The Flowering Vine: A Letter to Our White Great-Grandfather

On By Lady GIn The Flowering Vine, Uncategorized

black and white me

Dear Robert,

My name is Gwin and I am one of your great-grandchildren.  Today, I am writing to you in hopes that your soul has ascended to an elevated level of understanding and empathy-having left your dark and dense material world many years ago.

As you can see, I am not exactly what you might have expected.
I am not Caucasian.
I am a strong and beautiful brown-skinned girl.
I am Black.
We are Black.
You see, I am one of many.
We are the grandchildren of your son, Leroy.
From what I have been told, our grandfather spent quite a bit of time at your home with you and your other children.
In fact, he once showed me a knee injury that he sustained while playing on your farm.
So there’s no doubt in my mind that you knew him and he knew you.
But, do you know us?
Did you notice that he married a beautiful and educated black woman?
Did you see their babies?
Did you see their baby’s babies?
Would you have recognized us as YOUR children?
Or would you have been horrified?
Terrified?
Based on historical documents, I know that your family is deeply rooted in the South.
I know that many of them fought and died for the Confederacy-their cold dead fingers still wrapped around that flag.
I also know that they vigorously worked to maintain white supremacy and dominance well after The Civil War.
History tells me that it is very likely that you and some of your kin gathered up the women and children, put on your best suit of clothes, packed a picnic and gleefully watched as one, or more of my black ancestors was beaten to death and hung from a tree.
You and your kin normalized the murder and torture of black folks because, in your Earthly simple mind, we were less than human.
Yet, you wouldn’t have dared watch someone hang a horse.
There is no justifying that.
But, as I write this letter, I have hope that God’s grace has brought you to a higher level of awareness and you now know just how sick you were.  I pray that you have boldly accepted whatever karma came your way and released your hatred.
However, having said that, I must inform you that your inability to repent for your sins while on Earth has led to the creation of a very ugly wound on our current society that never healed.
 In fact, it’s beginning to fester and without an immediate intervention, it will become septic—which is, indeed, fatal.
If you don’t believe what I am saying, I give you this post written by your Great-Grandson, my cousin, Ronald.
Here’s the thing Great-Granddaddy, I want to forgive you and yours for your trespasses, but it is hard as hell when the worst of you continue to uproot any amount of progress that is made.
Therefore, I’d ask that you send prayers of enlightenment and love down to all of those who are working so hard to dominate and oppress people who do not resemble them.
I’ll join you in those prayers.  Maybe, between me and you, we can initiate healing and change.
Peace, love and light to you!
-Gwin.
PS:  You can reach me in my Alternate Universe version of 1982 :).
Also I am enclosing a picture of your son (Leroy) and your Grandson (My Daddy).
IMG_0625

133 thoughts on “The Flowering Vine: A Letter to Our White Great-Grandfather”

  2. Good on you, Gwin! Such a super tough subject to address, this animosity between the races, and you jumped in the middle of it with both feet with poise, grace and forgiveness.

    And, wow, your ancestral position puts you in a unique position to address the issue. OK, perhaps not that unique, but the position is so rarely commented upon by those within it.

    Am I making sense?

    am tired, so I’ll stop with that…for now.

    Best,

    mjm

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  4. I read the entire post but didn’t read all the comments. Some are bordering on novels! lol One thing I found interesting is that, in spite of your “white blood” you identify only as black. Perhaps if everyone would stop labeling themselves by the color of their skin things would improve.
    I prefer to identify people based on their personalities, intelligence, interests, etc. Rather than “The always giggling (insert skin color her) lady” I say “The always giggling lady.”
    If we got to know each other you wouldn’t be my “black friend” no more than some people are my “white friends.” You’d just be my friend.

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    1. Hi Elizabeth 🙂
      Thanks for reading my post and taking time to comment.
      The US follows the rule of hypodescent “which is the automatic assignment of children of a mixed union or mating between members of different socioeconomic groups or ethnic groups to the subordinate group”
      Of course, that rule is more informally known as the “one drop rule.”
      I don’t use the term “white blood” or “black blood” because blood is not classified by ‘race.’
      I understand that ‘racial groups’ are really just silly human constructs but our dear government loves to classify us that way.
      Thanks again for your comment.
      Enjoy the rest of your weekend 🌹

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      1. Good Lord! I thought that bull about having any black blood making someone black had gone the way of slavery! That’s INSANE! It’s time people realize blood is red no matter what the outer covering may be! Thank you for educating me. Now we just have to teach the government it’s….stupid.

