Thomas Coleman arrived in Salt Lake City in 1848, at the age of 15 years. Coleman was enslaved by Nancy and John Bankhead, who were converted to the LDS church in 1844 and 1845, respectively. Coleman was baptized into the LDS church around that time.

Coleman participated in the 1856 rescue of stranded “handcart pioneers” in Wyoming, who had encountered early winter storms, without provisions. Coleman was the only known enslaved person to participate in the rescue.

In 1859, Coleman became involved in a gunfight with another enslaved man, Sheperd Camp, allegedly over two enslaved women, Caroline and Tampian Hoye. Camp died of his wounds, and Coleman was sentenced to one year of hard labor plus a $100 fine. Coleman served his time. but it is not clear whether he paid the fine, as his own man. If he was not already free, he would have become free under the 1862 Act signed by Abraham Lincoln and applied to the Territory of Utah, or the ratification of the 13th Amendment in December, 1865.

After being accused of being “found in company of a white woman,” Coleman’s body was found near Arsenal Hill (now Capitol Hill) on December 11, 1866. A note attached to his body read “Notice to all Ni**ers. Take warning. Leave white women alone.”

Coleman was a veteran of racial war in the U.S.A. Men outnumbered women in early colonial days, and interracial marriage was prohibited in Virginia and Maryland in 1664. Such bans were held to be unconstitutional in Loving v. Virginia (1967).

No one was ever charged with Coleman’s murder. A commemorative plaque has been installed at 300 N. Main Street in Salt Lake City. Robert Burch, head of the Sema Hadithi African American Heritage and Culture Foundation, was instrumental in the installation. He believes: “Until we reconcile the things that went wrong, we cannot come together.”

It is well known by now that many criminals and predators experienced Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs). The cultural and familial response to ACEs such as violence, neglect, and sexual abuse is often to silence the victim. Victims often receive the message that no one wants to help them, or even listen to them.

“Trauma Proof” (2025) by Benjamin Perks, explains some of these factors. Perks describes the chronic shame resulting from victims feeling they are alone, or at fault. Victims often develop “emotional numbing and dissociation” to cope with their experience.

I cannot agree with Perks’ optimistic views regarding the effect of victims having children themselves. There is a considerable danger of passing on multigenerational family violence and neglect to one’s own children. The parent should heal first, before bringing more children into the world. Children are not mere accessories to their parents’ lives.

Perks describes one survey that found 57% of adults have a history of childhood trauma. Children need adults outside the family to talk to; the family dynamic is frequently focused on maintaining the family image and avoiding the truth. Without assistance and support for children, criminals and predators will continue to emerge, with devastating consequences to society.

Mark, legally owned by John Codman, was gibbeted (hung in chains) in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on September 18, 1755. Mark’s crime was providing the poison that killed Codman to Phillis and Phebe, fellow slaves. Mark complained that the “Negro women … wickedly enticed” him to do so.

Mark claimed that Phebe “was an Evidencer in Behalf of the King,” but she did not testify at trial. Phebe was sold out of New England. Phillis and Mark were convicted of treason against their master, then executed in front of a large crowd. Phillis was burned at the stake, and Mark was hung up to die slowly, becoming a public exhibit, serving as a large warning to refrain from killing one’s enslavers.

Paul Revere’s famous Ride was almost interrupted on April 18, 1775, when he encountered two British officers “nearly opposite … where Mark was hung in chains.” By 1775, Mark was only a skeleton. Kostra Kennedy reports that Mark’s remains were taken down soon after Revere’s Ride (The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night that Saved America (2025))

The North was significantly involved with slavery in colonial days, including the 1641 Massachusetts law that legalized lifetime enslavement and ownership. The North had no small amount of the enslaver’s fear of rebellious slaves, and their ability to disrupt civilization by taking their own actions.

I lived in Southern California for over thirty years, but now I live in Utah. When I go back, I’m not exactly a “local,” but I’m not a first-time visitor, either. I don’t need to see the tourist sites. I’ve been there, or I don’t want to go there. In SoCal, I want to see my friends, and The Beach.

