Father Richard Holung

 Father Richard Holung is an amazing person. Not only because of his musical talents and humor but also because of how he has dedicated his life to helping people who many of us can't even look at, much less touch!

He performed in a humorous skit last night🤣.

I have been following his career for almost half century and though he is now 86 years old, he keeps going like the energizer bunny.

I had heard of his establishment of the Order, "Brothers of the Poor," decades ago in Jamaica, learning that they dedicated their lives to living with and helping the poor, unfortunate, indigent, physically and mentally challenged people, who mainly live on the streets.

However, it never took real meaning to me until I actually saw them in action.

This was when I was freelancing at the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) about four decades ago. Right beside our front gate at Half Way Tree, was a man living on the street without shelter and clearly, barely able to move. We called various agencies to try and get help for him, without success and one day I noticed that he had a cut on his forehead which had attracted maggots.

In desperation we contacted Brothers of the Poor and the very same day, two volunteers arrived, started to dress his wound then took him away.♥️

I have been an admirer of that organization from that day and had never missed their annual fund raising concerts until I migrated.

So when I heard they were performing nearby in Florida, I had to go.

The show was awesome, with singers and dancers as good as any you see on Broadway.

 And when you realize that these are all  volunteers who perform, most of their music is original, most are created by father Holung himself (who admits that he has never had musical training) and it's their main source of funding for the wonderful work they do, the amazing nature of the production sinks in.

(Father Holung is said to have written some 800 songs for the productions over the years!)

What is equally amazing too is not only has this dedicated religious Order established 8 homes in Jamaica for the poor, homeless, sick and indigent but unbelievably, they now have similar homes in 14 countries, from Haiti to the Philippines!

(My only disappointment was that flash photography was not allowed, for this story needs to be told in the clearest possible way!)

I learned last night that lead singer Wynton Williams has been with the group from 1983!

There was also another powerful singer with the group in the early years. His name was John Jones and he was the brother of famous singer/actress Grace Jones. I remember my shock and horror at hearing of his sudden death at a very young age. 

He was no doubt quite a loss to that troupe of very talented Jamaican performers!

Mary and Joseph 

I am by no means a religious person, but among the few persons who I know of and who I have nothing but admiration for are, the late Mother Theresa, Father Richard Holung/ Brother's of the Poor, and members of the Salvation Army, for they are there for the humans that the rest of us would prefer to ignore.

New York's best kept secret

 According to Wikipedia, "New York City is the cultural, financial, and media capital of the world, significantly influencing commerce, entertainment, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, dining, art, fashion, and sports, and is the most photographed city in the world."

It goes on to describe the founding and evolution of that great city, but nowhere does it mention the blood shed by those brought over during the trans-Atlantic slave trade, to develop that “capital of the world.”

Like many people of color from all over the world, I have visited that great city many times, but it was only recently that I accidentally discovered it's most closely guarded secret.

Though late, the contribution made by African slaves are now revealed at The African burial ground located at 290 Broadway in Lower Manhattan; an area full of large, ostentatious federal buildings.

According to the educational video in the museum, in 1991 construction began on a 34-story federal office tower at 290 Broadway, when intact human skeletal remains were located 30 feet below street level.

That’s when, the largest and most important archeological discovery was made: the "Negroes Burial Ground"- a 6-acre burial ground containing upwards of 15,000 intact skeletal remains of enslaved and free Africans who lived and worked in colonial New York.

Photos of some descendants of persons buried there

This Burial Ground dates from the middle 1630s to 1795.

Replica of a Ghanian child's coffin

A brief history reveals that the first enslaved Africans arrived in New Amsterdam in 1625, as forced laborers for the Dutch West India Company.

Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Africans were an important part of the city's population, reaching a peak of over 20 percent at the middle of the eighteenth century.

Pointing to the monument outside

After the discovery of the skeletal remains, between 1991 and 2003, an analysis of the human remains was conducted at Howard University.

In February 2006, by order of Pres. George W. Bush, the African Burial ground was proclaimed a national monument.

In October 5, 2007 the National Monument became the first National Monument dedicated to Africans of early New York and Americans of African descent.

It is now an enduring testament to the history, financial and physical contributions of African people to the development of the great city of New York.

In my book though, it still remains a well-kept secret.

Pics at the African Burial Ground and some of the ostentatious surrounding buildings

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