Black Elder Speaks

By Frederick Douglas Harper

Black Elder Speaks is a collection of Dr. Frederick Douglas Harper’s poetry and prose on the topics of race, race relations, Black consciousness, Black pride, racial identity, and racism. In addition, Harper speaks from years of acquired wisdom in providing advice and insight on topics of holistic health and rightful living. The book is divided into seven major sections that include (a) Race, Racism, and Racial Struggle, (b) Honoring Black Women, (c) Honoring Black Men, (d) Honoring and Rearing Black Children, (e) Black Culture, Health, and Spirituality, (f) Black Consciousness and Black Pride, and (g) Black Elders Speaks on Life and from Wisdom (for example, on themes of love, peace, giving, forgiveness, purpose, freedom, truth, courage, pain vs. pleasure, and spirituality). The book concludes with a number of wise quotes and thoughts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664181120

Frederick Douglas Harper

A full-time writer and speaker, Dr. Frederick Douglas Harper retired as professor of counseling in 2012 after 42 years of teaching at Howard University. He has authored 14 poetry books, one major novel (The Durabone Prophecies), textbooks, and articles. Harper has served as Editor-in-Chief of three different scholarly journals. Also, he has presented speeches and conference papers throughout the United States and in other countries—including Argentina, France, Greece, India, Ireland, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Since 1985, Harper has published more than 1,300 poems on topics such as social justice, peace, love, spirituality, human behavior, children, nature’s beauty, climate change, and human destiny. Most of his poems and creative prose are educational and therapeutic. A devoted jogger, Harper has jogged more than 42,000 miles. He is the proud father of two sons and proud grandfather of four grandchildren.

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Copyright © 2021 by Frederick Douglas Harper.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 06/26/2021

Xlibris

844-714-8691

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Dedication

Dedication

Testimonials

RACE, RACISM, AND RACIAL STRUGGLE

Black Lives Matter Because . . .

Black Cargoes: The Atlantic Slave Trade

Black Man in a Red Shirt

Reflections on the Black American Struggle: And Still We Had the Strength to Smile

Hutu and Tutsi

Afrinesians: A Concept of Ethnic Identity

Message to Afrinesians

Being Black on A Predominantly White University Campus

A Tribute to White Civil Rights Advocates in U.S. History

White Racism Is . . .

White Supremacy’s Myth

Slave Society

If They Come for Me: A Revolutionary Thought

HONORING BLACK WOMEN

Ode to Strong Black Woman

Queen of the Nile

Misty Copeland

Olympiad Woman

Ode to Mother Sarah Rice

Ode to Mrs. Cook

Ode to Mrs. Downey

Thanks Mother

Jacqueline: Mother of Our Child

Yvonne—Tribute to A Longtime Friend

The Williams Sisters

Whitney

Nina

Apology from Honorable Men to Woman and Girl

Ode to an Afrinesian Goddess

Black Woman, Rise

Frances

I Have Known Chocolate

Curly-Top Woman

Bitch No More?

HONORING BLACK MEN

Martin, Malcolm, and Medgar

Mandela

Death of a Hero

Nostalgia III: In Honor of My Grandfather

God Called the Second Solomon

This is the Moment

A Tribute to Muhammad Ali

Malcolm Was a Man

A Tribute to Jim Brown

The Black Mamba: A Tribute to Kobe Bryant

A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix

A Tribute to Michael Jackson

The Last Prince

2Pac, A Genius of His Time

Ode to Emmett Till

Memorial Tribute to Sean Taylor

HONORING AND REARING BLACK CHILDREN

Advice to You My Child

Educating Our Children

If No One Has Told You about Right and Wrong

Child Yet to Be

Rise Up Black Child

BLACK CULTURE, HEALTH, AND SPIRITUALITY

Jamaica

Boat in Nassau*

Live Long, Live Well

A Man’s Prayer

A Prayer to Ancestors

A Humble Prayer

A Daily Prayer

A Morning Prayer

A Nightly Prayer

A Prayer for College Students

Ancestors and Descendants

My Message to the Human Race

End of a Journey Continued

BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS AND BLACK PRIDE

The Supreme Medal of Humanity

Black Consciousness

Consciousness

Our Greatest Fears

While Blacks Celebrate

Listen Up My People

Enemies of Black People

Pull Yo’ Pants Up Boy; Be A Man

Black Codes

Don’t Call Me Brotha If . . .

Blackness

Tired of Fighting for Justice

Bring a Championship to Our Black Nation

The Frederick D. Harper Distinguished Elder Award

Distinguished Elder: Wise One

BLACK ELDER SPEAKS ON LIFE AND FROM WISDOM

Black Elder Speaks on Race and Racism

Black Elder Speaks on Love

Black Elder Speaks on Peace

Black Elder Speaks on Giving

Black Elder Speaks on Forgiveness

Black Elder Speaks on Purpose and Mission

Black Elder Speaks on Freedom

Black Elder Speaks on Truth

Black Elder Speaks on Courage

Black Elder Speaks on Pain and Pleasure

Black Elder Speaks on Spirituality

Thoughts

INTRODUCTION

I am a Black elder, a Black man of African ancestry, an Afrinesian of the Americas whose ancestors were transplanted from the mother continent. I write from wisdom within my mind and from the depth of my anointed soul. I write from wisdom acquired from years of cross-cultural experiences, personal challenges, human pains, human joys, shared stories from and observations of other human beings, nine years of formal higher education including postdoctoral study, readings of many books, and decades of work experiences as a school teacher, university professor, counselor, and professional consultant. I write from wisdom given to me by God as The Universal Spirit and from God’s spirit messengers including ancestral spirits and other spirit guides.

