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Mary Lee Brady, Ph.D.

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Paul Lawrence Brady                                                              

Paul Brady, Jr. exemplifies in many respects our beliefs that pursuit of goodness is a product of generations in pursuit of same. Whether business magnates like Bill Gates, Donald Trump and even Mitt Romney, the story of generations that generated them, their aspirations and capabilities are stories that must be told if truth by any name is to be known.  Telling others how to learn and earn an honest and morally righteous living is very good news that can be marketed to youth willing to hear it.  Paul's book is consistent with our on-going theme as to how goodness comes into existence via generations of it.    And, such stories need be compared with those by men like Harold Martin and women like Cathy Hughes the owner of TV-1.  Cathy is a believer and far more than a financially successful business-woman.  Her marketing network is focused on spreading the good news, learning and entertainment. 

cathy-hughes-smSo, the marketing of goodness begins with the propagation of good motherhoods which in turn are inspired by what potential and future mothers are free to believe and want for themselves and others, ... including sons reaching for the light of good health and happiness.  When all is said and done by a mother's existence, nothingness begets nothing, ... as many young sons struggle to obtain goodness without learning to earn a living.  It makes sense to us that young men and women seeking to earn and live a good life should consider various paths to use such as the internet. 

Internet marketing is a path that offers possibilities of success for believer-readers. Yet, such opportunities in pursuit of goodness via business cannot come into existence by or for youth whose mothers and fathers have not maximized efforts to help them appreciate and learn how to read for knowledge and understanding.  Like all matters of functional doing versus static being, ... reading well is something other than reciting bible verses and music scores.  Thus said, our website is not simply about "the least of us" of a certain color, but more so about generations who have pursued goodness since first generation of goodness in the Christian Era (C. E.).

                                                  Generation Tables

Our site is about beginnings of goodness, and means and methods by which it comes into existence for a purpose to do something useful, not simply be good.  Indeed, we hold self-evident that Jesus himself and thousands of others in Judea were carpenters, fishermen, traders, farmers, and a lot of other self-employed and deployed businessmen helpful to others. So, how did they learn or even want to earn a living.  It is amazing that any preachers or teachers dare ignore the importance of youth learning in order to earn a living.  The idea of going to heaven or school to do little or nothing is a true oxymoron thought process; and, contrary to all that we have seen and heard about the body and spirit of Jesus Christ. 

                                               Mary's Baby Boy

So, we believe the functional source of good news begins with motherhood thought processes and beliefs about virtues of courage, faith, hope and love incorporated in the values of learning and earning to be indoctrinated in offspring, ... as Mother Mary most certainly did.  She was perhaps the first functional Christian busy body in raising up a new generation in pursuit of goodness, such as motivating Jesus to learn use of carpenter tools (image on right) such existed in his lifetime.  Boys to men need learn use of their hands and minds, less they be useless.

Mary's story is even more self-evident by the output many of us believe and worship as the Living Christ.  Her story is that of a female descendent of the Prophet Nathan who dared reprimand King David, according to biblical literature.  Whatever the case may be, we like the Gospel according to Matthew because it begins by listing the generations of life born in leading to that of Jesus as a new beginning of goodness, rather than recounting the era of Kings or respective calendars used by Roman Empire.  We like this approach and use it to emphasize who we think we are versus who most historians assume we are because of their assumed superior knowledge about "the least of us"                                                                       

But, inclusive in Mary's likely story of stories not written is the common sense analogy that she had the boy Jesus for at least a decade before puberty, ... being a good boy to his mother by showing dedication and respect as she taught him to read, caring about siblings and others, running errands, learning to be functionally useful and jumping hurdles long before he walked on water for men to see.  For non-believers such does not matter or very little at best; but, for those souls up from past trials and tribulations in the plight of  nothingness, ... the generation of Jesus and HIS Philosophy of Life is a very sacred cause and beginning of the endings of hell on earth we have seen and heard. 

Indeed, there was a time not to long ago that very few historic African-American colleges and universities would graduate a student, especially future teachers, who had not gone through the process of a course normally entitled "Philosophy and Religion" that demanded understanding and writing a philosophy of life incorporating the teachings of Jesus, not pretentious preaching by men unable to comprehend the bible as great literature.  The tenets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam are filled with judges of all colors and causes often proclaiming liberty but imposing restrictions on pursuit of it by "the least of us" ... who just happen to be mostly young mothers and their children dependent upon virtues and values by men of might.  Mother and child have always been fundamental to what Dr. King called out to believers "keep our eyes on the prize." 

(But, the prize is not to be won by far too many millions of degenerated motherhoods in despair that neither inspire or motivate goodness in their offspring.)

