By Gloria DULAN-Wilson
HELLO ALL:
Usually,
when you celebrate VETERANS Day, you
generally think of commemorating those fallen soldiers who have given
their lives in service to their country - the USA. I salute my Dad and my Uncle who are now ANCESTOR ANGELS, and WHO
HAVE GONE BEFORE US AND TRIED TO MAKE A WAY FOR US BY RAISING,
NURTURING, EDUCATING, DEFENDING AND LOVING US TO LIFE.
In
keeping with the tradition of honoring those who served in the
Military, I am honoring my father, Warner Hale DULAN, Sr., who served in
WWII
He
was stationed in Camp Seibert Army Base in Gasden, Alabama; served as a
Military Policeman (MP), and probably experienced more racism in his
young life there, than he ever did growing up in Oklahoma. In fact, his
experiences there shaped his militancy for the rest of his life. He
had enlisted to save the country that rejected him - and got a full dose
of racism during the time he was there. Of course, he was not the only
one; and it was not something he discussed with us until I was well
into my teens and participating in the Sit-ins, and Civil Rights
activities in Oklahoma City, under the mentorship and leadership of Ms.
Clara Luper.
I
remember him clearly saying to me, during one of our many epochmaking
debates, when he was trying to get me to stop participating in the
sit-ins - "You don't want to integrate with the kind of people these
people are!!" I was 17 years old. Tinker Air Force Base had threatened
to fire him because was an "agitator." He asked (not told) me to stop
because he could lose his position at Tinker. He had been there for 20+
years at the time. I looked at him like he had to be kidding, and
responded, somewhat arrogantly, that I was not going to stop - so he
probably should get a different job - why would he want to work for a
company that did not respect his rights?
I
half expected him to smack me or reprimand me, or ground me or withhold
my allowance. Instead, I saw this look of pride come across my Dad's
face - he couldn't hide it. I realized he was testing me to see how
committed I was to the movement. I later found out from my Mom that he
had pretty much informed the higher ups at Tinker that it would be my
own decision to stop, but he wouldn't force me to do so. My Dad was a
silent militant. We would go walking sometimes in those racist parts of
OKC, where they had the signs in the window that said "We reserve the
right to refuse service to anyone we choose." Daddy would walk into the
shop, stand there, not saying a word, waiting for one of the caucasoids
to refuse him service - no one ever did.
As
you can see, my Dad was a FINE BLACK MAN - he set high standards for
our family, because high standards were set by his Dad, my grandfather,
Silas S. DULAN, who served in WWI. They all served their country, in a
highly racist, segregated army. Despite that, they all had high
standards, ethics and definiteness of purpose
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| My Dad, Warner Hale DULAN, Sr. WWII Veteran |
In addition to my Dad is his younger brother, and my favorite Uncle -
Adolph A. DULAN, who served in the Korean War, following in the
footsteps of his older Brother. My Uncle was also a FINE BLACK MAN, as
you can clearly see. He took advantage of his GI Bill, went to
college, got his degree in Social Work, but decided that it was time to
apply what he learned to economic development and entreprenurial
endeavors. He tried to teach other Black Vets to do the same thing. He started a program teaching Black Men entreprenurial skills, in Los Angeles. He had a very down to earth, Oklahoma Old Boy method that worked, and eventually led him to establish the Millionaire Men's Club, where he and his fellow Black Millionaires met and strategized how to share their knowledge and contribute to society. My favorite Uncle made his transition 4 years ago leaving a legacy of
accomplishments from establishing businesses in LA, through starting
organizations that empowered Black men and women to excel.
Blessings to all the brave, loving Brothers and Sisters who dedicated their lives to ours!!! Thank you for your love and your service. NOW THAT YOU KNOW WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? Stay Blessed & ECLECTICALLY BLACK
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