Fa l c o n s Sun d ay , Dec ember 10 , 20 23 1:0 0 pm M er c ed es-B en z St a d i um

At l a n t a Fa l c o n s v s. Ca r o l i n a Pa n t h er s Sun d ay , Dec ember 17, 20 23 1:0 0 pm B a n k o f A mer i c a St a d i um

I n d i a n a po l i s Co l t s v s. At l a n t a Fa l c o n s Sun d ay , Dec ember 24 , 20 23 1:0 0 pm M er c ed es-B en z St a d i um

At l a n t a Fa l c o n s v s. Ch i c ag o B ea r s Sun d ay , Dec ember 31, 20 23 1:0 0 pm So l d i er Fi el d

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is K wa n z a a Tt hhee sPat rnu gAfg rle,ic aBlan cFlak isg (Red t he peo ple, Gr een is t h e f u t u r e.)

Cr eat ed by Dr . Maulana Kar enga (bor n Rober t M. Ever et t ) in 1966, it is inclusive t hat it can be celebr at ed by ever yone of any fait h, and is a celebr at ion over t he cour se of seven days meant t o st r engt hen family while connect ing Afr ican cult ur e and it s t r adit ions t o it s childr en. Ot her fait hs have t old t he her it age of t heir people in similar ways for cent ur ies. You can see element s in Kwanzaa t hat ar e der ived fr om ot her symbols of significance and fait h fr om ar ound t he wor ld.

I t is a fest ival wher e upon t he fir st days of Kwanzaa, beginning wit h December 26t h and ending on Januar y 1st , such founding pr inciples meant t o encour age cult ur al gr owt h out side of polit ical ent r enchment , can be t hought , r emember ed, and nur t ur ed. These seven " pr incipals" begin wit h: 1) Umoja or unit y. " To st r ive for and maint ain unit y in t he family, communit y, nat ion, and r ace." When I t hink of unit y I t hink of per haps when t r ibes t ook car e of t he whole. What would happen if a cit y did t he same? Each family discusses t heir t hought s while light ing t he fir st candle in t he Kinar a (candle holder ), which is black and held in t he cent er .

2) Kujichagulia (self det er minat ion). " To define our selves, name our selves, cr eat e for our selves, and speak for our selves." Under st anding oneself, and one' s own limit at ions is a par t of t he equat ion. Ther e ar e many despit e t heir disabilit y, har dship, level of educat ion, what ever t he differ ence may be, who st r ive t o cont r ibut e t o t heir t r ibe, t heir cit y.

3) Ujima (collect ive wor k and r esponsibilit y)." To build and maint ain our communit y t oget her and t o make our br ot her s and sist er s pr oblems our pr oblems and solve t hem t oget her ." This would be t he t hir d candle t hat is lit on t he t hir d day. I t is t he communit y and it s assessment of your abilit y t hat is weight ed all t he t ime. .

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continued 4) Ujamaa (cooper at ive economics). " To build and maint ain our own st or es and t o pr ofit fr om t hem t oget her ." The example t hat I r eflect upon fr om t his is t he New Black Wall St r eet Mar ket . These ar e t he t hr ee r ed candles which ar e placed t o t he left of t he cent er candle in t he Kinar a.

5) Nia (pur pose). " To make our collect ive vocat ion t he building of our communit y in or der t o r est or e our people t o t heir or iginal gr eat ness." The st r uggle of each communit y is a shar ed st r uggle. This allows us t o gr ow and look t o t he fut ur e. The light ing of t he gr een candles begin.

6) Kumbaa (cr eat ivit y). " To do always as much as we can, in t he way we can, in or der t o leave our communit y mor e beaut iful t han we inher it ed it ."

7) I mani (fait h)." To believe wit h all our hear t in our people, our par ent s, our t eacher s, our leader s and t he r ight eousness and vict or y of our st r uggle." I could see t his being t he most difficult candle t o light and t o discuss. But looking back on wher e we came fr om and looking for war d t o wher e we ar e, r emember ing our r oot s, t his t ype of r eflect ion is beaut iful despit e t he ugliness we have seen.

