Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story by Director NC Heikin @Unitarian Society of Germantown

Sunday, September 25th 2016 i was invited to attend a Free screening of Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story @Unitarian Society of Germantown. The Philadelphia Jazz Project was celebrating John Coltrane 90th birthday all week and i felt like this viewing would add to the celebration of our great Jazz Legends. i choose to take a walk over to Unitarian and view the documentary to learn about Mr. Frank Morgan and the Jazz culture. Didn't have much money to donate to the schools music departments and that is another story, but i did mean to donate the $1.50 that i had just for some reason that didn't happen, but i will make a donation when i can because we must invest in our communities if we want our community to offer music programs in our schools !!

The walk to the church was needed because my back was aching and could use a good stretch. i figured the walk would take longer than my walk actually did and arrived at the church early. To my surprise there was people eating and talking, networking with the End Racism Committee and Public Education Initiative of the Unitarian Society of Germantown, who hosted the spread of food, drinks, deserts and viewing. i had green salad topped with a wonderful lentil bean and ginger salad, some lemonade, cake and fruit salad before we made our way to the viewing of Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story directed by NC Heikin, who happened to be in town celebrating her Philadelphia High School for Girls class reunion.

i hear stories of Martha Vineyards and what Cooney Island use to be. How people of color owned business and were really living a good and decent life. In Sound of Redemption: The Franks Morgan Story we get a glimpse of the short lived people of color owned lifestyles that i often wonder about. The people of color businesses in my community faded away for various reasons, but i was sure we had communities where we own and operate is what i thought until i started learning on facebook of how successful people of color communities are destroyed due to delusional white mentality.

8 Successful and Aspiring Black Communities Destroyed by White Neighbors

By

 A Moore

Atlanta Race Riot (1906)

When the Civil War ended, African-Americans in Atlanta began entering the realm of politics, establishing businesses and gaining notoriety as a social class. Increasing tensions between Black wage-workers and the white elite began to grow and  ill-feelings were further exacerbated when Blacks gained  more civil rights, including the right to vote.

The tensions exploded during the gubernatorial election of 1906 in which M. Hoke Smith and Clark Howell competed for the Democratic nomination. Both candidates were looking for ways to disenfranchise African-American voters because they each felt that the Black vote could throw the election to the other candidate.

Hoke Smith was a former publisher of the Atlanta Journal and Clark Howell was the editor of the Atlanta Constitution. Both candidates used their influence to incite white voters and help spread the fear that whites may not be able to maintain the current social order.

The Atlanta Georgian and the Atlanta News began publishing stories about white women being molested and raped by Black men. These allegations were reported multiple times and were largely false.

On Sept. 22, 1906, Atlanta newspapers reported four alleged assaults on local white women. Soon, some 10,000 white men and boys began gathering, beating, and stabbing Blacks. It is estimated that there were between 25 and 40 African-American deaths; it was confirmed that there were only two white deaths.

Return North Carolina Farm Unjustly Seized Back To Black Farmers

Mr. Morgan's life speaks volumes to the ills that face the people of color and vulnerable citizens of society. Very talented Jazz Saxophonist who was birthed into the entertainment business without proper guidance. Like so many of our talented members in society that you often find working in jails and prisons. Slaves to a rhythm that flows through us but is not allowed to grow because of environmental factors. i hear August Wilson Ma Rainey and the choke hold art created and exploited by white people when i heard a line in Sound of Redemption, that Mr Morgan had the best life while in prison. 

A bastard like so many of us unplanned and often unwanted pregnancy. Mr. Morgan struggled with who he was in family, community and the entertainment business. Learning who self is can be a time testing challenging road for some of us. The layers of nurturing that is missed is reflected on the number of opportunities we miss out on because of self doubt aka the worst monster on earth. Coping skills allow us to adapt to situations with as much control that we can have over the situation and work to the best of our ability with the factors that we cannot control. When these skills aren't taught at home or in our communities people like Mr. Frank Morgan spiral with hopes of catching themselves. Mental health first aid offers workshops and free mental health screenings to help people connect to resources that can teach coping skills. 

i don't want to give away the story of the documentary, but this is a tear jerker; i tried to hold my tears in but balled so much i had to pull out my walking sweat clothe. The layers of self doubt that smother communities presented in Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan story should be shown and discussed to communities looking to heal by breaking these barriers. Mr. Morgan lived in a childish state of mind, thought he was having fun as if life is all about having fun and no other meaning. Too many of our families and communities use escape aka having fun to cope versus acceptance of who and what we are. 

i walked home feeling empowered to join the End Racism Committee being we had watched this documentary together. Part of Mr. Morgans struggle in life was how he was treated by power structures in our society.  Ending racism for me starts with us accepting responsibility for who we are and how we treat people. I'm not pointing fingers, i do the research for understanding so that we can build to full human potential. So much talent is locked up or never given a chance to flourish because of foolishness aka delusional white/black mentality planted by Hoover and McCarthy. These are the conversations that need to be had so that people understand that black lives matter but the issue is humans are involved. For according to the deeply rooted powers that be in the United States of America there was a black list that all people of color were added to if they did not conform to the white man's ways and that list in the police aka the justice system language is termed NIH, no humans involved.

Please consider donating to Anna Lane Lingelbach and Charles W. Henry music departments, checks can be made to Unitarian Society of Germantown, notation: Public Schools Music or at www.lingelbachhsa.org and www.cwhenrypta.org 

You can view Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story on itunes October 8th!!