Negro Group Questions Ridley Board - TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 1968

Delaware County TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 1968

Negro Group Questions Ridley Board

RIDLEY TOWNSHIP — The Ridley School Board was asked Monday night why it did not order its schools closed today in memory of slain civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King' Jr.

The 3rd Ward Community Club, a group of Negro residents, also asked the board:

•  If provisions have been made for teaching Negro history in the school system.

• Whether plans have been made in the 1968 - 69 year to purchase multi-ethnic history books.

School Supt. Robert V. Donate said letters were sent home Monday with every school child, telling parents that if they wished to have their children excused from school today in respect to Dr. King, they could do so.

The- letter said a note would be required when the children' returned to school Wednesday.

Funeral services for Dr. King, who was assassinated Thursday in Memphis, Tenn., were conducted today in Atlanta.

Donate said a  study of Negro history and the history of other ethnic included in the groups is school curriculum and teachers can order books such as the ones suggested by the group.

Mrs. Earl Driver, a club member, took issue with Donate over the letter the children received in school Monday. "By giving the children the privilege of staying home Tuesday, you segregated the whole thing," Mrs. Driver said.

Donato said giving the students a choice of attending school today was not intended to single out any ethnic group.

"The district is not officially closed but if we open Tuesday with no children in class, it will be fine with us," Donato said.

 Donato told the residents he hoped they would not see the opening of schools as an act of disrespect to the memory of King.

Donato later said the decision to keep the schools open but allow students to stay home was patterned after a similar directive given by Gov. Raymond P. Shafer to state employees.

He also noted that federal offices were not officially closing.

Mrs. Driver reminded the school board that the Philadelphia Catholic Archdiocesan schools had closed for the day.

Mrs. Driver told Donato that Negro parents must strive to give their children a background of their history at home so they can identify with their own ethnic group.

"Our children do not have the opportunity to identify with their own ethnic group in the schools," Mrs. Driver said.

"Just as the Italians are proud to identify themselves with their explorers, we want our Negro children to be proud of Matthew Henson." (Arctic explorer).

"Don't put us in a special place in the sun—just give us the same place as others have."

"The entire history of all ethnic groups in America should be taught in its entirety in the schools;" Mrs. Driver added.

"My children should know just as much about others as they know about themselves."

Mrs. Driver, using her own son as an example, said many Negro students feel uncomfortable to be the only Negro in a classroom.

She said she feels the teachers should strive harder to eliminate this feeling.

Donato said this problem is a "self-imposed feeling." He said no teacher to his knowledge deliberately makes a Negro student feel uncomfortable in class.

Mrs. Driver agreed and said most teachers are unconscious of the situation.

"We want to do everything we can to make every student feel at home," Donato said, and if we aren't then we want to know about it and I speak for the school board and the administration."

There are about 200 Negro students in the 8,300 pupil Ridley School District, according to Donato.

Donato told the group every child in the district has exactly the same educational and attendant opportunities.

SOURCE: http://delawarecolib.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewer.aspx?img=92245219&firstvisit=true&src=search&currentResult=0&currentPage=0

DRIVER FAMILY – US Colored Troops (USCT) – Civil War

John DRIVER – born abt 1838 in Ascension Parish, Louisiana. 89 US Col’d Infantry - enlisted September 10, 1863 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Promoted to Sargent and transferred to the 92 US Col’d Infantry on May 20, 1865.

Thomas DRIVER – born abt. 1818 in Logan, Kentucky. 16 US Col’d Infantry – enlisted Dec 24, 1863 in Clarksville, Tennessee. Rank of private. Thomas was the slave of Mary Florence DROUILLARD from Davidson County, Tenn. Mary F. DROUILLARD filed a claim with the Board of Claims for compensation for Thomas serving in the war. March 18, 1867 the Sec of War awarded Mary $300.00. Mary had inherited Thomas DRIVER from her grandfather Anthony Van LEE (or LEER) who died in 1863.

William DRIVER – born abt. 1828 in Suffolk, Virginia. 10 US Col’d Infantry – Enlisted November 24 1863. Rank of Private. 

William DRIVER – born abt. 1836 in Wilmington, Delaware. 6 US Col’d Infantry – drafted November 22 1864. Rank of Private.

