Alex Breanne Corporation

10/14/2026

My uncle, 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝘆, passed away in 2020. He impressed upon me the value of being a freedom fighter, grassroots community leader and humanitarian. He was a hero to me, but relatively unknown to most of the world.

Based on his life, I began a project years ago to create commissioned portraits of similar people... the relatively unknown giants that don't get their due recognition. I call my collection, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. The subjects may not have surviving pictures, therefore most are based on facial features of their current day descendants. We currently have 5 portraits. They are:

- 𝟭.) 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗿 - Artist Kern Bruce
- 𝟮.) 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀𝗼𝗻 - Artist Kern Bruce
- 𝟯.) 𝗣𝘃𝘁. 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗻 - Artist Katiana Jarbath Smith
- 𝟰.) 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘁𝗼𝗻 - Artist Andre Rochester Sr.
- 𝟱.) 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗺𝘂𝘀 & 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗺𝗲𝘀 - Artist Jas Oyola Blumenthal

All portraits are currently on loan to various Museums as part of America 250 celebrations.

Our 6th portrait will be unveiled at the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸 occurring on 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝟵𝗮𝗺. Please join us for the unveiling! Register at https://www.simpletix.com/e/2nd-annual-connecticut-colored-regiments-m-tickets-288753

Still walking... 🙏🏿

Stowe Center for Literary Activism Connecticut Museum of Culture and History Museum of Connecticut History Slater Memorial Museum The Norwich Historical Society - CT NAACP Norwich Branch Simsbury Historical Society Middlesex County Historical Society Cornwall Historical Society Connecticut Freedom Trail

10/13/2026

These are our official 2026 Connecticut Colored Regiment Walk hoodies and shirts! Proceeds are going towards bringing the Fisk Jubilee Singers back to Hartford!

We used two different base blue colors... cobalt for the hoodie and navy blue for the shirts. The two blues subtly recall the contrasting blues visible in the uniforms of the Colored Regiments.

Please support us! You can purchase the newly designed official walk shirts and hoodies at https://alexbreanne.org/store . 🙏🏿

10/13/2026

🚨𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗨𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗞 𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞!🚨

𝗢𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟭, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, we will be walking the same parade route that the 29th and 30th Connecticut Regiments walked on their return to Connecticut!!! This is the 2nd annual commemoration of this historic event, representing the 161st anniversary!

Opening ceremonies will occur at Connecticut's Old State House from 9am - 9:25am, during which we will have a reenactment of Governor William Buckingham by Dan Hayden, Executive Director of the New England Civil War Museum. We will also have a reenactment of Jordan Freeman by Kevin Johnson of the Connecticut State Library.

The walk will beginning at 9:30am and we will be escorted by the Hartford Police Department! The route walks back by Connecticut's Old State House after the first mile, giving walkers the option to conclude there, or continue on with the full parade route of 3 miles.

You can purchase the newly designed official walk shirts and hoodies at https://alexbreanne.org/store . Proceeds will go towards our efforts to bring the Fisk Jubilee Singers to Connecticut for a free concert at South Church, Hartford.

Please purchase your gear and join us as we honor these soldiers, remember their service, and retrace their historic journey through the streets of Hartford! Register at https://www.simpletix.com/e/2nd-annual-connecticut-colored-regiments-m-tickets-288753

Still walking... 🙏🏿

10/11/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗼 for the screening of my documentary, Reverence: Reclaiming the Forgotten, I took some time to visit one of the most famous historic sites in America: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗼. But instead of sharing a photo of myself standing in front of the Alamo, I'm sharing a photo taken across the street, in front of the historic Woolworth building.

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘀 know the story of 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗼 and the famous 1836 battle where Texas revolutionaries fought Mexican forces. The battle has long been celebrated as a heroic struggle for freedom and independence. But I see it from the purview of a descendant of the enslaved. At the time, Texas was part of Mexico, and thousands of American immigrants had settled there. Many brought enslaved Africans. Mexican officials had attempted to eliminate slavery, which became one of the factors in American immigrants joining others in overthrowing Mexican forces, establishing their own independent nation where slavery was made legal. They called their nation 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝗮𝘀. In 1836, they elected their own president (Sam Houston). They formally joined the United States in 1845.

𝗗𝗮𝘃𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘁 was one of those slaveholding American immigrants that were part of this rebellion... dying during the conflict. In 1954, 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘆 made a song about Davy Crockett, calling him, "𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙧."

Instead of celebrating all of that, I'm standing in front of the old Woolworth building across the street... where on March 16, 1960, Woolworth voluntarily desegregated their lunch counter after threat of a sit-in. I see this as the 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗘 historic monument... not 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗼.

Still walking...

10/11/2026

And just like that, our 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 panel in Norwich is installed. Now, anyone who walks by will have the opportunity to learn about 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗺𝘂𝘀. 🙏🏿

If you want to learn more, pick up my book, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙪𝙨, on amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GJ2LP7TH

Still walking...

