Leaving Gee's Bend & Condolences

Condolences go to Pastor Marvin Sapp and family for losing their wife and mother, Dr MaLinda Sapp after a battle with colon cancer. My thoughts and prayers go to you at this time.
I must be about 22 books into my 30 book challenge and challenge it IS. with a library card in arrears, I have to read the books at the library in order to get anything done; At the same time, other issues pull me and but I'm trekking along on this. I must talk about one of the books well the last book I finished for the challenge. fellow Alabamian Irene Latham's Leaving Gee's Bend, which gives a good story about love and family in Depression era Alabama, which is geared towards teens, is also a great read for those who are familiar with the area(I found out that it's a 142 mile journey by car for me). while working at one job here in Mobile, I have met some who are related to folks there.
Ludelphia Bennett is ten years old; Her mother is pregnant again, and she fears the baby won't live. On top of that, the mother doesn't feel well, all hands are needed to do the sharecropping work and it worries Ludelphia. When her good friend Etta Mae Pettway comes home after working in Mobile for a time, she is branded a witch due to the fact that the baby left in her charge has died and she is blamed for it. So, she comes home just in time to help Ludelphia deliver the baby her mom was carrying but her mother was scared of Etta Mae due to the rumors running about her, and also she was delirious with fever as well. Seeing that no help can be rendered here, she decides to go to Camden, and ask the doctor to see if he could help her mother. Now, here's the thing. Depression era Alabama is not the place for a girl to be out and about;especially a young black girl. but with determination and grit, Ludelphia goes out and get help. She encounters once she gets over the river, a family who feeds her but then the lady who just lost her husband is mad about that and over the fact that he was kind hearted to the people of Gee's Bend and she takes the girl into town to try and sell her, but that don't stop Ludelphia from getting away from the lady and finding allies in the Doctor and his wife who feed, help her and the wife being good, helps give Ludelphia the medicine she needs for her mother to get better. On her way home, she encounters the lady who wants to sell her again, but inadvertently, she gets her home via the person who tried to warn her not to trust the woman who is now on her way to take everything from the people of Gee's Bend. along the way she encounters her brother and Etta Mae, whom she tells about the raid, and with barely enough time, she goes and divert the family from losing all of their things. Of course, the lady strips the whole commumity of their livelihood(this being a true occurrence) but thanks to Ludelphia writing a letter to the Red Cross asking for help for the people of Gee's Bend, they are soon helped by them and save the day.
Gee's Bend(official name-Boykin,AL) still exists and is in Wilcox County; for a while, it was hard to get around to Camden, which is the largest town for them, due to the ferry service being taken from them during the Civil Rights era; thankfully, it was revived over ten years ago and fully operational today. what I like about the area is that those ladies took a skill and did great business with it. It is not easy living in that part of Alabama. if you don't have a car, your stuck. poverty is rampant, and those that are there, are just surviving. I had to answer a statement made by a journalist who spoke on the low numbers in the area during an election. I had to let them know that transportation is everything there and if you don't have it, your through. It is hard to think that that may be the case, but yes it is. please check out the other books on Gee's Bend as well as their quilts.

Welcome September

I can't believe It has a month since I have done a blog. August was a bit busy because my youngest daughter, Dakota, left home to go to college at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston, Ms, where her beloved best friend Madariah is going. Good thing she went there because the first weekend, if it wasn't for Madariah, she would have starved. She was on the 5 day plan, but since then has since switched to the 7 day plan;(Most of the students go home on the Gulf Coast, but since she has no car, she has to stay there)also she was real ADAMANT about loans but knowing that things DO cost in college, she HAD to take out a loan, which she told me the day after I left her. I am real proud of her. but of course, I have to send her money down there, and still take her some food and supplies within the next couple of weeks. I also had to use Mom's secret credit card, and now have to pay her back(and if she was here, she'd be bugging me about it to the bone)and since the people I am working with is experiencing cash flow problems, the time is coming to make some changes. I have to get a better full time job. I have to pay Mom back, I also have Tierra who is in college, but is expecting a baby in February, so that tells the story, I gotta get on the good foot like the late JB said.
I am more than half way through my 30 book/90 day challenge. by reading 20 books so far. Reading more but got a good four weeks to finish up the thing. I have been blessed to read some great books, as well as finish some good ones. Mandela's Way by Richard Stengel was one I started but didn't finish and found quite interesting about the man we know as Nelson Mandela. I am also trying out books I didn't finish like Catrice Jackson's "Delicious" on living an authentic, positive life for yourself. She is such an inspiration. check out her FB pages.then Carol Mackey's "Sistergirl Devotions" dealing with on the job issues. loving it.as well as some more.

