Coach Kim Bettie
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Research & Revelations from the granddaughter of John Fields, formerly enslaved runaway with the spirit of entrepreneurship.

“His-story inspires people of all races and walks of life. My great-great grandfather, John Fields, was a formerly enslaved runaway with an open heart and spirit of entrepreneurship. He lived passionately working and serving his community until his last breath at 104 years old.”
— Kim Bettie

Thank you for visiting my historical journal and documented discovery of my great-great grandfather’s life lessons before and after enslavement. I’m sharing my research and revelations to inspire, motivate and transform.

You can click on the bolded links for more information about the research. And, click on the title of the blog to leave or read comments.

 

What Juneteenth Means To Me

How are you celebrating this day when Juneteenth and Father’s Day 2022 aligned perfectly? For me it is a perfect opportunity to reflect on the legacy of my great-great grandfather, John Fields. Many of you know I marvel at finding his narratives and his-story from enslavement to freedom. Today, I want to connect the dots to the women that came from my great-great grandfather’s heroic escape and ties to Juneteenth.

First, let’s talk about the purpose and pain of this holiday! The Emancipation Proclamation issued on January 1, 1863, established enslaved people free. But in reality, the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t free enslaved people. The proclamation only applied to places under Confederate control and not to slaveholding border states or rebel areas. This is what happened to my great-great grandfather who was enslaved in Kentucky and it’s why he decided to risk it all and run away.

“To eliminate this solid support of the South, the Emancipation Act was passed, freeing all slaves. Most of the slaves were so ignorant they did not realize they were free. The planters knew this and as Kentucky never succeeded from the Union, they would send slaves into Kentucky from other states in the south and hire them out to plantations. For these reasons I did not realize that I was free until 1864. I immediately resolved to run away and join the Union Army and so my brother and I went to Owensburg, Ky. and tried to join. My brother was taken, but I was refused as being too young. I then tried to find work and was finally hired by a man at $7.00 a month. That was my first independent job.” - John Fields

https://www.accessgenealogy.com/black-genealogy/slave-narrative-of-john-w-fields.htm

“Freedom” finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. Research tells us that the army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state were free, celebrations broke out and Juneteenth was born. 

This year as I reflect on the meaning of Juneteenth, what comes to me is that emancipation first happens in our mind as we realize we are free. My great-great grandfather must have passed his determination to have truth set him free, down to me, through our DNA. First to his daughter and my great grandmother Mamie Hamilton, down to my grandma Opal and on to my mother, Gloria. All of these women, in one way or another, wrestled with setting themselves and others free. I guess I inherited that and I have made it my business to set myself and others free.

I also set people free from work and offer them harmony in life as an alternative. It started years ago when I worked in vocational schools as a placement director and career counselor. I helped men and women, who just got off drugs or out of prison, know that whatever mistakes they had made could be forgiven and they were free. Now, as I work as a coach with leaders in businesses, I help them know they don’t have to be trapped by their own success. They can have work life balance and enjoy the fruits of their labor without sacrificing their soul. And, I help their employees know the truth that sets everyone free. If you are in a toxic workplace, you can leave and you’ll be okay. If you are unhappy in your job and making everyone else miserable, you should leave and truthfully your leader would rather you go than become the source of toxicity.

I have also set myself free! Free from financial constraints, fake friends and lovers, traumatic memories of hardship and disappointment and even my own bad habits and limitations. I am also working to free my family from generational trauma and curses that have us so tightly bound. Below is a video from a pilot for a show we launched for Black Beautiful and Brilliant, three years ago, on Juneteenth. The show didn’t get picked up, but the stories about our legacies are still relevant for this day when Juneteenth and Father’s Day aligned perfectly.

 
 
Kim Bettie