Tor i Ander son

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Tr aining Time Out I realize that many who read this article may have never served in the military. I was in the Navy for twenty years. When I left I knew it was time for me to leave, but you probably won't understand why unless I try to tell this story, and I'll do my best not to shave too many details. I know the recruiting pool is different from what it used to be when I joined. Times change, people change, we have to be able to keep up, but some things shouldn't change.

My friends ask me all the time my thoughts on whether or not their children should join and I warn them off immediately because it's not what they think. But it was once that type of place where you were someone's "shipmate" and there was no fear of being "shipmate-ed." If one person screwed up, you all screwed up, and it worked when things were handled at the E5 Level. I remember a time when we never let things disciplinary wise make it to the E6 Level and we most especially keep things away from the Chief. Those types of things started to change when they introduced something called Training Time Out (TTO) during boot camp. A TTO can be called by any recruit at any time when they believe the training is "too difficult." Even as a young airman I would think, "this is a controlled environment." There is absolutely nothing too difficult that is going to occur to you in Bootcamp, and if you believe that it is (we are well aware of any and all medical conditions that's why there is a medical screening) this is not for you. You're telling us this vetted individual who wants nothing more than to see you succeed, breathing down your neck, yelling in your face is enough to do you in to some state of hopelessness? I guess when a real threat is charging at you with a machete or worse that's when you'll actually feel thankful and rise to the challenge..

A M ilitary Story

I or worse that's when you'll actually feel thankful and rise to the challenge.

I remember getting chewed out, yelled at, all of it, and it was needed. When a single mom can get to her post on time, you better believe I'm going to dig into you when I have to wake up just to get to someone's door who refuses to set an alarm or simply go to bed early! But believe me, when said individual opens that door, I'm just as glad to see they're still alive. I remember the Navy being fun even when times were hard. We took pride in Quarters, weekly assessments of our military bearing.

We saw our Sailors get recognized for their accomplishments, and when we failed we failed as a unit or department, but we got it together. We knew how to "fight the ship" when General Quarters was called and it is a rewarding feeling beyond measure when you know you can do your job and do it well.

How do we get things back into the hands of the E5? I think it begins at recruiting and that it should be run by the Master Chiefs. Our most senior enlisted advisors. I cannot tell you how many times I have watched Master Chiefs inform the top brass why some "brilliant" idea wasn't going to work, have them nod "thank you very much for your input Master Chief, we're going to move forward anyway," and watch some disaster unfold in the Navy Times.

Every time, there's not one, not two, but a host of Master Chiefs telling the higher ups why something isn't going to work and for some reason (we know reasons) when they "relax" a standard that got everyone through and held everyone accountable they wonder why it failed, even though a Master Chief told them it was going to fail in the first place..

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continued They know because they were there already.

When they are preparing their new Chiefs each year and breaking them down to literally build them up they are looking at each other saying "that used to be you!" "that was me!" "oh I used that one!" They have a powerful magnifying glass that exposes weaknesses developed from years of experience, the real type that comes from a hard life that was hard earned.

If the recruiting office was run completely by Master Chiefs, they would expose early those elements that have no business being in the military. Perhaps things like suicides, rape, drug addiction (oh you would be surprised), the type of things no one wants to talk about would decline instead of escalate. As a Command Managed Equal Opportunity Advisor, Drug and Alcohol Program Advisor, and Instructor I can tell you military life is challenging. It can't just be a numbers game with your value and life expectancy already budgeted.

The Master Chiefs give everything for their Sailors, always have. It's unfair when we tell our people their first and watch them get administratively separated wondering what happened. With the right structuring and mentorship, when a recruit makes it through Bootcamp and to their first command, having already a fair understanding of how they are evaluated, the difference in military and civilian culture, the real life and death consequences that come from not performing your duty, that recruit would truly know the transition they just made from civilian life to military life. "You can't fool a room full of Chiefs." You think you're getting one past the Master Chiefs, think again.

