@npr 🎙️ On July 5, 1852 [at just 34 years of age] Frederick Douglass stood before an abolitionist group and gave one of his most famous speeches: “What To The Slave Is The Fourth of July?” That speech confronted the hypocrisy of an Independence Day in a country that still endorsed the bondage and forced labor of more than 1 in 8 of its residents.
I moved to Washington, DC in 1976 at 24 yr fresh-off my now completed volunteer project winterizing homes in rural NH.
A young idealist, my newly assigned VISTA project was intended to lay a foundation for outpatient mental health treatment, pronto(!), post the ACLU Dixon vs US Govt, which gave the go to deinstitutionalization, St. Elizabeth's Hospital.
I had no idea what any of that meant, nor I was walking into...
I sat on the District's first Board of Mental Health established due to the emergency the deinstitutionalization presented to patients and community; I wondered if I had the strength to deal with the negative bureaucracy
Each day I passed by Mr Douglass's home and each day I thought of his life, the man he became and the legacy he left for those of us who may pause long enough to listen..
Although that was 50 years ago I can still clearly see the home and the sign on the front lawn in Anacostia.
His impact wasn't lost on me> his memory strengthened my hope and determination daily.
I'm now 73 and continue to think of the tragic deaths of 25 patients I was tasked with caring for in a deficient home in the community surrounding St Elizabeth's Hospital, Anacostia.
Try as I may to warn the powers that be in DHHS, no one would listen.
My boss threatened me, "do not darken my door for 6 months. Do whatever you want, but that house won't be closed down".
I visited these lovely outpatients at least a few times a week and continued to take my notes on deficiencies and submit them to my boss.
He turned the other cheek time and time again.
Within 5 months the home burned to the ground.
The one thing I learned at that tender age that is my inner mantra to this day,
I will never ever work for, volunteer for, give a moment of my time or attention to any job offer, person, entity etc. that I don't wholly feel at one mind with.
I'd rather eat rice for the rest of my life than compromise my values, my belief of right and wrong than risk harming another precious soul.
Each of you is a brilliantly shining light of hope, courage and perseverance in this world of ours.
Showing up as you do in your lives, in this film, and speaking your truth matters more than you know.
Your passion is an encouragement to those listening to do our best, honor you and honor the wisdom of Frederick Douglass.
Douglass's words carry a powerful weight that continues to pierce the atmosphere, now more than ever. The Fourth of July has always been a paradoxical celebration (I stopped celebrating years, years ago) for those of us whose blood laid the foundation of this nation, yet whose freedom was intentionally excluded from its original design.
Thank you for sharing this. May we relentlessly speak the truth, even as the flags unfurl in patriotic fervor.
Misty-eyed am I...
I moved to Washington, DC in 1976 at 24 yr fresh-off my now completed volunteer project winterizing homes in rural NH.
A young idealist, my newly assigned VISTA project was intended to lay a foundation for outpatient mental health treatment, pronto(!), post the ACLU Dixon vs US Govt, which gave the go to deinstitutionalization, St. Elizabeth's Hospital.
I had no idea what any of that meant, nor I was walking into...
I sat on the District's first Board of Mental Health established due to the emergency the deinstitutionalization presented to patients and community; I wondered if I had the strength to deal with the negative bureaucracy
Each day I passed by Mr Douglass's home and each day I thought of his life, the man he became and the legacy he left for those of us who may pause long enough to listen..
Although that was 50 years ago I can still clearly see the home and the sign on the front lawn in Anacostia.
His impact wasn't lost on me> his memory strengthened my hope and determination daily.
I'm now 73 and continue to think of the tragic deaths of 25 patients I was tasked with caring for in a deficient home in the community surrounding St Elizabeth's Hospital, Anacostia.
Try as I may to warn the powers that be in DHHS, no one would listen.
My boss threatened me, "do not darken my door for 6 months. Do whatever you want, but that house won't be closed down".
I visited these lovely outpatients at least a few times a week and continued to take my notes on deficiencies and submit them to my boss.
He turned the other cheek time and time again.
Within 5 months the home burned to the ground.
The one thing I learned at that tender age that is my inner mantra to this day,
I will never ever work for, volunteer for, give a moment of my time or attention to any job offer, person, entity etc. that I don't wholly feel at one mind with.
I'd rather eat rice for the rest of my life than compromise my values, my belief of right and wrong than risk harming another precious soul.
Each of you is a brilliantly shining light of hope, courage and perseverance in this world of ours.
Showing up as you do in your lives, in this film, and speaking your truth matters more than you know.
Your passion is an encouragement to those listening to do our best, honor you and honor the wisdom of Frederick Douglass.
As you iterate so aptly, never give up.
Blessings.
Thank you for sharing your stories.
Douglass's words carry a powerful weight that continues to pierce the atmosphere, now more than ever. The Fourth of July has always been a paradoxical celebration (I stopped celebrating years, years ago) for those of us whose blood laid the foundation of this nation, yet whose freedom was intentionally excluded from its original design.
Thank you for sharing this. May we relentlessly speak the truth, even as the flags unfurl in patriotic fervor.
Look up and research Cesti Que Vie trust. Why bother ? Birth certificates have bonds assigned to them held in a Cesti Que Vie Trust.