Bill (Whomever) McCurtis,

I have done a great deal of research on Lt. Flipper and you certainly know who I am. As I stated in my brief this is my opinion based on my research of Flipper. That research has not dealt only with his military career. I am examining the attitude of Flipper and the life and times he lived in. The fact that he has descendents that are living today doe's not in any way hinder me from establishing an opinion of Flipper based on my own research. Unlike you Mr. McCurtis it is not my goal to inflate history, revise it to suit my own needs or spread misinformation, I leave that to you. If you were to have it your way, Henry O. Flipper would be a superman. As a role model he would therefore be attainable to the youth of today who would aspire emulate him. Individuals seeking to navigate the paths of our ancestors would be hard pressed to do it, if they were to follow the foot prints left be super human beings. Those who study the negative and positive aspects of Flippers life can see a man who indeed overcame the type of adversity common to all Black men, (and Black women for that matter). Still Flippers life was not without controversy, this includes, that which he brought upon himself. How he dealt with it, is what is of consequence here and that is useful.

McCurtis, I will not stand down, you and individuals like you who support and spread a bias and clearly revisionist history of the African American Experience with its negative connotations, in that it misinforms and bolsters the myth, strip away the very tool this and future generations need to overcome the adversity of our times, and that is an understanding of the humanity of our forefathers. I will not as you put it “throw my hat in the ring”, with yours and join you in adding fuel to the myth which implies, that we, not of ourselves, with the hard work done by our own hands, our constant focus, drive and desire to succeed, can't be victorious unless we have a crutch. In this case the crutch, being the pattern of revisionist history designed to make us look greater and more accomplished than others. You heap into an already burning hot fire of glorious achievement, the coals of misinformation and out right lie's to create a greater adversity than we had to overcome as a people to get to where we are now.

Reality is our forefathers were imperfect people who lived in far from perfect times. It is not our aim to judge them, less we come under judgment from a ensuing generation. It is imperative that we learn from them and yes it is at their expense.

The revisions made to the telling of the story of The Negro are likened to an Affirmative Action policy applied to the teaching of African American History. If the telling of our history in this way, is the only way to inspire us to greatness, then we are doomed, grounded and men who tell such stories have mistakenly assumed that they have inspired us to reach higher and gain those heights that would make us better men and women, people, a greater race, have in fact crippled us and grounded us to the earth.

It is Henry Ossian Flippers humanity that causes me to nod my head in admiration.

Tony Dorty
"RANGERS LEAD THE WAY"
630 West Duarte Rd. # 238
Monrovia CA. 91016
626-216-6047

----- Original Message -----
From: NINTHCAVAL@aol.com
To: tony-dorty@msn.com
Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2003 9:05 PM
Subject: Re: Henry O. Flipper

Whomever,

If I were you I would try to contact the Flipper Family here in the Phoenix Area,
they are direct decendants of his. I would also contact the Arizona Living History Foundation in Tempe, Az, they have a member there that portrays Flipper, this person has met with his family here in Arizona and in Alabama, Georgia. And has received his information firsthand. If I were you I would do a little more research before I start making comments on things you may not know about. We all have our own opinions, but we cannot make a good one until we have done our research.......... And it sounds like more research needs to be done.