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      1. That’s wassup! I am glad to hear that. I know a lot of black women who torture their beautiful hair with all those chemicals and stuff. What is wrong with an afro?!

        But I cannot say anything – I always get “put in check” so I just keep my mouth shut about it lol

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        2. Natty hair can be hard to comb/manage Darryl. That’s the best answer I can give. Not all of us are lucky enough to have “good hair” as we Black folk are so fond of sayin’ … Don’t be too hard on those with hair that they find hard to manage. Being a man, you probably don’t know what it’s like when a woman has a ‘bad hair day’. It can RUIN her whole life!! 🙂

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        3. Hello Marie! See, that is precisely what I want to question: the matrix of “bad hair” and race. Is it possible that the hair of black women is only perceived and experienced as unmanageable because white women with straight hair are the beauty standard?

          Why does natty hair have to be combed at all is my question? Why not just … let it be?

          If we liberate ourselves from this standard, can African men AND women (men have this instilled as well, to a lesser degree) then view their hair in a different light?

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        4. Hi Darryl! Yes you make a very valid point regarding the perception of black hair with regard to the beauty standard relating to white women. White women are not the only ones to have the type of hair you refer to. The Black spectrum of hair covers from very tight curls to straight hair. Black hair which is tight and curly can be very difficult to style and I’m not sure that you will find many women out there who would prefer not to comb their hair – EVER! People have every right to do what they want with their hair and how they style their hair is something of a personal issue/preference. I’m not into weaves and extensions personally and maybe that’s because I don’t have any issues with my own hair. But if I had very tight curly hair maybe I would want to straighten it – I don’t know. I don’t think it is as simple as ‘liberating ourselves from this standard’ – it’s a far more complex issue and not one that can be ironed out (pun intended!) in a comments ‘box’. Nice talking again. It’s been a while.

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        5. Hi Marie! Great points! I also want to say Happy Thanksgiving!

          I agree with you: I think it is a matter of individual preference. But do you think that individuals exist independently of social systems? Do you, as a black woman, exist outside of racism and sexism?

          For the past 600 years, black people have been under assault in an anti-black world. Everything having to do with blackness has been criminalized and maligned. As children, we are taught to hate the kink of our hair, the darkness of our skin, the fullness of our lips, and the width of our nostrils. I am sure you are familiar with the doll study of Kenneth Clark whereby black children, by the age of five, already demonstrated hatred of black dolls who look like them.

          Allow me to tell you about the first time I found out I was black. My brother is 3 years younger than me. I was about 7 years old, and he was about 4. We were at my grandmother’s house and she had a coffee mug with a picture of black Santa Claus on it. My brother took one look at it and said “Grandma, why is Santa Claus dirty??” My grandmother became angry and tried to explain to him that being black is not dirty. But the cat was out of the bag – I could tell from her reaction a deep secret had been revealed.

          And this is not confined to our childhood. We do not have to look very hard to see our brothers and sisters bleaching their skin, and lightening their hair so as to look less black/more European.

          During slavery, where blackness meant you were condemned to a life of dishonor, being a “mulatto” (a product of black-white intercourse) was desirable. This was partly because having part of the master’s blood diluted the undesirable African features – and resulted in having curly hair instead of all out nappy hair. Having curls was not as good as having straight hair, but it was better than having nappy hair. And we see this all of the time in modern marketing of black women celebrities: the one example that comes to the top of my head is when Toni Braxton was selling her book, she was asked to use extensions for the cover to “appeal to a broader audience” (translation: to make her look whiter and to appeal to white buyers).

          I say that to say this: people have individual “preferences” – but these “preferences” are often governed by larger circumstances. If a black woman is the only black woman in an all-white company that has a policy against wearing dreadlocks (some actually do!), does she REALLY have the “right” to style her hair as she pleases? Or is she only able to exercise her personal freedom within a predetermined set of choices by more powerful people?

          When I suggested that we should “liberate ourselves from this standard” – that is not a simple statement, that is a complex statement. I do not think there is anything simple about liberty or revolutions of the mind. Liberating ourselves from European beauty standards will come when we liberate ourselves from white supremacy in general – which is, and has been, and will continue to be a very complex process.