I have accepted the role and title of elder—a role that requires me to share my wisdom with others rather than carry it with me in death. There is an African proverb that, When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground. I have chosen through my published books and other writings to share my wisdom with contemporaries and to leave behind the wisdom of my living library for posterity. In addition, I have accepted a responsibility, incumbent upon me as an elder, to do good and right for those youth and descendants who will come after me.

This book contains a collection of my published writings, both poetry and prose, on the themes of Black people of African ancestry, race relations, and racism. It also includes new material that is published for the first time in this volume. Moreover, there are Thoughts in the form of quotes in the last section of this book. Immediately prior to the Thoughts section, I speak as a wise Black elder on universal topics such as love, peace, giving, forgiveness, purpose, freedom, truth, courage, pain vs. pleasure, and spirituality.

In the section immediately before Black Elder Speaks . . ., there is a poem by Dr. Viara Quiñones-Jackson (my former doctoral student) that honors my work as a scholar and professor. She presented the poem at a conference that bestowed upon me an award as Distinguished Elder, which was subsequently named, The Frederick D. Harper Distinguished Elder Award. Moreover, within this book, there are messages and themes about positive thinking and holistically healthy living as related to mind, body, and spirit.

I have been very blessed to gain much wisdom during my 78 years of living and, even more, to share and implement broadly that wisdom during my lifetime for the benefits of so many others.

I express my gratitude to Jacqueline Harper, Jasmine Watkins, and Yerusalem Work for their input on the book manuscript or a section of the manuscript of this book.

Frederick Douglas Harper

June 14, 2021

Note. I prefer the use of the phrase African ancestry versus African descent. The phrase African ancestry (e.g., Americans of African ancestry) was preferred by Marcus Garvey and other Black Nationalists during the global Black self-improvement movement of the early 1900s. Moreover, I capitalize the word Earth throughout the book when used as the name of a planet. One conservative rule of capitalization is to capitalize the word Earth as the name of a planet and not to capitalize the word when it refers to soil or dirt of the Earth. In addition and as creative prerogative, I capitalize Black and White when used in reference to race, because, to me, they parallel the outdated racial names Negroid and Caucasoid or Negro and Caucasian which are capitalized.

Photos, Front and Back Covers: The photo of me on the front cover was taken in Williamsburg, Virginia in 2019 at age 76. The photo of me on the back cover was taken at a retirement banquet for me in my native home of Jacksonville, Florida in 2012 at age 69.

DEDICATION 1

Number 1

To The Universal Spirit as God that has

imbued me with wisdom and love

To my ancestral spirits, spirit guides, and

guardian angels that have guided my path and

protected me during my earthly journey

I acknowledge you. I thank you.

DEDICATION 2

Number 2

To the souls of earthly lives before of African

ancestry who died during the Atlantic slave trade

To the souls of earthly lives before of African ancestry

who were killed during their struggle for civil rights

and against racial oppression and racial injustice

To the souls of earthly lives before of European

ancestry who stood up and were killed during their

support of Black civil rights and racial justice

To the souls of earthly lives before of African ancestry

who died for being Black and in the wrong place at

the wrong time, or who died because of racist lies,

prejudice, and unjust actions against them

To innocent Black people who are in prisons and others

who have been given unfair, excessive prison sentences

We have not forgotten you.

Afrinesians of the Americas, you are the chosen Africans;

therefore, stop begging for power—seize it.

Elder Frederick Douglas Harper

TESTIMONIALS

About the Poetry and Prose of Frederick Douglas Harper

Dr. Harper has been blessed with the capacity, energy, vision, vocabulary, and sensitivity to think, feel, articulate, and then put pen to paper—to capture all of this for us to savor and benefit. He has a way of getting to the feelings and heart of issues; to cover all bases and write things just as I would imagine they should be written. I am again mesmerized by Frederick Douglas Harper’s unending talent and creativity.

Dr. F. Yvonne Hicks, Retired, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC

"Of all the books I have read, next to the [Holy] Bible, I have never felt so much emotion as I felt as I read poem after poem in your book, Poems on Love and Life. Tears mixed with emotions were uncontrollable as I related to the words . . . ."

Bertha Harrod, My Former Graduate Student, Alexandria, Virginia

Dr. Frederick Harper is admired on an international level as a great teacher, scholar, writer, and poet. He is to poetry as Leontyne Price is to opera and Michael Jordan is to basketball.

Dr. Richard T. Hadley, Professor Emeritus of Music, North Carolina

Dr. Frederick D. Harper teaches, preaches, and lives love. He has been a mentor and friend to me and thousands of others. His words of wisdom have been the catalyst that dared us to dream and to move from pain and rage to hope and excellence.

Dr. Peola Butler Dews, Poet and Author, Florida

"I was introduced to the work of Fred Harper by a listener who gave me a copy of his book, Poems on Love and Life. I read some of the poems with Blues in the background on my radio show. The audience loved it."

Napoleon Nap Turner, Formerly of WPFW Radio, 89.3 FM, Washington, DC

(The late Mr. Turner read my poetry on radio regularly for more than 15 years.)

"I am