Black Memorial Day

This is how Memorial Day came to be:

According to Blight’s 2001 book Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory, a commemoration organized by freed slaves and some white missionaries took place on May 1, 1865, in Charleston, S.C., at a former planters’ racetrack where Confederates held captured Union soldiers during the last year of the war. At least 257 prisoners died, many of disease, and were buried in unmarked graves, so black residents of Charleston decided to give them a proper burial.

In the approximately 10 days leading up to the event, roughly two dozen African American Charlestonians reorganized the graves into rows and built a 10-foot-tall white fence around them. An archway overhead spelled out “Martyrs of the Race Course” in black letters.

About 10,000 people, mostly black residents, participated in the May 1 tribute, according to coverage back then in the Charleston Daily Courier and the New York Tribune. Starting at 9 a.m., about 3,000 black schoolchildren paraded around the race track holding roses and singing the Union song “John Brown’s Body,” and were followed by adults representing aid societies for freed black men and women. Black pastors delivered sermons and led attendees in prayer and in the singing of spirituals, and there were picnics. James Redpath, the white director of freedman’s education in the region, organized about 30 speeches by Union officers, missionaries and black ministers. Participants sang patriotic songs like “America” and “We’ll Rally around the Flag” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” In the afternoon, three white and black Union regiments marched around the graves and staged a drill.

This tribute, “gave birth to an American tradition,” Blight wrote in Race and Reunion: “The war was over, and Memorial Day had been founded by African Americans in a ritual of remembrance and consecration.”

In 1996, Blight stumbled upon a New York Herald Tribune article detailing the tribute in a Harvard University archive — but the origin story it told was not the Memorial Day history that many white people had wanted to tell, he argues.

The fact that the freed slaves’ Memorial Day tribute is not as well remembered is emblematic of the struggle that would follow, as African Americans’ fight to be fully recognized for their contributions to American society continues to this day.

One Down, Twelve To Go

I remember saying that I was going to retire the Dad Chronicles for good once upon a time but I cannot stop telling everyone about how proud I am of Caeli in her first go-round of 36 weeks of onsite learning. She has had a blast in kindergarten, and I have to credit the entire village for her successes as well as the curiosity of one six-year-old girl. 

Another graduation day done. Thank God Caeli looks more like her mommy than her daddy 

So...where do we start?

Culture shock really didn't affect her one bit - and that was surprisingly by design thanks to the other kids in our neighborhood involving her every single chance they could, and how their friendships as playmates and beyond have shaped this academic year. In addition, I unintentionally became that dad:  Not the one who provided the progeny with every new toy under the sun but the one who watched - and occasionally - played. It didn't help me lose any weight and we won't get into that part; consequently, the girl who was once known as the baby of the block showed a resounding lack of fear with most of what she was doing - and sometimes doing it better than the bigger kiddos.

This is where we started 

This is where we ended

From a scary beginning of the school year to a real dumping of snow unseen here since her third day of life to the dislocated left middle toe and the venture to channel her athletic ability at gymnastics and recently, swim lessons, the three of us have had a school year to remember!

Last time Arkansas has this much snow, Caeli was three days old and in the NICU at UAMS. 

February's Character Kid:  Her word was honesty. 

Oh yeah, the spring break trip to Myrtle Beach where it seemed like every fourth car we saw on the way had Arkansas tags. Little Miss Sunshine wants to go back, and who could blame her? Aside from the 14 hours spent in a Camry [still averaged 30 mpg, BTW] and narrowly avoiding a tornado in central Alabama, the week away indeed became a memory-maker. 

Ripley's Believe Ir Or Not! Museum in Myrtle  Beach 

There are so many things we can share and an equal amount of events that were bigger to Caeli than what adult eyes have experienced. This summer's plans are mainly to beat back atrophy from not reading or writing for the next ten weeks by...reinforcement and repetition. Not the R&R intended, ha? Yeah, rest and relaxation are also included, but in an ever-changing, more competitive environment, losing precious skills are not optional. 

Birthday girl got down at her photo shoot Feb. 13

Thanks to Mrs. Henson and Mr. Wagner for being Caeli's first public school teachers

Not just strong, but #CaeliStrong - best wishes to Mr. Wagner next year at Springhill Elementary 

We made it! One down, twelve to go - and that does not include college, medical school, or whatever her postsecondary life looks like come 2033:  I just hope it is not a cost-prohibitive journey.

Dr. Caeli thanks all of you for hanging out this year

Praise the Loin! Dub Shack BBQ Smokes a Pork Loin

I’ve been wanting a good pork sandwich, er, sammich, around these parts and I’ve come to the realization that no one makes one better than I can. Will I ever get up off my butt and start selling on the side of the road like the OGs before me or get permission from one of the developers in town to lay claim to a part of their new parking lots for the sole purpose of sharing with everyone the gospel of great barbecue being 1) accessible to the people, and 2) affordable for families to keep coming back? It might just be a Springhill Park thing as the weather warms up – there is no way I would pay for the old grocery space a few blocks from the house because it would have me surrendering vacations and potentially retirement money if I eff it up. Even then, my neighbors have gotten so used to the smell of hickory, mesquite, post oak, cherry, or apple woods from my backyard that if I took that away from them, a third of the entire subdivision might show up in full riot gear at my front door – and we cannot allow that.

