Coming Face II Face with Myself

By Arthur Hathaway

Being around a person all of your life, but not really knowing that person can put you at a disadvantage. At some point, you must come face to face with that person, even if it’s you. Looking through the eyes and beyond the flesh is necessary to truly understand that person from within.

“Coming Face II Face with Myself” is a book that evolves from a historical equation based on information known and archived data gathered. It creates a connection from one era to the next in an attempt to bring a history back to life. We all need to face that storm that’s keeping us from coming face to face with ourselves in order to see who we really are.

My interest in researching family history started in the 1970s when I realized that I did not know who I was. A conversation with a group of people with different ethnic backgrounds created my interest. We started talking about our origin, along with culture and customs. I can only remember saying "I was born in Kentucky, but my family connections are from Tennessee and Florida". At the time, that's all I knew. This created a great void in me, which started my journey for questions and answers of who I was. I needed my history to fill that emptiness within me.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arthur Hathaway
• Release date: Feb 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463378922

Arthur Hathaway

Arthur L Hathaway is a writer, author, educator and entrepreneur with a passion for history. He is the author of several small writings, and was the editor/writer of a San Diego, CA based Church newsletter. Arthur has written numerous articles during his professional career along with a monthly financial newsletter entitled “Your Finances.”As the historian of his family’s linkage, Arthur researched and accumulated historical data he felt should be shared with the family. However, after reviewing all the data, he realized that the information collected should not be for one family or group of people. It should be distributed to all in need of knowing who he as a people really is. Arthur felt that if someone could see what was developed through his research, they may have a better understanding of who he is as a person and a people. He understands that yesterday’s problems are also today's’ problems. If we can review yesterday to see what has changed and what has not, we might help solve some of the problems of today.He started researching family history as a young man, when realizing that he did not know who he was. An open conversation with a group of people of different ethnic backgrounds sparked his interest. They started talking about their heritage, along with homeland, culture, and customs. Arthur only knew that he was born in Kentucky and there were family in Tennessee and Florida”. At the time, that’s all he knew. This created a great void in him, which started his journey for questions and answers of who he really was. Arthur needed to fill that emptiness from within.

Book preview

Faced with an Incoming Storm

Coming Face II Face with Myself

by

Arthur L Hathaway

Being around a person all of your life, but not really knowing that person can put you at a disadvantage. At some point, you must come face to face with that person, even if it’s you. Looking through the eyes and beyond the flesh is necessary to truly understand that person from within.

Coming Face II Face with Myself is a book that evolves from a historical equation based on information known and archived data gathered. It creates a connection from one era to the next in an attempt to bring a history back to life. We all need to face that storm that’s keeping us from coming face to face with ourselves in order to see who we really are.

Copyright © 2020 Arthur L Hathaway

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases; names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Published by Through My Eyes Enterprise

If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addressed or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid.

Book design by Maya Hathaway and Darius Hathaway

Visit the author’s website at "TheHiddenRoots.com" for more writings.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

The African Connection

My Words - A Vision through My Eyes

Living through Daddy

The Cherokee Connection

New Life in Louisville

The Children

Louisville Schools

The Community

The Great Depression of 1929

Misuse of a Community

The Great Flood of 1937

The Passing of the Torch

Living through Momma

The Florida and Seminoles Connection

The New Home Front

Building on Relationships

Schools in the Rural South

Survival of a Family

My Words – Bloom of Life

Living through My Ancestors

When Two Are Joined Together

My Words - The Greatest Gift

In My Beginning

Housing Availability

In My Father Steps

Health in the Neighborhood

The Life of Jim Crow

Becoming of Age (1957-1964)

In My Schools

My Thoughts

My Words - See Me

Living through History

Joining the Struggle (1964 - 1968)

Louisville Riots (1968 & 1969)

First Time Voters (1968)

The Military Exposure (1970 - 1973)

The Struggle from Within (1974 - 1985)

Hired to Fill a Quota

Starting My Family

Living with a Purpose

My Thoughts

My Words - Simply LOVE

My Words - Your Mountain

Summary of a Journey

A Positive View of a Past

Your Journey

Your Travel Bag

My Thoughts

My Words - Short Days for a Long Journey

Acknowledgments

Message from the Author

Preface

My interest in researching family history started in the 1970s when I realized that I did not know who I was. A conversation with a group of people with different ethnic backgrounds created my interest. We started talking about our origin, along with culture and customs. I can only remember saying I was born in Kentucky, but my family connections are from Tennessee and Florida. At the time, that's all I knew. This created a great void in me, which started my journey for questions and answers of who I was. I needed my history to fill that emptiness within me.