William DRIVER – born abt. 1824 in Charles County, MD. 19 US Col’d Infantry – enlisted January 4, 1864 in Charles County, Maryland. Rank of Private. William was the slave of Alfred GARDINER and was freed (deed of manumission) on April 19, 1864 by his master.

Mosses DRIVER – born abt. 1840 in Dorchester, Maryland. 19 US Col’d Infantry – enlisted March 8 1864. Rank of Private.

John DRIVER – born abt. 1841 in Philadelphia, PA (21st Ward). 32 US Col’d Infantry – enlisted February 27, 1864. Rank of Private.

Robert DRIVER – from South Carolina. Rank of Private.

This is just a sample that I compiled during a visit at the US National Archives in Washington, DC on September 24, 2010. Someday I will complete the list.

Book Release - Great Gift for Black History Month

THE ROAD BACK TO ROUTE 606 - THE HISTORY OF THE DRIVER FAMILY FROM GLOUCESTER COUNTY, VA

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My DNA Results - DRIVER Family

My DNA Results

On December 23, 2010, after waiting for about 6 weeks, I received an analysis of my DNA.  The test would have been back earlier, but additional testing was required.  [I must be a complicated person.] This information is not always 100% accurate, but it is a start to piecing together the family puzzle.  DNA is a science and, for the purpose of human migration, is a useful tool to help discover our family group’s origins (Africa, Europe, Asia, etc.).  Keep in mind that my results are identical to my father’s, his father, his father’s father and so on.  So if you are a DRIVER male, your DNA and my DNA should match.  If myself or you or someone in our DRIVER paternal line was adopted, there will be a mismatch.  Later in this section I will encourage you get tested, but keep in mind that you may find out something you don’t want to share.  This is understandable.

In his book “One Blood”, Ken Ham explain how we are all one race and that would be the “Human Race” (Homo sapiens).  For those of us who proclaim to be Christians, the Bible states that we all originated from Adam and Eve.  The term “Race” as we know it today, was defined by racist people like Charles Darwin.  Yes, if you believe in Darwinism, then you are, in my opinion, subscribing to a racist theory that helped to lower the status (worth) of Blacks or darker skinned people in this country and throughout the world.  As you can see this is a sore spot with me and I hope through this research and your own research you will see how we are all related to each other – ONE BLOOD.

Acts 17:26 (King James Version)

And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

Understanding your/our DNA is a second step in building a family tree.  In this book you can see that I have reached back as far as I can go in the Americas, but beyond the Americas, through records and oral traditions, is still a mystery.  The use of tools such as DNA testing will help us probe our historical human origin outside of our obvious African roots.  Maybe someday through DNA testing and The National Geographic initiative “The Genographic Project” (https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/index.html) we will be able to pinpoint our origins not only in Africa, but throughout the world.

Recently, there has been great interest in identification of ones “roots”.  TV shows like “Who Do You Think You Are”, “African American Lives 2” and “Faces of America” have profiled some well-known celebrities such as Emmitt Smith, Spike Lee, Brooke Shields, Mario Batali, Stephen Colbert. Chris Rock, Tom Joyner, Tina Turner and others.  If you have not seen these two series, I would encourage you to check them out online at http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aalives/index.html  and http://www.pbs.org/wnet/facesofamerica/.  The tools used in these shows include DNA testing. One of the things I noticed as these celebrities were interviewed is there expression when they found out who they really are.  Most people live other people’s family history or follow tainted family traditions, but through DNA testing, you now have a more accurate picture of your ancestors and origin.  Every year we celebrate “Black History Month”.  How about dedicating the next “Black History Month” to discovering your roots and sharing them with your children. 

