As Dictated to Attorney Thomas R. Gray — This is a companion piece to another story about the hanging, dissection, and beheading of Nat Turner following his capture and trial following the revolt he led in 1831. The Hanging, Dissecting, and Beheading of Nat Turner How Many Times and Ways Can You Kill a Man?medium.com Following is the complete text of Nat’s confession as dictated to his lawyer, Thomas R. Gray. You may end up concluding…

How Many Times and Ways Can You Kill a Man? — "His body was given over to the surgeons for dissection. He was skinned to supply such souvenirs as purses, his flesh made into grease, and his bones divided as trophies to be handed down as heirlooms. It is said that there still lives a Virginian who has a piece of his skin which was tanned, that another Virginian possesses one of his ears and that the skull graces the collection of a physician in the city of Norfolk."-- John W. Cromwell, "The Aftermath of Nat Turner's Insurrection," 1920

(Soon And Very Soon) — My wife rarely interjects on the topics I write about. This is mostly because I rarely consult her. When I do, she immediately gives me ideas about how the story should go and takes it in a whole different direction than I intended. Her ideas aren’t bad ideas, I often…

Making Up For Lost Years — A tradition continued at the White House where a President and First Lady received some previous occupants for the unveiling of their White House portraits. This one was unique in that an administration was skipped; the presentation should have been made during the last administration while Donald Trump was President…

Her Date Of Birth Is Unknown — Sally Hemings's father was John Wayles, and her mother was an enslaved woman named Betty Hemings. John had been married thrice previously. After all three of his wives died, the last of which survived barely a year after their marriage. Wayles appeared to have soured on marriage and took up…

When Will it End? — A few stories have been in the news the past few years that are related and obvious to almost all minorities except those with a political or financial need to state otherwise. There is a significant pushback, primarily from Republicans, to deny the related stories and the fundamental truth behind…

For The Sake Of Profit — I’ve written several stories regarding the forced breeding and rape of enslaved women for profit in America. This is one subject rarely taught in schools and in fact has been reclassified as “natural increase.” Perhaps my words have been insufficient in making clear the atrocities committed against Black women and…

Racism Was On The Agenda — Before Black voters got criticized for being on the “Democratic Plantation, they used to vote almost exclusively for the Republican Party. Republicans were the Party of Lincoln; they were responsible for abolishing enslavement (though they varied about what to do with the freedmen). Republicans pushed through the 13th, 14th, and…

They’re One And The Same — This isn’t the photo I wanted to use. The one I preferred was taken in 1922 in a Baptist Church in Oregon. The Klan members attending the church and making a sizable donation were neither Southern nor Republican. These were very likely Democrats during the days they led the charge…