Greetings. Ever since Prince won his BET Lifetime Achievement Award, I have been checking out his latest stuff and to me, his Lotus Flow3r cd is great in my honest opinion. No lie about that. But I was watching an interview he did with good friend Tavis Smiley, and he spoke on how he was embracing his blackness, being a Jehovah Witness and how he really enjoyed the Ken Burns' documentary, "Unforgivable Blackness" which is the story of Jack Johnson. The first black Heavyweight Champion of the World. When he mentioned it, I put it away for future reference, but for some reason last night, I was compelled to sit down and watch this program. Let me say this first. It has been a hundred years this month since Jack Johnson went in a ring in Reno, Nevada, and beat James J Jeffries, who had already retired unopposed but had been clamored to come out of retirement and beat Jack Johnson. ain't that something. But I would have to go back a bit further. See, at that time, boxing was still a sport in the making. But Jack Johnson worked his way up in the business so much so, that when he fought all the others, the white ones felt seriously that he was beneath them. Now, at that time, coming up the ring, you fought blacks, but once you got to the championship, you didn't do that no more and the thing with it was Johnson had come this far and Tommy Burns didn't want to touch him and Jeffries went into retirement unopposed to stay away. It took a promoter to put $35,000 on the table for Tommy Burns to do the job. He took it after Johnson went after him relentlessly to fight him. And the fight was on in Sydney, Australia on Dec 26, 1908; Burns and Johnson fought over 14 rounds before the police stopped the fight and declared Jack Johnson the winner. He was Heavyweight Champion of the World. His purse for that fight? a measly $5,000. made me mad. Now today, whenever a sister gets that on her income taxes, that ain't nothing to sneeze at. not now, and certainly not then. But to me, he should have gotten at least half of what Burns got. but then the world then was way different then than it is now. After that fight, white folks were begging James J. Jeffries, who was farming alfafa in his farm in California, to PLEASE take this black man on. They felt that since Johnson beat Burns, Burns wasn't a real heavyweight champion. Ain't that something? this man got his belt fair and square before, but because a black man beat him, it wasn't legit.. see stuff like that was what Jack Johnson dealt with daily. what a thing. and now, they were begging this other champion, who left the ring peacefully to come and beat Jack Johnson. whenever Johnson went into the ring on both of those fights, there were hardly a black face in the crowd, so he got nothing but boos. but that didn't bother him, he showed love to the crowds just the same and fought just as hard. When Jeffries finally agreed to fight Johnson, it was 1910, so although the fight was scheduled for L.A., officials there felt it too barbaric and folks had to scramble for another place, which they found in Reno, Nevada. There, On the 4th of July, 1910, Jack Johnson beat James J.Jeffries after giving him the business for fifteen rounds. Gentleman Jim Corbett even helped Jeffries train for the fight, but Jeffries, though a great contender and who was unopposed, was no match for Jack Johnson and after knocking him down twice in the fight(which was the first two times it EVER happened to James Jeffries in his whole career), they shut the fight down and Johnson, after proving and shutting up all critics and opponents emerged still Heavyweight Champion of the World. Oh did the black people have a ball. Oh what a time, but whites very upset over the victory retaliated terribly. (Bernice McFadden's book "Glorious" speaks of a fictional event that occurred because of that very fight)a lot of blacks were beaten, raped, and even killed just because they were glad that Johnson won. they were not to show any happiness that he won. Can you believe it? I remember my mother,father and the lady I care for talk about Joe Louis fights. Oh, they were proud of Mr Joe Louis. proud. but even then, you had to be careful in the South when you played the radio or around white folks too because that was a no no then too. So I can imagine how African Americans felt in 1908, 1910 knowing this black man from Texas, beat two white men to be the champion. Oh that was something to behold. He kept the title until 1915, when the Potawattamie Giant, Jess Willard beat him in Havana Cuba.
Now, Jack Johnson was unapologetic for his life on and off the ring. He dealt with white women, was unfaithful, married three women all white. Unknown to some, he did deal with black women too, but preferred white women and for the time, that was a true NO NO. folks were getting jailed and killed just because they may have looked at one, or if one said she got "attacked" by one if that be the case. Plenty brothers in those days were lynched or killed behind that. The Rosewood(FL)massacre as well as Greenwood(Tulsa OK) started on a white woman's say so. He ended up in jail after fleeing the US for some years behind it, but he eventually came home and did his time and was released.
I try hard when I hear about things, people and events, I go online, to the library, whatever, and I do some checking. Because of Prince talking about Jack Johnson, I started taking the time to read about the other opponents he fought; how he fought his black counterparts but they kept it easy if you may say. I have had a lady say well, he had white women in his life. Yes, he did. He had them. but what I take away from him was he was unapologetically black and didn't try to be nothing but black but he loved white women. once he told some people in a boxing place that he was a "brunette" in the ring with "blondes" and he caught hell for it. Unforgivable Blackness is at your local store, Walmart, Amazon.com, PBS.com and other outlets. A companion book accompanies the documentary.

