For how many years did Ben Sr. write in his diary that he was in the military?

Guy KawasakiChief Evangelist, Canva

Doug Melville on rediscovering family legacy, and a quest to honor America's first Black generals

30 Dec 2024 · 1 min

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Doug Melville reflects on his family legacy—especially his ancestor Ben Sr.’s long military service—and argues that joining institutions is necessary to effect change from within. He recalls that Ben Sr. wrote in his diary for 50 years about being in the military and endured poor treatment but encouraged his son to participate in the system; Melville frames this as a deliberate philosophy: 'You have to use the system to defuse the system.'

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50 years.

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So we are our ancestors, wildest dreams. And I really take that to heart. All I could think about was Ben Sr. Would write in his diary for 50 years that he was in the military. Every single room he was in, he got the worst meal, chair, heat, air. And he still woke up every day and encouraged his son to do the same thing. Because the philosophy was this. You have to use the system to defuse the system. Complaining from the outside has a place and a purpose. But unless you're in the systems, you cannot have a voice. That voice cannot lead you to have a vote. And that vote cannot lead to the change or evolution that you hope that organization or institution or country or nation state has. Because when you're an outsider, it's very hard to get your point across.