Black History “ the Mental Calculator”

 Black History Facts🫶🏾

December 29, 1790 marks the death of the famous mathematician Thomas Fuller, known as the “Mental Calculator”. Thomas Fuller was an African slave known for his skills in mathematics. He was captured in Africa by white slaves and shipped to the USA in 1724 when he was only 14.

He was so good at math, he could do unimaginable calculations. One day when they asked him how many seconds there were in a year and a half, he answered in approximately two minutes, 47304000. Pro-abolitionists and white philanthropists used his talent as proof that Black slaves were equal to Whites in intelligence. Thomas Fuller, was a very great Mathematician, but unfortunately forgotten about history. 

#WeAreHistory 

#BLACKtastic

#BLACKnificence

Black History Month 2025!

 Shalom,

I pray this post finds all is well. This year I’ve decided to bring back our Black History Month daily post(lol yeah I’ve gotten a late start here😅,but I’m on it on social media)! So today to start us off I’m sharing the amazing Richard H. Williams. 

We Are History 365🤟🏾!!!

Although humans have been developing ways to carry their young for thousands of years, the first baby carriage was invented in 1733 by William Kent for the Duke of Devonshire. As something made for a duke’s child is expected to be, it was extremely lavish and gilded with gold and silver and designed to be pulled by a miniature pony. 

Due to the expensive price tag on early strollers, few could afford them. However, William H. Richardson from Baltimore Maryland in 1889 patented a new type of baby carriage. His idea was to use a special joint to allow a bassinet to be turned to face the operator. 

Several changes were made that allowed his carriage for the wheel to turn individually, which meant that the vehicle could turn 360 degrees in a smaller turning radius. Due to this new design and affordability,stroller’s became more widely used. 

#WeAreHistory 

#BLACKtastic

#BLACKnificence

TB is Back!

 So I’ve seen that the TB epidemic is back and in full effect..literally right in my county so far there’s (77 cases last I checked). So I’m doing er’thang to ensure my families safety. I’m so thankful to be blessed with knowledge and understanding passed down to me on how to do just that,through diet and herbs! One of those herbs are my favorite Goldenrod! 

Historically, goldenrod ( Solidago canadensis or Solidago virgaurea) has been used on the skin to heal wounds. It has also been used as a diuretic,meaning it helps the body get rid of excess fluid. The name solidago means "to make whole." Goldenrod has also been used to treat tuberculosis,diabetes,enlargement of the liver,gout, hemorrhoids,internal bleeding, asthma,arthritis and as a mouth rinse to treat inflammation of the mouth and throat. 

Goldenrod may help reduce inflammation,relieve muscle spasms, fight infections,and lower blood pressure. It does seem to act like a diuretic,and has been used to treat urinary tract inflammation and to prevent or treat kidney stones. In fact, goldenrod is often found in teas to help "flush out" kidney stones and stop inflammatory diseases of the urinary tract.

I love Goldenrod and use it in many forms such as teas,tinctures,and balms. Goldenrod is enriched with vitamin C as well! I grow and harvest goldenrod yearly,but what makes it awesome for those in this area it grows wild and FREE! Here’s one of my favorite ways to make goldenrod tea…light,life,and healing.

PS…as with EVERYTHING I share do your own research before trying🤟🏾! 

Sunshine Rising Tea

2T goldenrod leaves and flowers 

1T mint or peppermint leaves 

1/2T ginger root and skin

1/2t stevia leaves 

Clear all of your leaves properly. Add goldenrod and mint/peppermint leaves to 16oz boiling water. Cover and let sit for 10mins. Add your stevia leaves and let sit an additional 3-5mins then strain,and enjoy!                                

                                                         Sunni D🤟🏾 

This is for My Tummy

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of self reflection and am moving in one of my mom’s favorite sayings “Attitude of Gratitude” daily giving thanks for all the lessons that have become blessings. One of those things is using the bounty from Momma Earth for healing. 

Last night my tummy was hurting like a mug and I would normally make mustard seed tea(something she also used for my migraines/headaches growing up). I ran out but remembered my god’mom Nadine Farris telling me mustard works the same(and I keep packets just for that). So I get a warm cup of water and a tablespoon of mustard. After a few minutes I felt like a million bucks. 

It really be the simplest thangs y’all! Our Ancestors had the knowledge and used what we had on hand! The natural magnesium in the seeds help relax the blood vessels and inflammation,with the turmeric in the mustard already being amazing for your digestive systems! Couple together they’re like the yin and yang for tummy relief🤟🏾. 

Of course with er’thang do your own research. However I’m telling ya this has been a game changer for my family for years~Selah 

                                                       Sunni D🫶🏾

 

Cooking with Math and Science

 

Masai and I decided to use our math and science time to cook today! We copied my pizza recipe from my vegan cookbook. Interested you can find it in our store https://sunnis-holistic-delights.square.site/product/our-books/79 . Cooking is literally numbers,chemistry,and biology. Not only does cooking result in something tasty,it also teaches some very important life skills such as..

1. Food hygiene(hygiene is one of our spelling words this week🤭). 

2. Math

3. Creativity

4. Literacy 

5. Reading Comprehension 

6. Time Management 

7. Teamwork 

8. Communication 

#BlackHistory365

#Doing4Self

#Passingdalegacy

John Mercer Langston

 Did you know Langston Hughes uncle was the first Sunkissed lawyer!?!? Our history is amazing ❤️🖤💚. 

John Mercer Langston, the youngest of four children, was born a free black in Louisa County, Virginia on December 14, 1829. Langston gained distinction as an abolitionist, politician, and attorney.  Despite the prominence of his slaveowner father, Ralph Quarles, Langston took his surname from his mother, Lucy Langston, an emancipated slave of Indian and black ancestry.  When both parents died of unrelated illnesses in 1834, five-year-old Langston and his older siblings were transported to Missouri where they were taken in by William Gooch, a friend of Ralph Quarles.