With Love on Father's Day

Hello and an Early Happy Father's Day to all the Father's out there; Here is to you for all you do. My late father, Samuel D.Grazette(1924-2007)was a good man. His own father died when he was five but he had an older brother Conrad(1901-1991)as a good role model and in spite of it all, he grew up to father four kids, be a great father figure to those in the local church and communities where we lived. My mom was talking about how when he worked at General Motors in Tarrytown, New York, just before he married my mother, he told her that he had a wedding present for her, and he took her downstairs(they were in NYC) and showed her the black Buick brand spanking new that he bought for them. He promised that he would take her to every baby appointment when she was carrying me. Ain't that sweet?? He kept that car until he bought a station wagon in 1968. well before that, he loved that Buick and kept it in the parking lot. Because my father worked upstate, he was well respected in the building because of him being bilingual and also was involved in community affairs. well, someone decided to relieve him of his tires and took off all but one, but one of his Hispanic homies saw the deed and called 5-0 on them but he had to go back downstairs and do a report of course. then with the relatives coming in the US and folks needing a ride, he got the station wagon and we loved that baby. that was the car we grew up in. If he and mom had their way, we would have been living in Long Island too but we fussed that decision down big time. We wanted no parts of it although I had two cousins that made the move that way. I know we'd still be there if that was the case.
I still miss my daddy to this day. It has only been three years a month ago since we said goodbye, but the good times and memories still linger. If your father is still living, wish him a Happy Father's Day. Show him love like you show Momma on hers. I know fathers get a bad rap but for those who combat that daily, keep doing it. Be blessed and Happy Father's Day.

Passing Through

Greetings to all who read this after me.
I finally bought some Hairfinity vitamins for the hair. It ships out of New Orleans(Slidell actually)so I got mine within a few days. I took my first ones today and thank the good Lord,I am working on a regimen to get my hair back on track.I will keep you posted.
E.Lynn Harris' "In My Father's House" which I believe is TRULY his last book, is nothing short of great. the story of a gay model agency owner about to take on some powerful people is nothing short of good. I pray you get a copy when it is released June 22nd.
Another book I would like to touch on is Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff's "Queen of Your Own Life" which to me has got to be the empowerment for all sisters especially over the age of 40 who feel life has passed them by and need some encouragement. Being an Amazon Viner(a program with Amazon that allows folks to check out books before they come out)has been a blessing because I have come into some great books by them because of it; Midnight by Sister Souljah was one, A Mighty Long Way by Carlotta Walls Lanier is another; E.Lynn's and this one make some more. So, check out those books.
Well, this is it for me. Peace to all.