The Pacific Ocean is my Other Mother. She is the experience I miss the most, not the tall buildings. the museums, or the roller coasters. I feel at peace as I walk through the edge of her waters, no more than knee deep. The days of swimming out alone in the ocean are over, with rising sea levels and decreasing strength.

There is always something new every time you go back. I had never been to the Metro Center by LAX, but I was able to get to Santa Monica from there. I ate at some new restaurants, and visited Cambria Beach for the first time.

I hope to return many times in the future, as I will be able to use public transportation, and avoid renting a car. I’m not sure I want to drive in LA, any more. Some experiences don’t need to be repeated.

Part of the traditional narrative of the North is the myth that Northerners never needed slaves; instead, the clean North was infected by the dirty South, where US slavery began.

The story of First Nations enslavement has been ignored and suppressed. This includes the Pequot war in Connecticut in 1637. One of the objectives of this war was to capture indigenous men and sell them in Barbados, where African slaves could be purchased for servitude in the North.

Romans frequently used the strategy of killing the men and enslaving women and children, while building their vast empire. Mormons used a similar strategy in the Fort Utah War of 1850, as reported in the Salt Lake Tribune on July 24, 2026 (“Pioneer Day”).

Brigham Young proclaimed “This is the place” on July 24, 1847. Utah did not become a state until 1896. In the intervening years, Young and his followers handled matters as they saw fit, with little or no oversight.

Forrest Cuch, a Ute elder, author, and former director of the Utah Division of Indian Affairs, explains that the LDS settlers attacked the Ute tribe in early 1850, killing 40 to 100 Ute men, and one or two Ute women. Others were captured, and some of them were sold as slaves to serve the LDS settlers, including children. More than 400 First Nations children were “adopted” (indentured until age 20+) in LDS households between 1847 and 1900.

History should not be suppressed because it is inconvenient, or appalling. The truth will set you free.

Oprah Winfrey has caused a firestorm by telling a story about the late, great Whitney Houston, on someone’s show. Oprah claimed she “begged” her audience not to TELL about seeing Whitney fall off the stage. Right before TELLING the story herself. Oprah also unwisely claimed that Whitney was under the influence of drugs, which caused the fall. Pat Houston has spoken up and claims the stage was dark and Whitney was not familiar with it, causing the fall.

It is unfortunate that older people sometimes run off at the mouth, telling inappropriate stories. I am only one year younger than Oprah, and I try to watch myself.

It is even more unfortunate for Oprah that she does not have intelligent, strong-minded daughters to talk to her about this problem, as Quincy Jones’ daughters did for him.

Fate has delivered a remedy for Oprah, because she has Mo’nique in her corner. Fighting, perhaps, but there. As difficult as it might be to listen, Oprah should. When you are surrounded by a supportive entourage, life can get a bit dim. You might start believing your own press, never a good thing.

Mo’nique can enjoy her weekend, knowing she is contributing to the public good.

“Black Reconstruction in America” (1935) by WEB DuBois, is a detailed, thoughtful examination of a dangerous time in US history.

“The South was ashamed because it fought to perpetuate human slavery. The North was ashamed because it had to call in the black men to save the Union…” Chapter 17, The Propaganda of History.

Chapter 16, Back Toward Slavery, describes the devastating conspiracy of the Southern planter class and Northern capitalists, to exacerbate the racism resulting from 400 years of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade, and thereby create a cheap, long-term labor supply. The white people were deliberately manipulated to prevent any type of labor solidarity which would require higher wages to be paid:

“They were given public deference and titles of courtesy because they were white. They were admitted freely with all classes of white people to public functions, public parks, and the best schools. The police were drawn from their ranks, and the courts, dependent upon their votes, treated them with such leniency as to encourage lawlessness. Their vote selected public officials, and while this had small effect upon the economic situation, it had great effect upon their personal treatment and the deference shown them.” [pages 573-74]

The opposition to a fair vote continues today. The White House and Congress tremble at the thought of what might happen this year, after the greed, betrayal, lies, mismanagement, and fiscal irresponsibility shown by them in the past fifteen months.

