In March 2014, led by the vision of Tuan Reynolds of Roanoke, VA, and others, the Reynolds side of the family started a Reynolds Family page on Facebook. Pictured left are the family patriarch (Tazwell Reynolds, born in 1862 in Franklin County, VA) and the matriarch (Mariah Guerrant Reynolds, born in in 1863 in Franklin County, VA). They were wed in 1885. They were born when Abraham Lincoln was U.S. president. Today their descendants are productive and nationwide. To the members and friends of the family, what has the experience now been like connecting or re-connecting with family on the Reynolds Family page (and beyond)? http://roanokerelatives.weebly.com/clarence-c-reynolds.html I was having a discussion with a friend recently and he commented on the belief that fewer young people, and in particular young men, are in Church today. This caused me to wonder about something. When you were growing up, was your minister, pastor (or Imam) also very visible in your community or did he (or she) primarily stay in the pulpit? I am compiling a list of relatives (living and deceased) on both sides of my family (Hilton/Hylton/Helton, Paige, Reynolds, Richardson) with earned doctorates (e.g. PhD, Ed.D., J.D., D.O., M.D., ThD, D.D.S., O.D., D.C., Pharm.D.). There are others, but all are considered terminal degrees; the highest degree a person can earn in his/her disciple -- education, medicine, law, religion, etc. I want our youth to see how high they can rise! I also want them to view us as resources. Please send the name(s) of any “doctor” relatives to our family website's blog page (http://roanokerelatives.weebly.com/qa-blog.html). http://roanokerelatives.weebly.com/qa-blog.html. Also, if you are currently a student pursuing a terminal (doctoral) degree, let us know. If you would like to see who some of these relatives are, please click here. Roanoke, Virginia is often called the "Star City". Who are famous African-Americans (past and present) with roots in the Valley? The first ones that come to mind for me (KOH) are Booker T. Washington (from Franklin County - legendary world leader), Oliver Hill (Roanoke - late civil rights attorney), Oscar Micheaux (Harlem Renaissance filmmaker), Charles "Big Dog" Thornhill (Roanoke - '60s college football) and Al Holland (Roanoke - major league baseball), but there must be many others before them and since from all throughout the Valley (including the surrounding counties) - and from all professions. We would like to post this so that the world will see our stars! This will be compiled, updated regularly and listed at: http://roanokerelatives.weebly.com/roanoke.html. This list is of all African-Americans from the Valley, not just relatives. Mother Ruby Muhammad of Sacramento, California passed away in 2011 at the age of 113. We honored her on her 110th birthday by featuring her in the April 2007 episode of the CV Drum News. At the time of her passing, she was also the oldest subscriber to my publication. Have you ever known or met anyone over 100 years old? I have lived in Virginia, Tennessee, Illinois, New York and California. When I first posted this question, someone emailed me and said, "what are you trying to do, start a revolution?" I replied, "No, I am just trying to create some honest dialogue...long overdue." Race is still such a big issue in this country and beyond, yet we rarely even honestly talk about it with our own white and other non-black relatives and friends. We have many white relatives and friends here on Facebook, which is a very, very safe environment, yet we avoid this big elephant in the room. Why is this? Second and third questions; What are your thoughts about race and racism or the Trayvon Martin murder in Florida. These questions are asked directly to our non-black relatives and friends (and some of my students who know how I love to provoke discussions). Of course anyone and everyone can add insight to this topic. By the way, even though true friendships transcend color, it is too easy to just say, "I don't see color." :) Thanks, KOH. |
Keith Orlando Hilton, PhD
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