DNA testing for Genealogy is NOT used or stored for legal or medical purposes.  Results are private and you have a choice in sharing your results.  As I build the family tree, I would like to know our family medical history to understand health risks that run in the family.  For example; in 2007 I was diagnosed with a condition known as “Protein S Deficiency” (http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/205582-overview).   This disorder causes abnormal blood clotting and is passed down through families.  It occurs in about 1 out 20,000 people.  The way I found out about this condition almost cost me my life.  Long story short, I had a blood clot travel from my leg to my lungs which could have been fatal.  I was in the hospital for two weeks and went through a barrage of tests.  These tests were inconclusive to why someone my age would have blood clots.  I had one doctor who would not stop searching for the answer and finally, through some additional testing of my blood, found that I have this disorder.  Knowing this, through medicine (on a blood thinner for the rest of my life) and a restricted diet, I can prevent clotting in the future.  Other medical information about my family ancestors tells me that I am at risk for diabetes, stroke and cancer just to name a few.  Also I know through family tradition and first hand observations, that substance abuse is common in several branches of my tree.  I personally was on the road to alcoholism, but one day in the year 2000 God just took away my desire to drink alcohol.  It must have been all those prayers my mother was sending up during her life on earth.  I don’t think drinking alcohol is a sin or you are a bad person for taking a drink, but I do think if you know there is a pattern of abuse in your family, you may be at a higher risk for addiction and abuse.  I worked in a ministry that ran a substance abuse program and saw firsthand how it not only affected the individual, but also the entire family.  I believe this is what is called a “Generational Curse” and if you know that these types of curses exist, you can prevent them in your life as well as your children and grandchildren.  I am not a medical professional, but common sense tells me that knowledge and prevention makes for a better life.  Well that is enough preaching for now!

My DNA Results.

Wayne K. Driver’s Y-DNA Haplogroup Test Results – At this time I choose to test my Y-DNA which only looks at my paternal (father, grandfather, great grandfather, etc.) branch of the family.  Simply said, I am only looking at the DRIVER line and through this testing I hope to identify a common relative.  Finding this common relative, will help to identify where the DRIVER family originated and possible who we are related to in this country.  This may take some time to make the right connections, but over the next several years I am confident that more people will add their DNA to the many databases, therefore creating more matches.

 

So what is a Haplogroup? 

According to FamilyTreeDNA (http://www.familytreedna.com/understanding-haplogroups.aspx), “…major branches on the family tree of Homo Sapiens.”

What is my Haplogroup?

Haplogroup R1b, M343 (Subclade R1b1b2, M269)

How to interpret my DNA?

Here is an excerpt from my report. My full report is available upon request via WKDriver@GMAIL.COM.  Future reports will be available on my blog http://route606.blogspot.com/.

The genetic markers that define your ancestral history reach back roughly 60,000 years to the first common marker of all non-African men, M168, and follow your lineage to present day ending with M343, the defining marker of Haplogroup R1b. 

If you look at the map highlighting your ancestors' route, you will see that members of haplogroup R1b carry the following Y-chromosome markers:

M168 > P143 > M89 > L15 > M9 > M45 > M207 > M173 > M343

(Less is known about some markers than others. What is known about your journey is reflected below.)

Today, roughly 70 percent of the men in southern England belong to haplogroup R1b. In parts of Spain and Ireland, that number exceeds 90 percent.

M168: Your Earliest Ancestor

Time of Emergence: Roughly 50,000 years ago

Place of Origin: Africa

M89: Moving Through the Middle East

Time of Emergence: 45,000 years ago

Place: Northern Africa or the Middle East

M9: The Eurasian Clan Spreads Wide and Far

Time of Emergence: 40,000 years ago

Place: Iran or southern Central Asia

M45: The Journey Through Central Asia

Time of Emergence: 35,000

Place of Origin: Central Asia

M207: Leaving Central Asia

Time of Emergence: 30,000

Place of Origin: Central Asia

M173: Colonizing Europe—The First Modern Europeans

Time of Emergence: Around 30,000 years ago

Place: Central Asia

M343: Direct Descendants of Cro-Magnon

Time of Emergence: Around 30,000 years ago

Place of Origin: Western Europe

What can I do with these results?

I can post these results to the following websites and look for matching markers that will identify common ancestry throughout the world.  Once I find this common ancestry, I can now narrow my scope of research outside of the US to other regions and countries.  This will help me/us understand out makeup and work forward to identify even more relatives to include in our trees.

http://www.africanancestry.com/index.html

http://www.ybase.org/default.asp

http://www.smgf.org/index.jspx

http://dna.ancestry.com/welcome.aspx

.I would encourage everyone reading this book to submit a DNA test and post your findings. 

What is next for me?

This is just one of many tests.  Throughout the next year or two, my plans are to take further test to discover my ethnic makeup and look at my mother’s branch.  These tests are becoming more affordable and accurate as more people get involved.  I hope this first test is of interest to you and will encourage you to take a test or two.