Education, protest, and voting are pathways to a better future for the nation. This is exactly why they are under attack.

I recently went down the rabbit-hole of commercial liquid shampoos, trying to find one which would not give me a scalp rash. I’ve never had problems with plain coconut oil, but using a body cream with coco-nuciferos gave me a rash. Labs are extruding coconut oil into new substances, which may create new problems for those with sensitive skin.

Close examination of numerous bottles of shampoo at my corner drug store revealed that all of them contained basically the same ingredients, and many of them (why does shampoo need 20+ ingredients?). Allergic reactions can be caused by: coco-betaine; sodium lauryl sulfate; disodium laureth sulfosuccinate; lanolin; or linalool.

I finally found a dry shampoo with only one suspect ingredient, linalool, and it was last on the list. I’ve also purchased some multi-purpose dry soap flakes, which contain betaine, a natural plant substance, but not coco-betaine, which is a laboratory product. Online ordering is complicated by a lack of complete ingredient lists.

It is difficult to navigate our commercial world with chemical sensitivities. This problem is worse when every product uses the same ingredients, or variants thereof. Don’t believe the hype; most shampoos are basically the same, and not worth any extra money.

Governor Cox has announced plans to create a nuclear campus in Tooele County, 80 miles west of Salt Lake City. Utah has agreed to accept up to 1.3 million cubic yards of Low Level Radioactive Waste from Ontario, Canada, at the Energy Solutions Clive Disposal Site there, over the next ten years. The waste will be transported by rail, and Energy Solutions will be responsible for any spills or accidents during transit. A mobile nuclear reactor has been installed at Hill Air Force Base, 30 miles north of the city.

The current Federal administration favors nuclear energy over solar, wind or geothermal options. Promoters claim that nuclear energy is safe, despite previous contamination issues in Utah, which have resulted in excessive cancer rates among “downwinders.” Proponents also conveniently ignore horrible catastrophes in Chernobyl and Fukushima, which have forced thousands of people to evacuate, due to dangerous, long-term effects.

Nuclear energy is clean, until a disaster happens. But disaster is always a possibility. Nuclear waste can only be indefinitely contained; it never goes away.

Sylvia Dubois was born to enslaved parents in 1768. At full growth she was 5’10”, and over 200 pounds in weight. Her mother, Dorcus, attempted to buy her own freedom at least twice, but failed to make the payments, and died without attaining her goal.

Sylvia became free by an unusual route: whipping her mistress in front of a large number of people in a barroom. Sylvia was feeling “grum” and didn’t do a satisfactory job of cleaning the barroom. Her mistress (never named) was in the habit of hitting Sylvia with “club, stik ov wod, tongs, fir-shuvel, nif, ax, hatchet … and then she was so damd qwik about it, to.” Page 59, “Sylvia Dubois, A Biografy of the Slav who Whipt her Mistress and Gand her Freedom,” accessed at babel.hathitrust.org

On that fateful day, the mistress hit Sylvia one too many times. Sylvia was grown by then, and fought back. “I nokt her doun, and blamd ner kild her.” Sylvia’s master, Minical Dubois, gave her a freedom pass on the condition she would take her child and move to New Jersey. Sylvia found her mother in Neu Brunswik, went to work, had five more children, and lived to be 116 years old.

Sylvia knew her age by a twist of fate. Her mother’s master, Richard Cumpton, had a son, also named Richard, born on March 3, 1768, as listed in the family Bible. Sylvia was born two days later. They were both nursed by Sylvia’s mother, and grew up together. Richard always maintained they were the same age.

Sylvia lived to be 116 years old, despite many difficulties in her life. She saw many slaves whipped until their bare backs were in strips, and then salt applied to the gashes. She had a lifelong dent in her head from being hit with a fire shovel by her mistress. Her children were named Moses, Judith, Charlot, Dorcus, Elizabeth, and Rachel. In her old age she lived in her father’s house, which she inherited, with her youngest daughter.

Let us not underestimate the will to live, and be free.