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Artemus Gibbons

support@legacyventuresusa.org 300 Marietta St. SWSte 304 Atlanta, Ga 30313 404.222.9100 L e n w o o d Co l e m a n Fo u n d e r a n d V is io n a r y Bo a r d Ch a ir o f L e g a c y V e n t u r e s

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Pr ayer s & Pr aises

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Available on Am azon Kin dle an d Au dible

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Th e Su r pr isin g Secr et t o Su st ain in g Love When we reflect on our successful long-term relationship, were still surprised it worked out. It didn't start with the Hollywood romance I expected. We didn't have love-at-first-sight or want to spend every minute together. There were no grand gestures or declarations of eternal love.

Not in the beginning, at least. But those things developed over time as we built our relationship day by day.

Most of us are and were serial monogamists, we always looked for instant chemistry, thinking it signaled "the one." Each new relationship felt more magical than the last. But chemistry and lust only promise love, they don't sustain it. Those unstable illusions, built on desires and dopamine, dissolved when either of us changed.

We concluded that lasting relationships are hard to find. But the difference between our past and current relationship is that we didn't find our connection, we built it together through good and bad times.

We wish we had invested the energy spent looking for love into developing tools to build love instead. Because love isn't found, it's created.

People change. The person you want today won't be the same person you want in 10 years. Childhood sweethearts lasting a lifetime are rare. More often, people fall for who their partner is at that moment, not who they will become.

A lasting relationship requires finding someone to co-create with, so you can grow together as you both change. It's not about compromise, where each person gives up something, but about creation, amplifying what's possible.

This co-creation is the sixth love language. Unlike the other five love languages focused on individual preferences, the sixth reinforces that your partner is special and irreplaceable.

No one else shares your private world.

You build this world through joy in the mundane, not just peak moments. Small daily delights, like laughing while cooking, create a shared reality. Accepting each other 's quirks and playing together also builds connection.

This sixth love language focuses on the trend, not singular peak moments. It strengthens your bond through consistent care in ordinary moments. Unlike infatuation that fades, your shared world expands as you keep creating.

So don't just look for love, build it through everyday care. Find someone to amplify life's magic, not just meet today's desires. Share silly quirks and play. Most importantly, treasure the small moments that form lifelong love.

Rem em ber Ubu n t u ; ?I am becau se of w h o w e ar e.?

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by Cr aig & Sh ar on Bu t t s of Tak in g Th e Jou r n ey Toget h er

Hea l t h a n d W el l n ess W hat Is Iod ine Str angely, befor e r eading a new pr oposal r eleased in Novem ber by the Food and Dr ug Adm inistr ation (FDA) to r evoke a r egulation appr oving a once Gener ally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) ingr edient know n as Br om inated Vegetable Oil (BVO), I didn't r ealize how im por tant iodine w as other than its placem ent on the Per iodic Table of elem ents (Iodine is an elem ent), w hich coincidentally falls r ight under neath Br om ine, the elem ent of question in BVO. Iodine is not pr oduced in the body. It m ust be ingested by consum ing food or supplem ents (w ar ning on supplem ents) r egular ly that contain iodine. Foods like eggs, shellfish, scallops, shr im p, kale, and even "iodized" salt can contain the am ount needed by the body for gr ow th.

W hat tr uly hit m e w as the or gan in the body that uses iodine to pr oduce at least tw o vital chem icals or "hor m ones" r esponsible for ever ything fr om r epr oductive gr ow th to br ain developm ent.

W hat is the Or gan The thyr oid gland is an or gan that pr oduces hor m ones. This one specifically uses iodine to cr eate T3 and T4. Alr ight, Tr iiodothyr onine and Tetr aiodothyr onine r espectively (them som e w or ds). But w ithout iodine, this r egulator y gland couldn't cr eate the hor m ones needed to contr ol your m etabolic r ate, hear t, m uscle and digestive functions, even bone m aintenance (w hich by the w ay is r esponsible for m aking blood).