10/07/2026

Book launch... October 20th at Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore in Middletown, Connecticut! I hope to see you there!

Still walking... 🙏🏿

RJ Julia opened 35 years ago as an independent bookstore whose mission was, and is, to be a place where words matter, where writer meets reader, where the ambiance and selection and merchandising of books creates an atmosphere that is welcoming and presents the opportunity for discovery. Ultimately,...

10/06/2026

While I was in Texas screening my film, my authors copy of "𝘼 𝘾𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙮" arrived from Wesleyan University Press. I feel incredibly blessed at being able to contribute to Denis Caron's 2026 revision which tells the story of 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗿.

If interested, our book launch will be at Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore on October 20th @ 6pm. You can register for the event at https://rjjulia.com/event/2026-10-20/denis-caron-john-mills-jesse-nasta-century-captivity

10/03/2026

If you happen to be in the San Antonio Area, my film, Reverence: Reclaiming the Forgotten will be playing at the Carver Community Cultural Center tomorrow, October 3rd at 11:15am as part of the San Antonio Black International Film Festival! Erica and I will be there as well!

Click the link below for tickets!

REVERENCE: RECLAIMING THE FORGOTTEN​ by: John Mills

10/01/2026

𝗢𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝘁𝗵, 𝟭𝟴𝟭𝟲, 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗼𝗻 is listed as a cook on the Sloop Laura... a ship headed to the West Indies. On May 25th, 1816, 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 of Milford documented Peter's death, which suggests he likely died on that voyage.

Although Connecticut had outlawed the importation of enslaved people in 1774 and banned participation in the transatlantic slave trade in 1788, the state was still heavily involved in the system. Caribbean sugar plantations were so lucrative, that they dedicated every acre to growing sugar cane...so food had to be imported. Ships from Connecticut supported that need.

𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗼𝗻 and his wife 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 were both captured in Africa and brought to Milford where they were enslaved. Even after their freedom, 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 is still in that system...dying as part of it.

I only know any of this because 3 years ago, I was curious about the individual on the left of the below photo stored at Yale University's Beinecke Library. Used in numerous books and on many websites, the record lists this individual as 𝗦𝗴𝘁. 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘁𝗼𝗻 of the 𝟮𝟵𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. But Sgt. Newton provided a picture of himself in his 1910 biography, which looks nothing like this individual.

I eventually discovered the individual is actually 𝗦𝗴𝘁. 𝗠𝗮𝗷. 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗼𝗻 of Milford, CT... the highest ranking Black man in the 𝟮𝟵𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. He was taking this picture because he and Sgt. Daniel Stanley Lathrop (on the right) had both just been promoted on the same day. In sharing my research with Yale's Beinecke Library, they changed their records in 2025 to correctly identify 𝗦𝗴𝘁. 𝗠𝗮𝗷. 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗼𝗻 in the image... no longer forgotten.

Continued research over time eventually led me to 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘀 grandparents, which is where we started on this journey. His grandparents were 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 and 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗼𝗻.

Still walking...

09/30/2026

In 1903, 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘁𝗼𝗻, the New Haven woman who freed her husband Thaddeus from slavery in 1859, would do as any loving Great Grandmother would and serve as a midwife for her Grandson 𝗝. 𝗖. 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘁𝗼𝗻 and his wife 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗲𝘀𝗮𝗿. She would often do so while staying at their home in Derby, Connecticut (current day Ansonia). One day, while at her grandson's house, Mary accidentally knocked over a kettle of scalding water, burning her legs. She would suffer in pain for months... eventually dying due to exhaustion caused by the pain, lack of sleep, and her advanced age of 91.

𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟴, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰, I left work in the evening to make the 45 minute drive to Ansonia, looking for the grave of Mary's grandson, 𝗝. 𝗖. 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘁𝗼𝗻 and his wife 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗲𝘀𝗮𝗿. As dusk approached, I found their gravesite at 𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆. Unfortunately, overgrowth and debris had frozen over half the stone. I tried and tried but couldn't get the root off the stone... I just didn't have the right tools. I felt a sense of sadness, as all I could make out was their surnames... Newton and Caesar. With a sense of dissappointment, sadness and reverence, I took one picture of the moment. Given the little light due to it being dusk, I assumed it was probably a horrible picture, but I wanted to capture the moment and my emotions. Promising to come back to clean the stone, I left.

𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, I looked at my camera. Given the time of day, I just looked like a silhouette in the captured image. I could see a discarded water bottle at the bottom of the image. All of this suggested to me I should just delete the image. Just before doing so, it hit me... the image captured how I felt. The glowing sunset accurately represented life's Reflection; the silhoutte represented a calm; and the overall setting was a classic metaphor of wisdom, mortality and grace.

𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿, I made the image the poster for my film, Reverence: Reclaiming the Forgotten.

Still walking...