          Always good talking to you! =D

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        6. ronbrownx

          Bro. Darryl, I’ve traveled through my “TIME TUNNEL”, to a point, a RELATIVELY short distance into what we call the “future”, What I saw can best be described as a “racially” homogenous people.

          There were no Whites nor Blacks; no “good” nor “bad” hair etc. As a matter of fact no extremes existed anywhere along the human phenotypical spectrum.

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        7. Brother Ron! Thank you for the pearl of wisdom!

          In my discussion with Marie here, I am trying to discuss the past – as I do believe that what we are chasing in the “future” is, in many ways, what existed before our oppression.

          As you said “there were no whites nor blacks; no “good” nor “bad” hair (all of these categories are products of oppression) – so once our oppression ends, in the “future”, Dear Brother, I also think these categories will end.

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        8. ronbrownx

          I understand. My hypothesis, however, is that “races”, physical races, are slowly disappearing in this country.

          That’s the one thing that Whites fear the most.

          Everything that goes into a melting pot, melts and becomes part of the mixture. Eventually, there is only the mix.

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        13. Darryl, when I used the word “simply”, I did not actually mean simply in the sense that you have taken it. I actually meant in the sense that it was not the only way. I meant it was far more complex. I think in your haste and understandable anger, you have seen it as dismissive on my part. It is difficult to have such a heated and complex debate using this forum because there is much to be said on this whole issue.
          Of course, I completely agree with much of what you say so eloquently, but at the same time, getting angry with me does not make what you have to say any more right than wrong. It is simply what you have to say. We are not going to solve the Black/white question/issue or the appalling wrongs of the history of slavery. It has happened, still happening to a greater or lesser degree depending on how you view it, and this obviously is a greater issue than either of us can put right at this moment.
          How we see black hair and what it throws up for you, me and anyone else who has an issue can be argued to kingdom come. Your views as are mine are perfectly valid and I do understand your very strong feelings on such an emotive subject.
          Maybe Black people do base “hair styling/the way they see themselves as an extension of the view of a white person’s standard of beauty and maybe it is a completely wrong/skewed view which should be adjusted/changed. But do you really think that if we all decided not to comb our hair in order to prove a point, that everything will just be fine and dandy? No it will not.
          Liberating ourselves from European beauty standards is not something that will change lives drastically. What we need to do as Black people is to start uniting, valuing ourselves in every aspect of our lives, not just in an aesthetic sense but in all aspects of our lives from education, family life, the way we relate to each other etc etc. it’s not as if Black people are united on every front. Look how appallingly they treat each other. From those in poor African countries, riding around in limousines and living in palaces while their people starve. What’s that all about? Is white supremacy responsible for that? And that’s just one example. People, Black, White, Asian you name it, just don’t have a clue when it comes to showing a united front and treating each other with love and respect. It’s not just a black problem. It’s the whole world!!
          Liberating ourselves from white supremacy in general is one of those huge umbrella terms which really means very little if you really think about it. Black people as far as I can see have always fought for the right to be who they are and what they are: a very strong and courageous people. During slavery it was hard to do so, but they still fought for their freedom and their rights. Why some white people think they are supreme is beyond me, but as you can see from your time here on Earth, there is much to disapprove of. Life is a struggle and we don’t all have the answers. I certainly don’t and neither can I regurgitate things that I have learned in academia to support very strong feelings on some things that are taking a long time to change. I’m sorry for your traumatic experiences as a child and I empathise with you, but I cannot change anything for you. Try to see what it is you are really angry about and see what you can do to make things better if you can. If you are angry about political and social issues and want to change things, become a politician!

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        14. Marie, do you actually want to have a conversation? You keep saying “this topic is much more complex than this forum allows” – but you keep making dismissive statements like “white supremacy is an umbrella term that means nothing when you really think about it” but then, turning around and saying “why some white people think they are supreme is beyond me”. This string of statements alone would require hours of unpacking.

          You are saying one thing while doing another.

          And can you please give me your personal definition of “white supremacy” ?

          And can you please tell me why you think African nations are so poor and how they got that way?

          So before I respond, please let me know what your true desire is.

          I am not angry – if I was, I would not take the time to engage your ideas. If anything, you seem disinterested as you keep attempting to end the dialogue altogether (“this is more complex”, “become a politician”).