The aforementioned is rooted in best traditions of literary arts that help inspire, motivate and educate "the least of us" in functional integration (rather than denigration and segregation) of many people and places.  Without good mothers in the short-term, mid-term and long-term years, ... all is lost in the pursuit of goodness.  We believe there are many stories that ought to matter much more in media characterizations of "the least of us" in pursuit of goodness/happiness, ... not defined by raptures of ambitious and talented minds of young men like Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.

Our concern is that too many pundits have diluted the fundamentals of mothers mattering most in the indoctrination of life, liberties and pursuits of happiness by men and women. Without functionally good motherhood, the future is of denigrated value to men, women and children, ... regardless of their cause, color or country.  All mothers obviously are not equal beneficiaries to America.

                         Good Motherhood Matters

The second point we are compelled to try and clearly state is that people of African, European, and Native American heritage in America are not now nor have ever been monolithic in beliefs, attitudes or behavior in Africa, America, Europe or Asia.  There are and have been many motherhood role models, both Black and White, beginning with Mother Mary, in Christian history that enlightened and educated African-Americans have tried to keep in mind for youth to emulate and admire.  Ma Davis was one of many. And, we thank God for that fact, ... despite contrary characterizations by Hollywood type casting of inferior and superior human beings in mindsets of mass audiences influenced by what they see and hear from actors.

Tyler Perry's money making characterization of Madea as a symbol of motherhood is more akin to Margaret Mitchell's vision of ignorant denigrated Black women portrayed by Hattie McDaniel in:

                                        Gone With The Wind

Dragging a most undesired image or memory of a 19th century ante-bellum plantation uneducated house-slave  into the 21st century as an example of strong Black motherhood is more than a stretch of imagination.  It is more so a reflection of values and backgrounds of actors like Tyler Perry. In fact, Tyler Perry likely does not know anymore about American motherhood history of goodness than did Hattie McDaniel whose greatest achievement in life was overcoming personal poverty. 

Neither career generated opportunities for actors and actresses to advance the cause of societal integration by mothers who happen to be born Black.  In fact, the fallacy of the consequent are enlightened and educated White and Black youth audiences less likely to want the portrayed mothers or offspring as neighbors.   Who would want such characteristics to be resident in their church, neighborhood, school or town?

                                            Web-Site Goals

There are many stories seen and heard by older Americans still living, ... that we hope believe new generations have a God-given right to know about.  And, hopefully pass it pass on to their heirs in the cause of goodness in life itself so often murdered, denigrated and destroyed.  Liberty has never meant same to all people; and, most who have it imagine themselves (even Clarence Thomas) as the source of it. On the other hand,  Sunday mornings are filled with claimants (both Black and White worshippers) of "blessings" in liberty to be and do without moral obligations to hear and see anyone else. 

In fact, for the past two centuries many vocal claimants of personal liberty down south, up north and out west, ... have decried their personal loss of it due to movements in liberation of others at home and abroad. 

So-called libertarians like Congressman Ron Paul (including the 19th century feminist movement) while theoretically opposed to a lack of liberty by anyone, ... have never actively supported African-American struggles at home or abroad to achieve it. 

Here again, it is a reflection of one's cultural heritage about what they believe in about their ancestors, not simply what is said to be morally correct by saying "Oh, yes, slavery was wrong but government had no right to take away liberties of people to own property."   One has to understand hypocrisy in the body politic of America to truly appreciate the experiences and frustrations of believers like Abraham Lincoln and the great Frederick Douglass.                                                   

Abolitionist Movement  

 

The "Birther Attacks" are among latest insights that undergraduate and graduate student novel writers ought try and understand, ... as they digest the works of writers like Margaret Mitchell who essentially challenged the moral rights and worthiness for liberty by former slaves freed via the Civil War.  Nothing is new under the sun or son of man evidenced by what our parents and parents parents saw and heard when the Party of Lincoln was not the Party of Rebellion by those who believed "the least of us" were not worthy of liberty in the eyes of God or aristocracy.  

Aristocratic mindsets like Lord Thomas Fairfax 6th in picture on right (long before pompous souls like Donald Trump) included cousins and peers so greedy that few scholars have bothered to note how and why the revolutionary war was financed by King George and the nobility to suppress it, ... without approval and funding by the British Parliament.  Men and women long before and after the American Civil War and full emancipation of slaves in 1865, ... used supposed superior reasoning to rationalize who is and was deserving of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. 

The serfs belonging to landed aristocratic barons in eastern Europe and the Americas were not emancipated until around year 1885; and, even therein the same mindsets sought to resurrect their mindsets in Africa and Asia in the name of colonialism.

