"We have a woman in our country who has received the name of Moses -- a woman who has gone down into the Egypt of slavery and brought out hundreds of our people into liberty. The last time I saw that woman, her hands were swollen. That woman who was brave enough to act as a scout for the Union army, had her hands swollen from a fight with a brutal street car conductor, who undertook to eject her from her place." --Francis Ellen Watkins Harper 1866

Harriet Tubman was one of the bravest Americans ever. And that is how she was treated. Very sad.

February is Black History Month and that is all about some of our hidden American history. Black history is not a separate category. It is a very important, yet often ignored, part of American history.

I am a white guy, who loves black history. Some of America's greatest hero's are the people who participated in black history. On my blog Christian Challenge (see recommended blogs to the right for a link) I list my Top 10 greatest Americans of all time. Check them out under "Recent Posts" and click "more". You will then see why I am excited about black history!

Happy Black History Month to all!

"All history proves that God may be understood, not by reasoning, but by submission to Him and obedience to His laws. Only by doing this can we understand His will." --John Ruskin

"Those who give second place to God in their hearts do not give Him a place at all." --John Ruskin

Did you know that in the 20th Century non-violent direct action was used successfully in two huge liberation movements? The people of India overthrow their British captors using non-violence and led by Gandhi. And American blacks were able to overcome segregation and get equal treatment under the law for the first time in 350 years by using non-violence.

Non-violent direct action works. More countries, movements, and individuals should use it.

Tonight in Nashville, Tennessee there is a panel discussion at Fisk University featuring many of the Freedom Riders from 1961. Tomorrow 4 buses will leave Nashville to retrace the route of this heroic, but mostly forgotten history.

The Freedom Riders were mainly young college students, both black and white, who rode desegregated buses across the deep South to challenge the states that refused to honor federal law that desegregated interstate buses. These courageous young people were cussed at, mocked, and beaten by racists mobs. Yet they practiced heroic non-violence and persisted in their cause and changed America for the good!

Remember the Freedom Riders! They were real heroes!