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        15. It very much depends on what you mean by having a conversation Darryl. As I said, I find it difficult to have a “conversation”, because this is such a huge subject that it cannot be dealt with on WordPress in a small “comment box”. We started talking about black hair which now seems to have turned into white supremacy and if I as a black woman can operate outside racism and white supremacy. When writing comments back and forth, much is lost in the interpretation because you cannot “see” how the other person is reacting. In your last message, I felt a certain amount of anger on your part, which you now say is not the case. It seems strange to me that you would not want to talk to me if you were angry. I don’t really understand that. I am not disinterested at all. I am merely saying that if we are to have a discussion of this magnitude, it would be better face to face. It is not as if we’re talking about something trivial which can be cleared up in a matter of a couple of comments. From what you said in your opening para, it is clear that you misunderstand me and obviously the way I put my opinions across are not clear to you. I don’t understand why some white people think that they are supreme and I also think that the umbrella term is so vast, that you have to be clear what issues you are raising in order to have a sensible discussion. Jumping from black hair to slavery to dreadlocks to what happened to you as a child is quite confusing and I don’t really know what your point is.
          African nations are poor because of the legacy of slavery and being plundered by white people in my view. Why some Africans in a position of power choose to keep a lot of wealth for their own personal use and well-being while the rest of the country is kept in poverty is not a question I can answer. White supremacy is white people believing themselves to be better in everything than black people and wanting to keep black people subjugated and powerless and subject to inequality. I hope I’ve answered your questions, I would not wish you to trouble yourself with the task of hours of “unpacking”. I believe that politicians are in a position of power to be able to change things that they do not like, such as social conditions. I am clearly not your intellectual equal. Thanks for talking.

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        16. Thank you for clarifying Marie! This is not about intellectual equality or anything of the sort. Perhaps I need to integrate more smiley faces and exclamation points, because I am not angry – I find these kinds of conversations intellectually stimulating!!!!!!!!!! (haha)

          I agree that conversations via computer can bracket otherwise more fruitful discussions – but, I think we can do our best to track down the truth in spite of the barriers.

          I am sorry to confuse you by jumping from black hair to slavery to white supremacy. In my mind, they are all linked historically. There is a difference between African and black. African is a person descended from Africa; but black refers to a person marked for slavery through a process of enslavement. In other words, Africans went into the slave ships and they came out black. When Africans were made into slaves, they were turned into “black people” – and Europeans were turned into “white people” …and this began the system of white supremacy.

          I am arguing that what we call “good hair” and “bad hair” is related to the system of white supremacy, which came into existence with slavery.

          I agree with your answers to my questions – I would just add that white supremacy is not simply about beliefs, it is about a system of power. White supremacy gives white people political, economic, and social power over non-whites.

          Even though African nations are “free”, they are still colonized by Western powers through debt agreements. And a lot of the leaders who are in power driving around in cars with mansions were put in power by the U.S. So yes, I would say that white supremacy still plays a role in Africa. Recently, the president of South Africa said “white people still control the economy” …even though apartheid ended 22 years ago there.

          I appreciate the insight about politicians. But I do not think that real change comes from within the system, it comes from outside of it. Real change happens when people take to the streets and put pressure the government – and then politicians begin to move. The real power is always in the streets, not at the courthouse.

          Thanks =D

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        17. I suppose to a great extent, I am angered by discussions about The Slave Trade and the role of “white” Europeans in that and the legacy of said in present day. I find it frustrating that there is so little I can do and this leaves me feeling powerless. There is no way I would expect smiley faces and haha in these type of discussions unless done in irony. That said, even though you said you were not angry, I’m sorry but I still felt a degree of anger coming through your writing and to my mind that is perfectly understandable. It would be a very foolish, insensitive person who did not get riled by inequality, injustice, enslavement, police brutality, denial (by those responsible), legacies of slavery.
          I don’t think I am your intellectual equal, because clearly you have a very solid foundation on which to build your arguments in this particular case, as you have not only studied it but you are very knowledgeable about the things you are talking about in a way that I am not. I am not saying that I am intellectually inferior to you. I am saying that I do not have the same knowledge base and I think this is clear when you look at my opinions and your views in this discussion.
          Yes, I agree with what you say about real change coming from the streets, but at the same time we need legislation to power through changes. Both avenues are indelibly linked, in my view.
          Thank you for the information here – it has been an education. Black kinky hair, white supremacy and enslavement are historically linked as you rightly say, but as I said, and reiterate, that comments in this forum are open to misinterpretation sometimes, there is no tone, so sometimes people can read anger, frustration, etc into something which is not there in the first place. I can see you like a good argument/debate which I also like, but am not good at these sort of things.
          Also, when writing, neither writer knows what is going on in the background (you might be for arguments sake, be arguing with your spouse, your child, ) and these things can colour and influence your frame of mind. Being asked if I want a conversation or not, or being made to feel that I am being questioned in a way that makes me feel uncomfortable can be a little intimidating. That is why it may have come across as if I didn’t want to engage in the conversation more fully.
          At last, you see my point about getting into politics – you see what I mean about taking things the wrong way?
          Here’s a smiley face to soften this debate. :))) Oh and the obligatory exclamation mark: Colonialists!!!!!! :)))