OK, for Tea Party rhetoric from men like newly elected Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, as though inherited wealth is the source of goodness and money their God.  The vast majority of men and women under the banner of less government are not holders of great wealth, nor suffer from tax burdens; but, like the non-slave holders who fought, suffered and died in the Civil War on behalf of aristocrats, they had high hopes of someday being rich and powerful like men they admired most.  The contempt and hatred of men, such as Frederick Douglass, who did them no harm ... was not new then or now.  Fox News talking heads like Bill O'Reilly have never had a positive word to say about any courageous and heroic figures in the struggle of African-Americans during the past two-hundred plus years.  They are not racists so much as proponents of their own sense of superiority over "the least of us" of any color.

We have seen and heard it all on our father's knee about people and times when mighty men of means paid no income taxes.  Heirs of the mighty, like Astor offspring paid no inheritance tax and proclaimed themselves as America's aristocracy equal and similar to aristocrats of Europe that launched World War I, ... and deaths of over fifty million human lives.  Indeed, most wars and loss of life by millions can be traced back to men of might and money willing to obtain and keep it by any means necessary, including rebellion such as occurred with the American Civil War when republican ideology of today was conspicuously resident in the political ideals and dealings of Jefferson Davis, Judah P. Benjamin and others who talked about tyranny of government opposed to their "way of life."          

Lincoln vastly expanded and strengthened Federalism while Davis rebelled against it and struggled to govern secession states who threatened to secede also from the confederacy in the name of states' rights now propagated as conservatism, etc. etc.  Lincoln built railways, land-grant colleges and the expansion of agriculture; while Davis moved aggressively to harvest and export cotton abroad to sustain the confederacy.  The ending of armed conflict in the causes of good versus evil did not end the conflict in ideologies held by Lincoln versus that of men in the name of profits, etc. etc. etc. by any means possible, ... as it was with Roman Patriarchs who dared to call it good and just.

Yet, that too was overcome by holding fast to the moral center we hope President Barrack Obama has chosen rather than left and right analogies propagated by talking heads with opinion poll results.  Obama's challenge is to keep the faith and continue the march in pursuit of goodness/happiness by any other name such as health care.  Pursuit of happiness has many different meanings ranging from goodness to greed and selfishness in all generations before and after that of Christ.  

Our targeted viewers are the potentially best and brightest youth with virtues of courage above all; and faith, hope and love of self plus others in challenges of generating newer and better generations among "the least of us."   We firmly believe and look to the many gifted and talented such as beautiful and beloved Tara Edwards in the Detroit mass media market, ... to use their gifts to encourage, write, produce, direct and tell the stories that matter in their social media culture.

            Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

We have in mind matters such as encouraging gifted and talented youth to help propagate enlightenment and education of very "least of us" in their GOD-given generation to at least value learning to earn a decent living.  Nature being persistent for many generations since that of Christ, ... every generation has its own same percentile of gifted and talented to help itself by helping others less endowed.  Our amazement is that screen media cultures apparently have concluded such does not exist among "certain people" ie.                                 

                                           Talented Tenth

How do we know which newborn child or growing youth is gifted or even talented as many like to believe of themselves?  Do we judge them by what people say or what they do with their lives?  And, what good is a gifted child that does little or nothing to help others as Christ requested be done?  So our interest is not in espousing those with gifts wasted in selfishness, bad behavior or even laziness; but rather we want writers to know about former gifted children in a small-town school like:

            Nancy Harriette Hemings Butler Lee 

In fact, every school and almost each neighborhood with a hundred or more births therein can be expected to yield up a "talented tenth" direly needed by their peers, ... less they perish on the altars of ignorance, poverty and disease that plagues so many millions.  Yet, historical facts reveal fault lines in each empowered generation (by zip code, area code and even churches, schools and neighborhoods), ... to avoid and/or neglect the children who are potentially gifted and talented sources of future goodness (athletics and entertainment being the only exceptions to the norm)

The challenges are about a lot more than moving from one place or church to another, getting public assistance in order to eat or even "staying in school."  The spirit of the matter that matters most was perhaps reflected with the many gifted and talented jazz musicians that congregated Harlem and elsewhere, ... who as boys and girls to men and women labored their bodies and minds to master what mattered to millions of listeners.  Duke Ellington, Count Basie and the other great improvisers of music were captured in a photograph by Art Kane.  The stories told by and about the lives of many of these jazz greats are worthy for children to hear. The names are on website below.

                        Photo by Art Kane                               About harlem.org

         Metropolitan Statistical Areas-Birth Year 1996

If scholars do not research and publish about matters of common cause and interests, screen-writers lack material upon which to base inspirational stories, ... and the result is more of same favorite Hollywood type caste and acted characterizations about people of African heritage during past years.  It is time for movie producers, artists and actors to integrate labors and experiences by men of all colors in the cause of goodness, not necessarily in pursuit of the newly phrased politically correct "diversity" terminology that over-looks or ignores what "the least of us" have seen and heard.  Consequently, the social media is unable to morally evaluate matters of repression and suppression that existed long before current issues of voter identification cards now required by new faces in old places like Alabama and South Carolina.

