End the War Between the Sexes

"Many marriages would be better if the husband and the wife clearly understood that they are on the same side," says motivational speaker and author Zig Ziglar. Love is better than war between the sexes.

Many African American couples purchased the freedom of one or both. Frederick Douglass was named Frederick Bailey as a slave. He fell in love with Anna Murray who was born free. Murray and paper played important roles in his life. Ts'ai Lun, an official of the Chinese Imperial court is credited with inventing paper. He combined bamboo fibers, the inner bark of a mulberry tree and water to create pulp. Lun then poured the pulp on a cloth and let the water drain through. When the remaining pulp was solid enough, he lifted it off the cloth and hung it up to dry. When dry it made a writing surface.

On September 3, 1838 using the borrowed identification papers of a black sailor and abolitionist named David Ruggles and money that Murray had saved, Frederick Bailey left slavery in Maryland for freedom in Massachusetts. Love shows itself.

1 Corinthians 13:6 Amplified Bible says about love, "It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail." Slavery is wrong; freedom is just and right. Like Murray worked nine years, saved money and gave it to her future husband Frederick Bailey to purchase his freedom, Absalom Jones and Mary King were slaves who married, and Absalom worked several years to pay for the freedom of Mary, their children and himself. Absalom Jones went on to found the St. Thomas African Episcopal Church on July 17, 1794, and he became the first black American to become an ordained priest. Read more in my article "Stern-Looking But Big-Hearted." Lucy Terry was a 16-year-old poet and slave who wrote "The Bar's Fight" describing a Native American attack on Deerfield, Massachusetts, in 1746 during the French and Indian War. Abijah Prince an ex-slave who gained his freedom after serving in the French and Indian War, married Lucy Terry and purchased her freedom. They moved to Vermont and had six children two of whom fought in the Revolutionary War.

Fred Korematsu who fought for Asian American civil rights said, "If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don't be afraid to speak up." Frederick Bailey changed his name to Frederick Douglass to avoid slave hunters and spoke against many evils and for love. Douglass became a public speaker, wrote Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave and established the newspaper called North Star which is the same name of the first newspaper I wrote for in high school and eventually became editor-in-chief of it. The North Star's motto was "Right is of no sex--Truth is of no color--God is the Father of us all, and all we are brethren."

Even if something or someone is in the way of love, pasos cortos, vista larga (short steps, long view.) Harriet Tubman was married to John Tubman. Harriet was born a slave. John was born free. John did not help Harriet gain her freedom. Step by step Harriet gained her freedom and went on to help hundreds of African Americans gain their freedom. Read my article "Only One is All Good."

Love is not without struggle, but we can work together for in the end, love always wins.