Over the years, I learned a lot about other people's history and customs. Building a relationship with people showed why they react in different situations. This is the same reason why I want others to understand me through relationships. And this is only possible if they know me through my history. We all are different and we all share a history, but we also have our own history. We learned history in school which blended Black events in different chapters. We all know of the historical Black activists during the civil rights movement, but we don't know the many Joe Smith's that was in the midst of it. These unknown Joe's depend on others to be their voice and vision to preserve their past. I was also one of those Joe Smith's who relied on Dr. Kings and Malcolm X's to be my voice.

This book will attempt to put the reader in a personal relationship with the author. The reader will better understand my journey in America and the crossroads taken to get where I am today. There were many interactions that took place within America History that reflects Black History. So take this journey with me and let my eyes be your guide to understanding who I am and where I come from.

This book combines my history as it pertains to historical events, governmental laws, and acts that affected my life. Regardless of your background, you were also affected by the same laws and acts directly or indirectly. This book is for the ones who have lost track of themselves and for the ones who want to know how the events of the past have shaped how we live today. It is a brief overview of American History from a Black perspective that I feel is enough to build a relationship with the author.

It is my pleasure to share this journey with you. I am not trying to please anyone, but pleasing man is only a bi-product of pleasing God. I only want to inform you of a part of American history that you may understand my journey. As we live in the present, we must know our past to preserve our future. We are who we are because our ancestors were who they were. This book becomes my starting point for my journey. A journey must start from within to gain self-understanding before we can extend outward.

Introduction

While walking in a crowded mall with a group of friends, I spontaneously made eye contact with others of similar features and skin color as I. This was routine for me to establish a relationship for future use. John, a white friend who was accompanying me asked: Why do you make eye contact with every Black person you see? I replied that it would be easier to understand if you could see through my eyes. I continued to explain that using my vision meant seeing history as I have seen it and foreseeing the future as I would have it. I am linked together with those who share a similar history and vision as I do. More time was needed to answer his question completely, so I ended it with a quick and short closure of that's what we do.

Weeks had passed and my community's annual street fair was approaching. This being a community involvement event, I volunteered to help out at one of the booths. I chose booth number ‘19' in the food section. Not because I know how to cook, but I enjoy good food when it's hot off the grill. I invited several of my friends to the fair for some good food and entertainment. Everyone I invited had other commitments for that day except for John, so he decided to come by himself. I told him to meet me at booth 19, at the far end of the street fair.

Remembering John's question from weeks ago in which I did not completely answer, could probably be answered at the fair. What a perfect opportunity for him to view life from a different respective. Inviting John to the community street fair would give him a real-life situation to his question of why establish a relationship with everyone that looks like you.

This was the perfect location and surroundings to put John in a predicament in which he would have no control. In my community, non-whites make up about ninety-seven percent of the local population which reverses John's normal surroundings. However, stepping out of my community into the city, the county, the state or even the nation, the demographics would be around twelve percent for blacks. We fight among ourselves within our community, but once beyond our borders, we tend to look for support, recognition, and the relationship of those with similar backgrounds.

The day of the fair was packed with families and friends enjoying the community's exhibits of good food, entertainment, and fellowship. Around three o'clock that afternoon, I saw John from a distance walking toward our booth. His body language portrayed a defensive person looking for a connection or relationship of some kind. Once he noticed me, he quickens his pace toward me as if I were a long-lost brother.

After eating, we walked through the streets of the fair. I couldn't help but notice his demeanor as he encountered different people and viewed displays of different cultures. He quietly acknowledged others of his race with the unnoticeable eye contact. This reminded me of when my wife broke her ankle. It was a serious break in three places that needed surgery. After coming home with a wrapped ankle, it was a while before she could move around or travel.

Once able to get around in her wheelchair, she would recognize and acknowledge every person confined to a wheelchair.