    Our site is about good news affirmative actions, reactions and contractions that too many scholars ignore. As a result, unenlightened screen-writers, directors and actors (who have seen and heard nothing different) have a tendency to use degenerate models in characterizing older generations of African heritage?   Artistic characterizations of the past are what new generations currently digest and disdain.  There are very few movies about men and women who labored long and hard in the type functional faith and families we have tried to highlight on this website. Why?  We think the artistic world, like most preachers and priests, is always driven by markets that pay for their visions, not idealism or a search for tomorrow.  Yet, there are gifted and talented youth in new generations that are deserving of knowledge and understanding.

Hidden behind the laughter, jokes and smiles about flights and plights of past generations like Moms Mabley lurks the fears, pains and tears of being categorized and classified as one of them.  "The best way to help the poor is not to be one of them." Reverend Ike Many directors and actors like Melvin Van Peebles  found comfort in the so-called prosperity gospel, ... and, proceeded to act out degenerated characterizations in movies and plays that allowed them to laugh all the way to their banks with donations and royalties exploited from unenlightened women and men imagining wealth and power.  

                                     Black Screen Writers

We hope some gifted and talented young scholars may find the site interesting to help them research and document more reality stories that are helpful and useful to screen writers and movie producers like our cousin Darnell MartinOur concern is that silence by too many older generations have allowed newly empowered generations to embrace ideologies (political and social) no longer focused on functional virtues and values seen and heard (such as courage, labor and language skills). Thus said, we have tried to develop our websites as smorgasbords of events, geography, people and topics such as the men below who helped make emancipation possible for "the least of us."  

The long march to integrate the promised land did not begin as a movement for social equality; nor arise from virtues of love and hope espoused in second half of the 20th century but rather in the 18th century.  The racial integration movement of people with African, European and Native American heritage in America began before the American Revolution. It originated with natural causes and fervors via young men and women of  varying degrees of attributes and passions to make it happen.  We are compelled to wonder about the moral heritage of men and women who would dare color, code and cause the virtues of faith, hope and love to be or not to be.  Even before Thomas Jefferson wrote the near immortal words, there were many men like John Rutledge at work defining and redefining the values of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness to exist for some but not all Americans.

                             Elizabeth (Betty) Hemings 

When all is said and done, the matters that matter most to "the least of us" are: functional requirements and capabilities, not skin color and hair grade that strips away identity and worth of the kinds of men and women that mattered most in peace and war.  Ignoring women like Betty Hemings who birthed not only Sally Hemings, but also help save Thomas Jefferson from capture and execution when the British army sent soldiers to find and arrest him.  Ignoring her life in the new world of America is not our kind of feminist truths about the land of liberty. Excluding her and others of color as sources of functional courage in American history is a fallacy that new artists and writers ought not continue.  Without them the America that came into existence most surely would not have occurred.

                                Washington's Army 

The revolutionary war was very much a political revolution, not social although many enslaved men and women had special interests and hopes that results would end or improve their status as Americans; but, Roman minded self-proclaimed aristocrats like John Rutledge of South Carolina espoused strongly held beliefs that categorized slaves, descendents in America and potential slaves living in Africa as nothing more than chattel property.  Rutledge viewed free Black men such as Paul Cuffee of Massachusetts (on left) as a threat to the economy and its revolution. He surmised correctly that freedom anywhere was a threat to slavery everywhere.

So, we have to begin with them and there to understand who, how, when, where and why.  A certain percentage (not all, nor even a majority) had to have virtues of courage, faith, hope and love spanning several generations of activists believers (including soldiers, teachers and preachers) necessary to overcome bad news that emerged from the American Revolution.   We think the births of Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass in the same generation is evident that good news, like that of Jesus, was natural born, not made by pretentious prophets and preachers pretending to know and understand.  

Keep in mind that ancestors of most modern-day beneficiaries did nothing but "wait upon the Lord" which more or less confirms existence of a living Christ in ancestral belief systems we dare not deny; and thus prompts the paradigm that perhaps gifted and talented believers (Dr. Dubois'talented tenth) are in effect tools and vessels to help uplift "the least of us" believers.  If so, what about non-believers?  Heathens?  Other beliefs? 

"One person with a belief is a social power equal to ninety-nine who have only interests." - John Stuart Mill

                            Revolutionary War Soldiers

With anti-emancipation views written into the constitution of 1787, slaves like William Lee (portrayed in picture on left with red feather in his hat) though he helped row George Washington across the Delaware River, ... were not human beings and should never be classified as free men, even those conscripted or volunteered for war services.  Slave owners believed it was a slave's legal and even moral duty (citing Book of Romans) to serve their master's interests.  Indeed, most prominent slave owners and traders, north and south, ... were both indoctrinated and educated to view slavery as a goodness not to be interfered with by church or state but rather enforced and upheld by same.

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