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        18. Hello, Marie! You raised an excellent point about powerlessness with respect to the history of the slave trade. I can understand this – because if conversation is geared toward the past and we are in the present and cannot move backwards, our desires are frustrated. Very true. For me, I try to see it as the past is in the present. I believe we are living in the afterlife of slavery – even though it had legally ended, it still exists in our collective unconscious as a ghost. Present day white folks did not own slaves, but they are still the beneficiaries of a system of power that began with white slave holders, whether they like it or not. Present day white folks are more likely to get a mortgage and less likely to be arrested because previous white folks oppressed previous black folks – and we are simply repeating the pattern.

          The best way to not feel powerless is to see that this is a system that exists in the present, and that there are modern forms of enslavement (i.e. prison) that can be combated in multiple forms = writing letters to prisoners, raising consciousness online, etc.

          I also agree about the circumstances coloring our responses. I have always believed in person dialogue to be superior.

          Thanks for your thoughtful commentary my friend! =D

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        19. Thanks for this. I agree with what you say. I can’t really add any more to this as this is the type of subject which more can always be added if you want to keep it going. Suffice to say oppression continues in many different forms and we continue with the struggle.
          By the way, have you slept at all? I went to bed about 1am after staying up to watch a programme on slavery by David Olusuga (while chatting to you) – incredibly interesting! You seem to be still responding to comments even though it is now tomorrow for me.
          Thanks for chatting. You are a formidable person when debating!

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  9. Wow, this was powerful. Very interesting family dynamic – and I wonder about the answers to the questions you posed in the piece. This may be the most intimate and personal of the pieces I have read of yours. I love the petition you did at the end!

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    1. Thank you so much Darryl 🙂
      Yes, we have a very interesting family background. We were subliminally taught to keep the whole thing silent but my cousin Ron and I have decided that now is the time to open up.
      I’m glad you like it 🙂

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      1. That is wild. This has been the history of mixed offspring going all the way back to slavery … when the master would never acknowledge the child, give them a piece of the estate, etc. And we always talk about “dead-beat daddies” … wonder where that habit came from! haha

        And I swear I am just making the connection between you and Ron. He is a cool dude! Ya’ll are cool folks. I’m trynna slide through one of yalls family barbecues!

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        1. LOL!!!
          Yes, Ron is my first cousin. His Mom and my Dad are whole siblings.

          At the bottom of this post you see our grandfather with my dad. Granddaddy stayed married to my grandmother for more than 60 years! Isn’t that something?

          Now our great grandpappy that I’m addressing in this letter….well…that’s another story 🙂
          BTW, I love your deadbeat comparison.
          LOL!!
          Darryl, you always got a plate at a Lady G joint!

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        2. That’s awesome! Ya’ll are great bloggers!

          Fair warning: I’m the type of swing by a cookout empty-handed. I come through with no except a to-go bag lmao!!! I ain’t bringing a chair, no chips, no dip … no nothing. But I want a steak, Lady G, and I would appreciate it if you would bless me wit some mac n cheese LOL. I’m kidding! I have family members who do that and it drives me nutsssssss!

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        4. Sure do! Lol you know what the worst is? When you’re having a cookout and a random black person from the neighborhood just shows up. No one knows them – but they smelled the food from a distance and just wandered onto the property. They figured that since it was a bunch of black folks, they could blend in. No one thinks to ask who they are, because they just assume they are a friend of a cousin. By the time we realize they are just a random dude, they done ate about 40 chicken wings, had 3 helpings of potato salad and LEFT! Lmaoooo

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        7. I blame white supremacy! We gotta get out on the streets and fight for our rights to keep our food on our plate and not in the mouths of people who turn up uninvited. Who they think they is? Coming over and benefitting from food they ain’t cooked? We need to build a BIG wall to keep them out, huh Mr Trump, sorry, I mean Darryl. LOL

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        11. Not at all. Would never joke at your expense. We were talking/joking about food – a much lesser matter than the terrible question of slavery etc etc. Sorry the joke misfired! I don’t deal in reverse racism, I just thought it was funny to blame the food joke on white supremacy. Dear me, I must be careful in future.