At fourteen Langston began his studies at the Preparatory Department at Oberlin College. Known for its radicalism and abolitionist politics, Oberlin was the first college in the United States to admit black and white students.  Langston completed his studies in 1849, becoming the fifth African American male to graduate from Oberlin’s Collegiate Department.

In 1854, Langston married Caroline Matilda Wall, an emancipated slave from North Carolina.  She and Langston had remarkably similar backgrounds.  Both had been born into slavery and were freed by their slaveowning fathers who provided for them financially.  Once freed and sent north, they were able to obtain an education.  When Wall was a young girl, she and her sister, Sara, were sent to Ohio by their father, Colonel Stephen Wall. Under the guardianship of a wealthy family friend, the sisters were brought up in an affluent Quaker household. Like Langston, Caroline Wall also attended Oberlin, graduating in 1856.

In 1855 Langston was elected town clerk of Brownhelm Township in Ohio, becoming the first black elected official in the state.  In addition to his law practice and activities as town clerk, Langston and his brothers, Gideon and Charles, participated in the Underground Railroad.  John Mercer Langston caught the attention of Frederick Douglass, who encouraged him to deliver antislavery speeches.  During the Civil War, Langston recruited black volunteers for the Massachusetts 54th Infantry Regiment, officially the country’s first African American military unit.

In 1868 Langston moved to Washington, D.C. to help establish the nation’s first black law school at Howard University.  He became its first dean and served briefly as acting president of Howard in 1872.  In 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes appointed Langston U.S. minister to Haiti.  He returned to the U.S. in 1885 and became president of Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute (now Virginia State University).

In 1888 John Mercer Langston ran for a seat in Congress as an Independent against a white Democratic opponent.  The election results were contested for 18 months.  Langston was finally declared the winner and served the six remaining months of his term.  Langston lost his reelection bid in 1890.  Partly because of his prominence, the Oklahoma Territory town of Langston, and the college created in the town, Langston University, were named after him.  John Mercer Langston died in Washington, D.C. on November 15, 1897 at the age of 67.

Happiest Hoodoo All Saints Day!

HOODOO🙌🏾

Many people have asked me what are my religious beliefs,because of my often giving praises and homage to the Ancestors/Moma Earth and Universe. So here is a brief description of the practice of Hoodoo(but most definitely not limited 2),that explains the many facets of who I am. Ancestors and Universe forever be praised~Ase’O 

#IAm

#My

#Ancestors 

#Wildest

#Dream

#In 

#This

#Realm

#andLifetime

Hoodoo a system that was developed in the slave plantations of the Southern United States as an act of resistance, and has since evolved to match the ever-changing social climate of African American people. Hoodoo (also known as rootwork) is Southern folk magic grounded in centuries of African American heritage within the southern United States. 

Hoodoo is often known by other names including: conjure, rootwork, root doctoring, laying tricks, working roots or doing the "work". It is important to note, that contrary to what some authors may write in their books, Hoodoo is NOT Voodoo (Vodou). Hoodoo blends together the magical technology of Congo slaves that were taken from Africa in the slave trade, combined with their herbal knowledge,bits of folk magic and Jewish mysticism.

It consists of ancestor veneration, Medicines for physical ailments as well as spiritual ones, divination, conjuring of spirits and different types of "hands" used for helping with all  social aspects of life such as employment, relationships, and the many legal issues and oppressive factors that African Americans were subject to in the time of the Black Codes and Jim Crow.  Hoodoo works to heal the whole person, provide protection and help, and to also harm and rearrange someones life if need be.

Contrary to popular belief, Practicing Christianity is NOT a requirement for practicing the system of Hoodoo....However, as Christianity phased into the lives of early African Americans, Hoodoo, in turn, made it's way right into the Baptist, Sanctified, and AME churches doors! Many Hoodoo influences are still seen in the Black church today, despite the religion's malice toward "witchcraft In many cases Christianity and Hoodoo were used hand in hand...in others, they were used against one another.  

Hoodoo/Rootwork emphasizes the power of natural curios and the practitioner over prayer to deities. This allows Hoodoo to exist outside of a specific spiritual or religious belief system. While rootworkers will pray the Psalms and The Lord's Prayer during their spell work, they see this as a way of God assisting in the work. The work can still take place whether the person prays that specific Psalm or not.

Rootwork is firmly grounded in a very practical approach to magic. Getting results is the most important thing, and most types of spells are based on very common every-day needs like: drawing money, love, protection or dealing with pestiferous people. Unfortunately the prominence gained by Christianity in the Black American community, many Hoodoo traditions faded away into the darkness, merely as whispers of "silly old folk superstition". 

Again Hoodoo is NOT Voodoo (Vodou). Hoodoo is southern folk magic from the United States devoid of any religious ties. It is a magical technology - plain and simple - developed by the Black descendants of African slaves brought to this country. 

However, wypipo knew the deal & the value of the magic of the slaves...so they appropriated it, watered it down with a bunch of bs over the years, and are currently out here commercializing it (Hoodoo Delish) and trying to sell it back to us through books and other Hoodoo related items while also attempting to push ppl of African descent out of our own culture,history,and birthright! 

Here are a few things I use(however not limited 2)in rootwork...

1. Spiritual Cleansing Baths

2. Herbs for Cleansing and Healing

3. Candles 

4. Stones and Crystals 

5. Energy 

6. Meditation 

7. Affirmations 

8. Touch

I Am Light🔥 

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