How is Iodine effected by BVO New studies and a long list of petitions insisting that BVO be r em oved fr om "citr us flavor ed" dr inks have finally pr ocur ed enough r esults to allow the FDA to take action. BVO is an em ulsifier, a stabilizer used to allow oil to spr ead evenly thr oughout a liquid. Its addition pr events the citr us flavor ing used in m any dr inks fr om floating to the top, w hich is how bever ages using BVO keeps its tangy taste. How ever br om ine taken over tim e can accum ulate in fat cells. This accum ulation has show n to disr upt r eceptor s of the close elem ent iodine, pr eventing the thyr oid gland fr om doing its job.

Action Taken BVO and its use has been r estr icted and even banned in other countr ies. Califor nia is one of the fir st states to ban the use of BVO in citr us flavor ed dr inks. This developm ent m ay allow the FDA and its effor ts w ith other agencies like the National Institute of Envir onm ental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to r estr ict the use of other food additives linked to ongoing health concer ns.

Andr om eda Gibbons

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Know T his

by Julius P. H all ?Life reveals those who stand beside you on the battlefield, ready to fight, and those who appear as ?distractions? aiming to hinder your victory. - If you don?t separate yourself from your distractions, your distractions will separate your from your goals and the life you want.

Excuses make today easy, but tomorrow hard. Discipline makes today hard, but tomorrow easy. - Focus on what?s in your control. - Never let your storm get your kids wet. Don?t focus on who let you down. Appreciate who lifted you up. You Sometimes we forget how rich we are. We have hot water, air conditioning, groceries, a clean kitchen to cook in, a clean bathroom to bath in. And sometimes we forget that we are beyond blessed. - A grateful heart sees many blessings. - Each morning, peace arrives at your door in the form of choices. - You gotta move like you know God got you. - Smile often, think positive, give thanks, laugh loudly, love others, dream big.?

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Tr ust I t 's not some t hing t ha t I me a nt t o t hr ow a wa y , but I e nd e d up d oing exa c t ly t ha t .

I wa s he ld in c onf id e nc e , a nd kne w it , so whe n I be t r a y e d t ha t c onf id e nc e it wa s a lmost like I ha d t o se e it f or my se lf sor t of t hing s, w it ne ssing t he d isbe lie f a nd t he hur t a nd t he f ur y now a c c omp a nie d by my be t r a y a l.

Pe r ha p s it wa s be c a use it wa s me whe n I wa s unt e st e d ...a nd I ha ve no d e sir e f or suc h t o ha p p e n a ga in .

AndersonAries.Online

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Sav annah Spo r t s On Fr i d ay Dec ember 1st t h e Sava n n a h Gh o st Pi r at es w i l l pl ay at So u t h Ca r o l i n a t o meet t h ei r St i n g r ay s. Th e pu c k w i l l d r o p at 7:05 pm EST i n t h e No r t h Ch a r l est o n Co l i seu m.

Th en Sat u r d ay t h e 2n d t h ey a r r i v e at At l a n t a i n t h e Ga s So u t h Ar en a t o f ac e t h e Gl a d i at o r s at 7:00pm EST. Yo u r Sava n n a h Gh o st Pi r at es r et u r n t o t h e En ma r k et Ar en a o n Tu esd ay Dec ember 5t h t o c h a l l en g e t h e Jac k so n v i l l e I c emen . Th ei r g a me beg i n s at 7:00pm EST. Fo r t h e f u l l sc h ed u l e v i si t g h o st pi r at esh o c k ey.c o m.

Th e Sava n n a h H u r r i c a n es a r e sc h ed u l ed t o pl ay ag a i n st t h e Ch a r l o t t esv i l l e Gl a d i at o r s o n Dec ember 2n d h o me at t h e Ru ssel l El l i n g t o n At h l et i c Co mpl ex . Th e g a me beg i n s at 3:00pm EST. Th ei r n ex t h o me g a me f a l l s o n Dec ember 17t h ag a i n st t h e Vi r g i n i a Beac h Nept u n es at 8:00pm EST. Fo l l o w t h em o n t h ei r n ew w ebsi t e sava n n a h h u r r i c a n es.c o m.