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        13. Yes!!!! You didn’t realise I had switched threads? You thought I was still talking about the earlier topic?!!! I don’t get how you could not see how this was a totally different convo. I guess maybe that might not be easy to see. Don’t quite know how WordPress works to show that topics have changed. My goodness, I was beginning to think my sense of humour was somewhat flawed – others have always got it! :))))

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        14. Lol – it is my fault. It is 4 in the morning, and I made the assumption that you were adding onto our previous discussion. I am not accustomed to multiple conversations at once – especially not those that have dramatically different content lol. Your sense of humor, or might I say HUMOUR is fine. Canada? UK? Whereabouts are you from?

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        16. I will read your About page when you Follow me back! Lol

          Greetings from your former colony in America lol. Rhode Island to be exact! I have a cousin in London … he is a musician named Billy Osborne, you may or may not have heard of him.

          I don’t know, for some reason I just can’t sleep. Whenever this happens, I don’t fight it, I try to write and get reading done! I have no plans for tomorrow so, I can sleep at any time lol

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        17. Darryl I explained to you sometime ago that I was following you even though I had not hit the follow button. If I “followed” every blogger I liked, I would be overwhelmed with email notifications which I don’t want. I can barely cope with the email I’m getting now without deliberately adding more email contacts. LOL
          I am a Jamaican, having been brought to the UK by my parents as a 4 year old. I am not part of the colonising process! LOL
          Not heard of your cousin, but if I do, I will know the connection.
          Oh well, if you have nothing to do tomorrow, that’s cool! 🙂

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        18. That’s not good enough, though!!! You haven’t showed love on my page for quite some time, despite your promise of following from a distance. This may very well be a source of my “anger” … bloggers have feelings too, lol!

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        19. Gonna come over there and strangle you Darryl. By the way, you haven’t been over to me for a while either despite promising to love, honour and obey me, sorry, I mean follow me. hahhahahha Ah so you do rememeber I said I’d follow you from a distance?
          You should not go to bed on an angry note, it is always better to kiss and make up first. HAHAHAHAHA

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        21. lmao
          Into every life a little rain must fall. You divorced me without my knowledge??? Can we renew our marriage, sorry blogging vows please?
          It’s alright Darryl, I’m sorry I hurt you. I never meant to. But you were being unfaithful with all those other bloggers, and I was so hurt (hahahhaha).
          Lots of kisses and hugs, no wonder you couldn’t sleep last night … LOL

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        24. Hey! Anyone reading this must be thinking what is going on with those two? We have a big “row” last night about white supremacy, and now we are kissing and making up! Hey, isn’t that just like a relationship? Who knew blogging would have this effect on the blogging community, huh? LOL

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        30. I had gone to bed as I said at about 1am, so now is tomorrow for me, but it looks like it is still today for you. And so yes, I had seen that comment to Lady G and was responding to that, having finished the other convo with you when I went to bed. Had not expected you were still up and still on the same track. Sorry for confusion!

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        34. Now do you see the reference to Trump (building a wall to keep Mexicans out)? Or if we let ‘them’ have chicken wings we need to check their visa and passport and make sure they only get what they are entitled to if we don’t shoot them first. LOL

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  10. Lady G! I am lost for words! What a powerful and timely post?! I silently applaud you – well done for writing this long overdue letter. I hope you feel great for having done this – you have every right to do so! Yaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssss! 🙂

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    1. YAAAAASSSSS!
      Lady M!
      Thank you so much for the applause 😉
      It is a letter that is very overdue. As I have said to others, I pray that he can ‘hear’ me 🙂
      I’ve got to get over to your spot.

      It’s been busy over this way for the past few days as we prepare for Turkey Day! I know that Thanksgiving, as we celebrate it here, is uniquely American but do you guys have anything comparable in the UK?

