On Wed, Jan 23, 2013, Brian Hovis <hovis911@yahoo.com> wrote:
Thanks HK for taking the time to raise the brows of people that are ignorant and don’t want to know the truth but to follow a path of hatred.
It’s amazing to me how history is distorted by few and beleived by the many.
I am ashamed of my ancestors for having slaves and any mistreatment that your ancestors had to endure.
My regards and deepest aplogies. Mr King would be most proud of you.
Brian Hovis
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From: HK Edgerton <hk.edgerton@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Jan 24, 2013
To: Brian Hovis <hovis911@yahoo.com>
Dear Brian,
History is distorted, and especially about the body politic of the economic institution of slavery. It is difficult for me to define the true boundaries of slavery as it equates to the Southland of America versus any place else in the world where it was practiced, without sounding as if I was defending the institution itself.
I don’t feel it necessary for you to either be ashamed of your ancestors or apologize for any mistreatment mine may have suffered, because there is plenty of shared complicity in this theater starting with my own African ancestors who raided the village of my Grand mama. And cut off her brothers head as the King drank his blood, boiled his arms and served them up because he deemed it a delicacy and a fetish. And then stole her and sold her families land and possessions.
Aunt Hettie got lucky. She ended up at the home of the Honorable Dr. T.R. Edgerton family of Rutherfordton County, N.C.. who treated their servants as they were called with as much dignity and fine quality of life that could be afforded one in her station, and freed my family in the tune of 500 acres of land, and I am told a healthy sum of money. She could have ended up on a Southern Plantation run by an agent of the Northern Bank ( Factor), who in most cases would hire a Northern overseer who mastered in mistreatment of people.
Mistreatment of slaves was a practice that Southern people frowned upon and acted out that intolerance in the court of law. And when one examines documents, letters, and the slave chronicles, one will find charity and good will amongst the freed and indentured never spoken about by those of Harriet Beecher Stowes likes who proclaimed to be writing truths about Southern slavery. She should have looked around her in the North where real mistreatment took place, and none no worse than that committed by Grant who became President still owning slaves, and when asked why he had not freed them, his reply was that good help was hard to find (the head General of the so called great emancipator).
I have on good authority from the Honorable Andrew Young that Dr. King refused the request of his lower lieutenant, Jesse Jackson, and even Rev. Abernathy to attack the Confederate Battle Flag. He knew that this was a sacred symbol to the people of the South, and to attack it would derail his Dream. And that there were more significant battles to fight; babies standing on the corners with their pants hanging down dealing dope, can’t vote, and no hope; vertical mobility for women in the job place, housing, education, and a Christian environment. He knew that Southern Black folks had a shared ownership in the Christian Cross of St. Andrew, no matter the fact that the Federal Public School Systems planned a design not to share this information or the Southern side of a story and buried it well.
I would hope that the Honorable Rev. R.L. Dabney of Prince Edward County, Virginia would be as proud of me as King would for trying to put forth that Table of Brotherhood that was shattered by a people who came South to destroy us, and our way of life that could and would have resulted as a beacon to the world. God bless you.
Your brother,
HK
