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‘Weeping Time’ Author, Historian Anne C. Bailey Discusses Slave Auctions and her Involvement in NY Times’ 1619 Project

NNPA NEWSWIRE — An auction took place on March 2 and 3, 1859, at the Ten Broeck Racetrack, where slaves were housed in the stables. The auction resulted in the sale of 436 slaves for more than $300,000 — approx. $9,350,000 if the sale took place today. In fact, according to measuringworth.com, while the real price of the commodity (436 human beings being treated like property) in today’s dollars is $9,350,000, the equivalent labor value is $61,600,000 (using the unskilled wage), or $127,000,000 (using production worker compensation).

Published

7 years ago

August 22, 2019

Oakland Post

Professor Anne C. Bailey/Courtesy Anne C. Bailey

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Binghamton University Historian Anne C. Bailey has studied slavery and the plight of African Americans for quite some time.

She has read books about the history of slavery and watched the 1970s television mini-series, “Roots,” the story of author Alex Haley’s enslaved ancestors.

As commemorations of the 400th anniversary of the presence of people of African descent in North America take place, Bailey has helped bring awareness to one of the most sickening aspects of slavery: “auctions.”

“The auctions were a fairly common part of the economy and typical, especially before the Civil War,” Bailey said during an interview for the NNPA Newswire.

Her curiosity heightened and took her back to two days in March of 1859 in Savannah, Georgia. First, she found the will of Thomas Jefferson. It said that some of his slaves should be freed, but others were sent for auction.

She also discovered a great case study on a slave auction held in Savannah, Georgia, “The Weeping Time.”

“Not a lot had been written about this, and this was the largest auction that had ever taken place,” said Bailey.

Her research ultimately formed the basis for the 2017 nonfiction book, “The Weeping Time” (208-pages; available on Amazon.com).

The book’s title paid homage to the heartbreaking term slaves used to describe the separation from their loved ones during sales or auctions.

In “The Weeping Time,” Bailey writes about Jeffrey and Dorcas, an enslaved couple who fell in love. As they were on the auction block, Jeffrey begged his purchaser to also buy Dorcas, promising that they would be good servants.

Jeffrey pleaded that he and Dorcas would have strong young children who would also be good servants.

“Jeffrey was going to North Carolina and Dorcas to South Carolina. When last seen, Jeffrey was sitting alone on the ground, crying into his hands, as Dorcas was led away by her new master. She sat in the back of his carriage – emptied of words, emptied of tears,” writes Bailey.

Because of her profound work, Bailey was asked to write a passage for The New York Times’ popular, “1619 Project.”

Under the headline, “Shadow of the Past,” Bailey describes the The Weeping Time in a little more than 300 words.

She wrote, in part: “This spot is the site of the largest auction of enslaved people in American history – an event the enslaved called The Weeping Time in which 436 people were brought to the hammer to pay off the bad investments and gambling debts of Pierce M. Butler, the absentee owner of the Butler Island Plantation. The auction was held at a playground of the local elite: The Ten Broeck Race Course, then on the outskirts of Savannah, Ga.”

The auction took place on March 2 and 3, 1859. The slaves were housed in the stables. The sale of 436 slaves grossed more than $300,000 — approximately $9,350,000 if the sales took place today. In fact, calculations from measuringworth.com explain that while the real price of the commodity (436 human beings defined as property) in today’s dollars is $9,350,000, today’s labor value is $61,600,000 (using the unskilled wage), or $127,000,000 (using production worker compensation).

To place the sale in further context, the income value of the slaves sold, when measured in today’s dollars, is $131,000,000 and the economic value is $1.4 billion.

In her Times’ article, Bailey notes how slaves begged their buyers in vain to also purchase their loved ones.

“What you do see are two tracks, intersecting but going in different directions, toward different outcomes – a fitting metaphor, perhaps, for black and white life in America,” wrote Bailey, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard and a Ph.D. and Masters from the University of Pennsylvania.

She said she wanted to call attention to slave auctions, which she called “A part of the backbone of the U.S economy.”

“I’m so happy and honored The New York Times asked me to contribute,” Bailey said. “It’s my desire to see that this part of the U.S. economy is acknowledged, and it fit very well into the 1619 Project.”

Bailey’s lesson plans for her students include slavery and the often-overlooked auctions.

She said it’s essential that schools make slavery and African American history a part of a regular curriculum.

“Not just teaching about Martin Luther King, Jr., or Rosa Parks,” Bailey said.

The comparison of separating slaves and the current administration’s policies condoning the separation of immigrant families is inescapable.

Bailey said that’s another reason it’s imperative to teach all the history of America and slavery. She said courses should begin early, and educators should consider how much information to provide young ones.