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      1. Lady G, it was a real pleasure to reblog such a tender, compassionate, intelligently written, insightful and authentic post. More power to you for being inspired to write this. And how can we ignore the part of us (in your case, your white great grandfather) which is very much part of who we are as an individual? Many of us have white ancestors not only as a legacy of slavery, but also as loving relationships in current times.

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  12. Woebegone but Hopeful

    Formidable Gwin!
    This just leaves me speechless and humble in the wake of your eloquence determination and warmth.
    This project is a true light in a very gloomy night.
    Best wishes
    Roger

    Liked by 4 people

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        4. Woebegone but Hopeful

          “Born to drink teee-eeeee!”
          “Getcha kettle boilin’
          Add a ton of sugah!
          Stir that heavy brew
          Make sure it’s in a big mug(ah)
          I’m a true Brit that’s me
          I was born, born to drink tea
          It’s just our natural style
          You will hear the war-cry off a mile…..
          Born to drink teeeee-eeeee
          Born drink to teeee-eeeee”
          (One lump or two, you Steppinwolf chaps?) 😆

          Liked by 1 person

        6. Woebegone but Hopeful

          I confess. It’s the night sugar-rush (I sneaked an extra spoonful of sugar into that cuppa…I’m gonna be in so much trouble when my darling finds out 😃)…Ah well, away to those chores!
          G’night Gwin.

          Liked by 2 people

  13. ALS

    Gwin as I lay here reading this my heart is filled with so many emotions. When I saw the picture of granddaddy it all went away. Why? Because we were so bless to have him as our grandfather. He was a man with a very kind and generous heart that loved each and everyone of us. He saw something special in each of one of his grands. As for me, I can forgive the man we never met because if it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t exist. Because of the man our grandfather was it taught me to look beyond the color of skin and to the heart of man. Granddaddy had a heart of gold and I am so glad he didn’t let how others viewed People of color affect him because we wouldn’t be a part of this rainbow.

    Liked by 7 people

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    1. Thank you so much cuz! Everything you said about Grandaddy is so true. I have never known a person who was as genuinely sweet and kind as he was.
      I miss him to this day.
      I am glad that you found some solace in seeing his face again.
      And you are right. None of us would be here if it weren’t for him or for Robert.

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  14. Lennon Carlyle

    Wow G…powerful stuff here. You are obviously a much more forgiving person than I. I admire you for writing to him….I believe if he were alive and had realized his ignorance and had repented he would be extremely proud of you. You my dear are a beautiful human being inside & out.

    Liked by 4 people

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  16. T. Wayne

    See…even though the weekly “Time Tunnel” posts are gone, I’m still taking notes…

    What a powerful, terrifically written letter you have here, Twin! It speaks to history, and it speaks to what is going on now, though just as in earlier times, those who perpetrate this nonsense fail to see it for what it is.

    I am enjoying this series, and I look forward to each entry, (even if I don’t get to them on the day they are posted). 😦

    Liked by 4 people

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  17. Lady G- you have done it again with another stellar post. You said some things that needed to be said. We do need some sort of intervention. I feel like our world is one big massive powder keg that could blow up at any second. If we could just get a dialogue started…….I know. I am living in the utopian 1982 with you. But a girl can dream and hope.

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    1. Thank you Susan! As I was telling T. Wayne, I just had to have my say.
      I honestly feel like my great-grandpappy would only be able to ‘hear’ me if his consciousness was raised to a higher level.
      Thanks for checking me out 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

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  18. ronbrownx

    oooof! That one hit me in the heart Cuz! Old-time wrestler, Stan “The Man” Stasiak, had one of the most devastating “finishing moves” in Professional Wrestling. Called the “Heart Punch”, Stan would lift his opponent’s left arm and deliver a punch to the area of his heart. The opponent would go down for the count.

    Your letter to Great-Grandpa, rivals Stan’s fabled punch!!!!

    Do your thing Cuz!

    And then you lit a fire and put old Great-Grandpa’s feet and the feet of those like him, to that fire!

    Awesome job Cuz!

    Liked by 4 people

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  20. Tareau Barron

    Lady G that was probably the most moving thing I’ve heard all year. Such power and such provocations from within. I too share a similar tale but this one hits close to home, extremely close. Wow. You truly are gifted Lady G.

    Liked by 7 people

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      1. Tareau Barron

        Yes that is true but you had the balls to post a picture and confront said deceased relatives. That takes passion. And seeing that you’re from the south, courage as well lol. Yea you know I’ll always support you and Ron no doubt.

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