Al so pl ay i n g Dec ember 2n d , t h e Sava n n a h St at e La d y Ti g er s w i l l g o ag a i n st Geo r g i a So u t h w est er n St at e Un i v er si t y at 4pm EST i n t h ei r o w n Ti g er Ar en a . Dec ember 9t h t h e La d y Ti g er s w i l l t a k e o n Co l u mbu s St at e Un i v er si t y at 4pm EST. Th e f o l l o w i n g Sat u r d ay at 2pm EST t h ey pl ay Tu sk eg ee Un i v er si t y a n d c o n c l u d e Dec ember w i t h a mat c h o n M o n d ay t h e 18t h ag a i n st Spr i n g H i l l Co l l eg e at 5:30pm EST.

A r tem us Gi bbon s

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At l a n t a Ha w k s De c e m b e r Ba sk et b a l l At l a n t a Ha w k s v s.M il w a u k ee Bu c k s Sa t u r d a y , D e c e m b e r 2 , 2 0 2 3 7 :0 0 p m Fiser v Fo r u m Br o o k l y n

Net s v s.At l a n t a Ha w k s

W e d n e s d a y , D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 0 2 3 7 :3 0 p m St a t e F a r m A r e n a A t l a n t a H a w k s v s . Ph i l a d e l p h i a 7 6 e r s F r i d a y , D e c e m b e r 8 , 2 0 2 3 7 :3 0 p m W e l l s Fa r g o Ce n t e r De n v e r Nu g g e t s v s . A t l a n t a H a w k s M o n d a y , D e c e m b e r 1 1 , 2 0 2 3 7 :3 0 p m St a t e F a r m A r e n a

A t l a n t a H a w k s v s . T o r o n t o Ra p t u r e s W e d n e s d a y , D e c e m b e r 1 3 , 2 0 2 3 7 :3 0 p m Sc o t i a b a n k

Ar en a

A t l a n t a h a w k s v s . T o r o n t o Ra p t u r e s F r i d a y , D e c e m b e r 1 5 , 2 0 2 3 7 :3 0 p m Sc o t i a b a n k A r e n a A t l a n t a H a w k s v s . Cl e v e l a n d Ca v a l ie r s Sa t u r d a y , D e c e m b e r 1 6 , 2 0 2 3 7 :3 0 p m St a t e F a r m A r e n a

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continued De t r o i t Pi s t o n s v s . A t l a n t a H a w k s Sa t u r d a y , D e c e m b e r 1 8 , 2 0 2 3 7 :3 0 p m St a t e F a r m A r e n a

A t l a n t a H a w k s v s . H o u s t o n Ro c k e t s W e d n e s d a y , D e c e m b e r 2 0 , 2 0 2 3 7 :0 0 p m T o y o t a Ce n t e r

At l a n t a Ha w k s v s.M ia m i Hea t F r i d a y D e c e m b e r 2 2 , 2 0 2 3 8 :0 0 p m Ka s e y a Ce n t e r

M e m p h i s Gr i z z l e s v s . A t l a n t a H a w k s Sa t u r d a y , D e c e m b e r 2 3 , 2 0 2 3 7 :3 0 p m St a t e F a r m A r e n a

A t l a n t a H a w k s v s . Ch ic a g o Bu l l s T u e s d a y D e c e m b e r 2 6 , 2 0 2 3 7 :3 0 p m Un it e d Ce n t e r Sa c r a m e n t o K i n g s v s . A t l a n t a H a w k s F r i d a y , D e c e m b e r 2 9 , 2 0 2 3 7 :3 0 p m St a t e F a r m A r e n a At l a n t a Ha w k s v s.W a sh in g t o n w iz a r d s Su n d a y , D e c e m b e r 3 1 , 2 0 2 3 3 :0 0 p m Ca p it a l o n e A r e n a

At l a n t a Ha w k s De c e m b e r Ba sk et b a l l

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T h e Do m e s t ic s l a v e Tr a d e l ef t o u r a n c est o r s w it h a m issio n t o u n it e Dust kicked up behind t heir bar e f eet , l eaving t heir f or mer pl ant at ions in it s wake. Some hel d basket s, ot her s chil dr en and babies.