“You have to reach children early and help them to see how people of African descent and others have contributed to the building of this country so that it doesn’t come as a big surprise,” Bailey said.

“Later on, it’s something that’s going to form their thoughts and interactions. There’s so much that parallels to slavery. There’s mass incarceration and medical disparities. And, the list goes on,” she said.

On the bright side, Bailey said the interest in the slave trade has crossed racial boundaries today. “I have not seen this level of interest in these topics in my lifetime,” she said.

“I am so glad that people are documenting this history as it was.”

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Poll Shows Support for Policies That Help Families Afford Child Care

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — New national polling shows persistent voter concern about the affordability and availability of child care for working parents, alongside broad support across key demographic groups for federal child care policies that help families afford care.

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Oakland Post

By First Five Years Fund

New national polling shows persistent voter concern about the affordability and availability of child care for working parents, alongside broad support across key demographic groups for federal child care policies that help families afford care.

The national survey was conducted by UpOne Insight on behalf of the First Five Years Fund from January 13–18, 2026.

Key findings include:

• Parents need help: 80% of voters say the ability of working parents to find and afford child care is either in a state of crisis or a major problem.

• This is an affordability issue: 82% believe federal child care funding will help lower costs for working families — including 69% of Republicans, 84% of Independents, and 94% of Democrats.

• And there continues to be strong support (62%) for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), a federal program that makes it possible for hundreds of thousands of families to afford safe, quality care for their children while parents work or go to school, including a majority of Republicans, 63% of Independents and 72% of Democrats.

• Support for funding child care programs remains strong: 75% believe child care funding should be increased or kept at current levels — including 75% of Republicans, 85% of Independents, and 97% of Democrats.

• 74% say funding for child care is an important and good use of tax dollars, including a majority of Republicans, three-quarters of Independents, and nine in ten Democrats.

FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling said, “Voters across the country are sending a clear message: federal child care and early learning programs work. These investments help parents stay in the workforce, strengthen families, and support healthy child development. They have also long had strong bipartisan support in Congress. At a time when affordability is top of mind for families, continued federal funding is essential to ensure child care remains accessible and within reach.”

First Five Years Fund works to protect, prioritize, and build bipartisan support for quality child care and early learning programs at the federal level. Reliable, affordable, and high-quality early learning and child care can be transformative, not only enhancing a child’s prospects for a brighter future but also bolstering working parents and fostering economic stability nationwide.

We work with Congress and the Administration to identify federal solutions that work for families with young children, as well as states and communities. We work with policymakers to identify ways to increase access to affordable, high-quality child care and early learning programs for children. And we collaborate with advocacy groups to help align best practices with the best possible policies. http://www.ffyf.org

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Trump’s MAGA Allies are Creating Executive Order Plan to Steal the 2026 Midterms

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The document that could lead to an executive order proposes using the claim that China interfered with the 2020 elections as grounds to “declare a national emergency.” The move would be an unprecedented step that would grant Trump new authority over the voting systems in the U.S.

Published

4 days ago

February 27, 2026

Oakland Post

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Correspondent

A group of MAGA pro-Trump activists, who say they are working in coordination with the White House, are circulating a 17-page draft executive order that would claim without evidence that China interfered with the 2020 presidential election. Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential to President Joe Biden by over 7 million votes. Since Trump lost to Biden in 2020, he has repeatedly claimed that the election was “stolen” without evidence. The report of a group of “Trump allies” preparing an executive order to give Trump power over elections was first reported by The Washington Post.

The lies around the right-wing campaign that pushed falsehoods that the 2020 election was stolen was trafficked through right-wing media, particularly Fox News. Fox News was then sued for defamation for the claims by Dominion Voting Systems. Fox lost the case and had to settle for the largest defamation amount on record of $787.5 million in April 2023.

The document that could lead to an executive order proposes using the claim that China interfered with the 2020 elections as grounds to “declare a national emergency.” The move would be an unprecedented step that would grant Trump new authority over the voting systems in the U.S.

The story in The Washington Post arrives as Trump increasingly signals that he may take actions that would alter the result of the 2026 midterms. The Republicans are widely expected to lose as their approval ratings plummet as a result of a failing economy under Trump. Over 50 members of Congress have announced they will retire this year and not return in 2027.

The Trump Department of Justice, which now has a large image of Trump on the side of it, “sued five new states Thursday [Feb. 26, 2026] demanding access to their unredacted voter rolls — escalating a campaign that has been rejected by multiple federal courts and faces resistance from Republican-led states as well,” according to Democracy Docket, a group that works to protect voting rights.

Trump claimed back in late 2020, the last year of his first term, that he had the authority to issue an executive order related to mail-in voting for the 2020 elections — which he would then lose. But the Constitution states that control of elections lies with the states. As the GOP works to place hurdles in front of voting, Democrats worked to make voting easier.

