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Yes it is a long name.........and no we are not crazy. Before we get into the story please take a moment to check the links below for some quick history, and then read on below..............
http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=931 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Riders http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_State_Penitentiary When we sat down as a band and started voting on the names everybody in the band had submitted, we never really thought we would come up with such a long name! However rather than take the easy way out we wanted to insure that whatever name we picked would be exclusive and more importantly stand for something. Our beloved country has quite a history for such a young nation, some of which is nothing to be proud of though much of which is the envy of the world. Over time we as a country have corrected some of the policy and laws that were rooted in pure evil. Parchman Farm Prison was at its beginning a prison work farm devoted to forcing freed blacks back into slavery. It was an evil, brutal, and deadly place to be. For almost 100 years after the abolishment of slavery, a terror existed in the South, as freedman suffered the wrath of those that were not ready for change, and would not accept it at any cost, as long as they could find ways and pass laws to get around it. This brings us to the Freedom Riders many years later, men and women who would stand and face violence and even death to march, ride, and personally protest against racism and for equal rights under the law. Parchman Work Farm and some of those Freedom Riders would eventually meet, as many Freedom Rider Activists found themselves unwilling guests in more modern times. The struggle for change did not come easy, but it did finally happen. It is a small story of a struggle at one prison, but a story that we found to be worthwhile of learning about and bringing to light. It was one small stand against a prison system out of control for many years, and one Judge willing to hear the case that would lead to change. We as a band wanted to relate this story in our name, and in our lives. Many today see slavery as past history, not relevant in today’s world. America did not invent slavery. These were changes allowed in the name of progress. The battle to end physical slavery cost millions of lives in war, and thousands of lives thereafter at the hands of those not willing to let it go. It has been less than 50 years since equality for all had to be dealt with yet again. There are many who feel that work is far from over. In modern times we should not forget that if all men and women are created equal under the law, that we should not allow any political party, or government body decide the rights of any group is greater, equal, or less than equal than of another. Only that government should protect us all in our civil rights, and our property rights, and protect the sovereignty of our great nation. We should all remember that regardless of color, sexuality, or religion, we are truly the same and that nobody should ever again be allowed to have such power over any person ever again. This will not only guarantee equal rights to all, but allow us not to fall into the trap of making laws that once again enslave any person by being classified by race, creed, religion, economic class or sexuality. Some of the very laws meant to provide equality and fairness have had the opposite effect on those that they were meant to help and we must be careful to not give too much power to Government. We must only protect the ideal that we are all created equal, and provide for the safety and wellbeing of all. Please let us stop our government from dividing us into sub groups and classes, as we all have these rights given to us by God himself, not a Government that for just over 200 years has decided those rights are optional depending on circumstances, or the desire for progress, and even in the name of security. The name and idea behind our band signifies personal Liberty. That is what we believe in, and we can only pray that as Americans we remember who we are, where we came from, and why this country was founded. We hope that we can forget about politics, and refrain from giving away our rights that we are born into for the sake of future promises rarely delivered. Our Constitution already contains enough to insure that as Americans we all have the equal opportunity to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. |
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