Guess which part of the pig just got smoked?

You may wonder the difference between the pork loin and the pork tenderloin and if the two terms are interchangeable: Well, I have the answer for you.

Our friends at All Recipes give us this explanation below:

A pork tenderloin is a long, narrow boneless cut of meat that comes from the muscle that runs along the backbone. A pork loin is wider and flatter and can be a boneless or bone-in cut of meat. Pork loin comes from the back of the pig.

I will do a pork tenderloin recipe one day but for today’s cook, I chose to focus on the pork loin. It is one of the easiest things I have found to cook when I need to feed a crew a lot of food for not much money, and it is a very versatile meat for frying, smoking, braising, roasting, grilling, and so forth. It was one of the most popular menu items last summer, so here is how your friendly pitmaster did it.

INGREDIENTS

Pork loin (can range anywhere from 7-12+ lbs.) – your favorite meat purveyor will show you the way

Mustard or olive oil as a binder

Rub of your choice

STEP ONE. After removing the loin from its cryo-vac packaging, be certain to rinse the phosphates and other things that make it look pretty in the meat bunker, and then trim the silver skin from it. That is the part that will not render and simply gets in the way of exceptional pork.

STEP TWO. Depending on your cooking vessel – I used my PK – light your fire. Regardless, get the smoker up to 250 degrees and set yourself up for indirect cooking. A water pan is optional to ensure the loin stays moist because Lord knows no one deserves dry pork, not even the people who like well-done steaks. Because the PK grills are the perfect size for grilling and present a small challenge for smoking, I sliced my loin in half. As for seasoning, I tend to love lemon pepper loin slices as they are neutral like Switzerland and go with almost anything for dinner like rice, quinoa, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes, and so forth. Once the weapon reaches 250, bring out the pork!

STEP THREE. Lay the pork loin on the cooker and hang around for a bit. I would tell you to get a beer and perhaps even do some yard work. Recently Little Miss Sunshine asked me to stop drinking, so the time to acquiesce to full sobriety is upon me to lay off the sauce. As much as I like Miller Lite, I have come to the conclusion that I don’t drink beer as often as I used to – and I figured that once I finish the 12-pack in the refrigerator, that might be it. In addition, my own battle with diabetes also has a hand in giving up something I have enjoyed for half my life for the sake of my family. Therefore, I will no longer do the beer-to-time ratio made famous with earlier cooks. The loin is finished at 145 degrees instead of the 160 we were always told because meat temperatures do carry over some after they come off the grill and rest for a bit.

STEP FOUR. According to the USDA, pork can be served at 145 degrees – and that’s your prerogative regarding cooking style and audience. Most meats will tell you when they are done [ex. the bone slides out of Boston butts, or the disintegration of fat on ribs], but if 160 is your standard, hey, I understand. Bring the loin inside to rest for fifteen minutes before slicing as thick or as thin as desired:  In this case, I made sandwiches.

Assembling Cuban sandwiches like the guys in Miami, Tampa, and all parts of South Florida do it with a central Arkansas twist goes a little something like this:

With a sub roll, this guy began in this order:  a nice slathering of Dub Shack BBQ’s The Ancestors mustard sauce, enough slices of the lemon pepper-rubbed pork loin, salami, Swiss cheese, honey ham, a pickle spear, and more of The Ancestors. Due to the fact that I was heading to work, I did not toast it; do it until the cheese melts if time permits. Serve with a bag of Lay’s chips and a cold beverage of choice.

Fall asleep? Here is a second sandwich, localized to support the brothers from The Truth sauce. Their bottles can be found in most independent grocery stores and Edwards Food Giant throughout Arkansas.

With a fresh sub roll, the base layer is The Truth barbecue sauce. This time, I used a traditional barbecue rubbed loin, salami, Swiss cheese, honey ham, and another slathering of The Truth. Again, serve with a pickle spear and a bag of Lay’s chips.

Just so you know, #TheTruth sauce is real! Fool with it the next time you buy groceries! I won't steer you wrong! #supportblackbusinesses #shoplocal pic.twitter.com/NLq2KmUMMz

— A. Cedric Armstrong (@cedteaches) May 25, 2021

Make this your own – and if the pork slices were too thin, feel free to slice them thicker for pork chops. Have I fried them before? Not yet, but I think they would be awesome in the ‘smoke-a-fried’ style. Give this recipe a shot and whether it is mine or someone else’s chow, evangelize to the masses that every day is a GREAT day for barbecue! Stay blessed and safe out there!

 

When Black Television Educated Us

In the 1980s through the late 1990s, Black television typically educated, entertained, and uplifted us for a few hours each week. From the cultural groundbreaker The Cosby Show to its spinoff A Different World to classics such as Amen, 227, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Family Matters, and In Living Color to our sitcoms Living Single (which handily beats Friends any day of the week), Roc, and numerous other shows, we did it for the culture.

This doesn't include hybrid episodes of Brandy and South Central.

Any count, one scene of A Different World confronts the double standards of American racism. Check out the memes below - you might even remember the episode:

Kadeem Hardison (Dwayne Wayne) is dropping big facts

Keep going:  He doesn't cited the Homesteaders Act that gave everyone else free land or the words at Ellis Island were exclusionary to Black people already here