In March 2021, President Biden signed an executive order calling on federal agencies to expand voting access as part of the Biden Administration’s effort “to promote and defend the right to vote for all Americans who are legally entitled to participate in elections.”

Trump’s focus is clearly on altering the November 2026 midterm elections. Trump’s polling numbers and the elections and special elections that have taken place around the U.S. over the last year clearly indicate that Republicans are about to be hit by a blue wave of Democratic victories.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent investigative journalist and the founder of Black Virginia News. She is a political analyst who appears on #RolandMartinUnfiltered and hosts the show LAUREN LIVE on YouTube @LaurenVictoriaBurke. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke

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PRESS ROOM: NBA Hall of Fame Nominee Terry Cummings Joins 100 Black Men of DeKalb County to Launch Victory & Values Initiative

NNPA NEWSWIRE — NBA Hall of Fame nominee and Basketball Legend Terry Cummings was administered the official member’s oath and ceremonially pinned during a special induction ceremony held on Friday, February 20th.

Published

4 days ago

February 27, 2026

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Cummings becomes an honorary member, joining other role model sports stars

NBA Hall of Fame nominee and Basketball Legend Terry Cummings has officially become an honorary member of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County, marking a powerful new chapter for the 100 Black Men and youth development across the region.

Cummings was administered the official member’s oath and ceremonially pinned during a special induction ceremony held on Friday, February 20th. The moment signified more than membership — it marked the launch of the organization’s transformative new platform, the Victory & Values Initiative.

The Victory & Values Initiative is a groundbreaking youth development program designed to empower elementary and middle school students through a dynamic blend of sports, mentorship, and STEM exposure. The initiative focuses on building health, discipline, character, leadership, and access to opportunity — creating pathways for long-term academic and personal success.

“This is about more than sports,” said Cummings during the ceremony. “It’s about using the platform of athletics to teach life lessons, create access, and build the next generation of leaders.”

The induction ceremony also featured notable guests including NASCAR’s newest Star Driver, Lavar Scott and NASCAR Director of Athletic Performance, Phil Horton, who joined Cummings for a powerful Victory & Values Town Hall discussion. The Town Hall was moderated by renowned Sports Emcee John Hollins and focused on leadership, resilience, discipline, and the importance of mentorship in shaping young lives.

A “Day at NASCAR” for 75+ Youth

Cummings wasted no time getting to work. On his first full day as an honorary member, he joined his new brothers of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County to host a “Day at NASCAR,” escorting more than 75 youth to a once-in-a-lifetime experience at EchoPark Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway).

The youth participants received behind-the-scenes access including: an exclusive tour of Pit Row, access to the Garage Area and exploration of the interactive Fan Zone.

The experience culminated with a surprise meet-and-greet and Q&A session with NASCAR Superstar Bubba Wallace, who shared insights on perseverance, preparation, and breaking barriers in professional sports.

The day served as a living example of the ‘Victory & Values’ Initiative in action — exposing youth to new industries, expanding their vision for the future, and connecting them directly with high- level mentors and role models.

Building Leaders Through Access and Mentorship

The 100 Black Men of DeKalb County – a chapter of the largest, national mentoring organization in the county – continues to expand its footprint with programs focused on academic excellence, economic empowerment, leadership development, and health & wellness.

The launch of ‘Victory & Values’ represents a strategic expansion of the organization’s impact

intentionally integrating athletics and STEM to engage youth at an early age while reinforcing core principles such as integrity, accountability, teamwork, and perseverance.

“Our mission has always been to mentor the next generation,” said Vaughn Irons, President-Elect of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County. “With Terry Cummings joining the brotherhood, along with partners in NASCAR and professional sports, we are creating unprecedented access and exposure for our youth. Victory & Values is about turning inspiration into structured opportunity.”

By connecting elementary and middle school students to professional athletes, executives, STEM professionals, and community leaders, the initiative aims to:

Increase youth exposure to careers in sports business, engineering, and performance science
Strengthen mentorship pipelines
Promote physical wellness and mental resilience
Build character-driven leadership at an early age

Open Invitation to Youth and Families

All youth are invited to participate in the Victory & Values Initiative, along with the other countless, impactful programs offered by the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County.

Parents and guardians seeking mentorship, leadership development, academic enrichment, and transformative exposure opportunities for their children are encouraged to connect with the organization.

As NBA Legend Terry Cummings’ induction demonstrates, Victory & Values is more than a program — it is a movement designed to build champions in life, not just in sports.

For more information about the Victory & Values Initiative or to enroll a student, contact: 100 Black Men of DeKalb County at Phone at 404.241.1338, info@100bmod.org or Tee Foxx at 404.791.6525,