But hundr eds of mil es of wal king woul d be wor t h get t ing t o see t heir l oved ones again. t hough t he t r ans At l ant ic sl ave t r ade ended in 1808, a new phase of ensl avement was on t he hor izon:t he domest ic sl ave t r ade. Dr iven by r ocket ing gr owt h in t he cot t on indust r y, t his hor r or t ur ned many f amil ies t o r esist ance net wor ks l ike t he Under gr ound Rail r oad, seeking t heir escape.

Because pl ant er s sought t o t r anspor t ensl aved peopl e f r om t he Upper t o Lower Sout h, over 50% of par ent s and chil dr en wer e separ at ed. A t hir d of mar r iages wer e dest r oyed.

This r upt ur e in chosen and f amil ial communit ies l ef t many sear ching f or l ost l oved ones, l ong af t er sl aver y's abol it ion.

Roads f il l ed wit h t hose wal king hundr eds of mil es t o r eunit e wit h t heir l oved ones, l eaving or r et ur ning t o t he sout h. "Quir ing l et t er s" wer e r ead f r om chur ch t o chur ch, seeking inf or mat ion and newspaper s dist r ibut ed want ed ads. Some even wr ot e t o t he f r eedmen's Bur eau.

Af t er sur viving a syst em t hat deemed t hem inhuman obj ect s whose pur pose was f r ee l abor , t he newl y f r eed Cont inued t o r esist by r ecent er ing t he peopl e t hey l oved - t he peopl e t hey r ef used t o l ose.

The domest ic t r ade sl ave and it s af t er mat h is a vit al par t of our hist or y - not j ust because of it s hor r or s, but t he st or y it t el l s about our ancest or s' invest ment in communit y.

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Today f r om t he pr ison indust r ial compl ex t o pover t y and gent r if icat ion, ant i- bl ack inst it ut ions cont inue t o f r act ur e our communit ies. But t he power of communit y st il l l ive in us.

THE JOURNEY: YOU KNOW HALF OF M Y STORY by: Ju liu s P. Hall Th er e w er e people close t o m e con spir in g t o t ak e m e ou t .

Th ey u n der est im at ed m y w ill, m y st r en gt h an d w h at God?s assign m en t f or m e w as abou t .

Th e devil cou ldn?t k ill m e, f or if h e cou ld, I?d alr eady be dead.

I?m a believer in God, an d I?ve been f ollow in g w h at h e said.

M y m om didn?t spoil h er k ids, by spar in g u s t h e r od.

Ever y day in ou r h ou se, w as a lect u r e abou t t h e Goodn ess of God. St r u ggles, Pain an d Hear t ach e, bu t n on e of it w as m ean t t o last .

Gr at ef u l f or t h e low s of m y lif e, it allow ed m e t o sh ed t h at sh am ef u l m ask .

M an y days I called ou t ,?Oh God, if on ly you ?d sen d m e a sign ,?

God t old m e,?it ?s on ly Sat an playin g t r ick s w it h you r m in d.?

I?m n ot you r in t ellect u al equ al, bu t I am you r IQ in spir at ion .

Un sh ak able, u n r aveled, u n f azed, u n af r aid, I?m God?s cr eat ion .

I don?t look lik e w h at I?ve been t h r ou gh , m an y t im es I?ve been best ed.

Oh , bu t look at m e n ow , a lion r oar in g in t h e ju n gle, I?m bat t le-t est ed.

Sh ou ld h ave been dead by n ow , bu t I?m cover ed by h is Gr ace.

Th is Jou r n ey is n ot a spr in t , it ?s m or e lik e a m ar at h on r ace.

So som e f olk s look at m e n ow , in all of m y glor y.

Bu t t h ey don?t k n ow , m y absolu t e en t ir e st or y.

Tw en t y on e year s, t r apped in t h e belly of a viciou s beast .

God w h isper ed in m y ear ,?w ak e u p, t h e su n st ill r ises in t h e east .?

It ?s n ot abou t t h e pat h I t ook , or h ow I w as r aised.

If you don?t k n ow m y Jou r n ey, you w on?t u n der st an d m y pr aise.

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ISSUE 4 I DECEM BER 2023