New Things and Hair Rituals

Yoo hoo! my baby is officially a graduate of Vigor High School; I am so proud but you know, I am also sad; I remember when my girls were little and sweet. Oh they had their devilish moments but I can proudly say they were good; of course, life changes things and so quickly in a young black girl's world. If she isn't loved, someone else is and not necessarily for the good. If she doesn't have the parents there for whatever reason, another hurdle; But thank God for my baby, Koko who graduated May 19th. Sadly, the day was also a sad one. My boyfriend who went into the hospital due to what he felt his heart giving him the blues, come to find out, it wasn't his heart but a case of lung cancer. so he had to stop work, and he starts chemo tomorrow. I guess I should feel a bit better because last year he had surgery and he cut communications with me entirely. Upon hearing his news,though, I was hurt; hurt for him, hurt for his elderly mom who has buried a baby, two husbands, mother, brothers and other family and now to hear about her only child. sad indeed. For two days I hurt for him, but while in church one Sabbath, I got the peace that passeth all understanding. No, I don't know how this will turn up, but I got peace on it.
For all you readers out there, Bernice McFadden's "Glorious" is the thing. Originally slated to come out last month, somehow, Amazon got a hold of some copies and Bernice alerted us to it and bought copies; Trust when I feel this is a masterpiece coming out the gate. a bittersweet story about a young girl who have seen a lot of bitter with some sweet put in and had a promising career put in that stopped as soon as it started. word on the street is that Oprah picked it and if so, thank God because she deserve it; Another interesting devotional I just got today is Carol M.Mackey's "Sistergirl Devotions:Keeping Jesus in the mix on the Job" very good to help to keep your head on straight at work and home as well.
Kimberly Wright's "Sweet Waxations" candles are some great economically sound candles at $7.99 and $10.99; she also offers free shipping and has great service. My favorite scents are Uncorked(smelling like wine); Lolita Lempicka(one of my favorite scents)and Relaxation Station with it's eucalyptus and mint smell to evoke a chilled mode gains my vote. Do check her out and FB her page so you can get discounts.
Ladies, if you want that long pretty hair, hon there is most definitely hope for us all. It has been discovered that using Hindu/Indian based products containing Amla(gooseberry extract)a great addition to one's hair esp. if hair damage(like myself)is a problem, you need to get a ritual going. starting with a hair wrap that stays on my head(www.ghairwrap.com)they also sell satin pillowcases. A great hair care grease(Sweet Waxations has a lovely To the Edge and Back all Natural Hair Butter that untangles even the wild ones and keeps it soft. check her out.Yanique Smith Stokes whose Natural Hair Care Products enticed me to try her amla based products that is shipped from India. Check out her Natural Hair Care Products page and her new website also. and although I plan to soon, I want to take the hair vitamins preferably by Hairfinity and see will it help it grow. Will keep you posted.
Well,

Census, School and Anime Issues

Lately, I just haven't had the time to be able to get on here to blog; For one, I am doing work for the Census and I don't want to divulge anything about that due to the sensitive nature of information collected. That I can respect. I will divulge however, that most people I have taken info from have been nothing but forthcoming, polite and friendly; For that, they receive my humblest thanks. I am also grateful that I haven't had to encounter much dogs in my journey other than a couple here and there and they didn't bother me. I pray I have no further problems in the future.


Every so often, I substitute for the school that is under my church's umbrella; My church believes in having schools for the young to grow up in; I was one of them myself going to church school and having to explain why I go to church on Saturday instead of Sunday. Today is one of those days. Sometimes I take the 1st-4th grades or the 5th-8th grades which are run by two dedicated ladies, one being the Pastor's wife, the other being a talented sister who makes some of the nicest shea butters under her daughter's name. One of the things that get to me when I teach there is not that they are unruly; But it is something that bothers me nonetheless.
A lot of the youngsters love anime. that japanese form of cartoons that they covet as opposed to me at their ages running behind Archie, Jughead, love and other Superhero comic books; Seems to me, there are not that many comic books by Marvel or any of the others. I saw one done on the first lady and had to buy it; But for the most part, it seems as though Anime is the thing for kids today. A while back, I was watching South Park, and a Oriental outfit of similar interests were infiltrating the kids in the US and whenever someone protested, they would say that they are sorry and that they don't have anything significant to offer; but basically they were infiltrating the kids to their own personal agenda. I never forgot that episode and wonder if perhaps anime is serving the same purpose. I also remember talking to the kids here and they were like I want to work for the creators of such books. I encouraged them to do their OWN comic books; create their own and make it happen for themselves. My late father always said, if you can give a job more than get a job, you doing well. I believe him.

I say that to say this: I love jazz;being in the environment, singing and performing; but that won't mean nothing but some experience gained if I don't do the same for myself. So do for yourself. It isn't enough to work with the Anime folks; but it's even better when you gain experience and do your own anime people. Besides, we need some creative juices flowing and have some comics for ourselves; something positive, entertaining and have a purpose. To break it down, if you can improve on it, do it; do for self.