Hello beloved.

A reader sent me an email saying they didn’t realize Harriet had three sisters that were sold off.

Sadly, her sisters were never seen or heard from again.

Its why Harriet hated slavery on such a deep level.

But, as I told your fellow reader, there’s a lot we don’t know about Harriet.

Her story is not fully told.  

For the most part, all we know is that she freed some slaves.

But Harriet was more than that.  Much more.

She served in the Union Army as a scout, nurse, and cook. 

She was the first woman to lead a raid for U.S. armed forces.

The raid freed over 700 slaves in one fell swoop.

And… she was there during the assault on Fort Wagner by the Massachusetts 54^th regiment.

In case you’re not familiar with the Massachusetts 54^th, it was the Black regiment depicted in the movie Glory... which starred Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman.

Harriet knew several of the men, including Frederick Douglass’ sons, Louis and Charles.

Yes, they were there too… fighting for our freedom.

The 54^th was led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw.

Harriet actually cooked breakfast for Colonel Shaw on the morning of the battle.

As you’ll see in the clip below, it would be his last breakfast. 

And it would also be the last breakfast for 600 brave, Black soldiers.

Harriet described the battle lyrically... like an army nurse who was also a poet.

And then we saw the lightning,

And that was the guns.

And then we heard the thunder,

And that was the big guns.

And then we heard the rain falling,

And that was the drops of blood falling.

And when we went to get the crops,

It was the dead we reaped.

Wow.

Now that you know more of her story, feel free to impress your friends at your next cookout or dinner party. :-)))

Because all of us need to know the greatest story never told.

And now... you can witness the thunder and lightning for yourself.

This is a young Denzel in Glory... one of his movies from the 1980's.

Are You a Sharer?

It ain't no fun if the homies can't have none.

~ Snoop Dog

If you are and would like to share "Something Most of Us Don't Know" with a friend, you can by simply forwarding this email.  

Once again, thank you for taking this journey with your fellow readers. 

It's just one lesson from the greatest story never told. 

If you have a story of your own that you'd like to share, send it to me at the email address below. I'd love to hear it.

Or, if you have comments, expressions, or feedback... feel free to hit me up at b.johnson@ethnicexpressions.com

Until next time,

Brian