GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLFRIEND GATHERINGS

Learning from YOU to empower ME !

Black History IS American History

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In 1565, the Spanish brought enslaved Africans to what is now Florida.

In 1619, the English brought enslaved Africans to Virginia.

They were victims of human trafficking.

And, from them and more that followed, surviving the horrors of the Middle Passage, a new people were bred in the Americas.

Mixed children of the enslaved, the native, and the free.

Today, they are called African Americans.

Even while enslaved, they participated and contributed to EVERY significant event in what became the United States of America.

The facts are that the very economy of the fledgling new country was built on the backs of these enslaved people.

Their hands literally built our esteemed buildings in the nation’s capital.

For example, the enslaved American, Philip Reid, helped construct the Statue of Freedom atop our U.S. Capitol today.

https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/statue-freedom/philip-reid

We were at the Boston Tea Party, and we are fighting now for our country in the 21st century.

African American inventors created and changed their country and the world with inventions sometimes born from necessity. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African-American_inventors_and_scientists

Our blood, sweat, and tears are in the roots of America.

We were bred here. We were born here.  We belong here.

Along with our Native American brethren, the African American relationship with America is unique.

There is no way for others to understand it or how we “be” in that relationship.

We only ask that you acknowledge that uniqueness.

FREEDOM has a different context for us.

Because our journey to acquire it was like no other.

We rise in a different way when it is threatened. 

But we rise … as Americans.

When the complete history of the journeys of ALL American people is embraced as ONE history, then we will have taken the first healing step in our land of the free and home of the brave.

Juneteenth 2020 Dare to Remember

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Today marks the 155th anniversary of the date when Union Army Major General Gordon Granger stood in Galveston, Texas, and announced to the enslaved Americans in Texas they were free.

In the past, I held a disdain for the celebrations on this date because I could not understand why we would celebrate a day when our African-American ancestors were “given” something that never should have been denied them – freedom.

However, now, I know that I was misguided because I had not sought information beyond what I was taught in Texas public schools. In 2012, I discovered the truth when I visited the African American Civil War Memorial (http://www.afroamcivilwar.org) in Washington, D.C., and read specific wording in the Emancipation Proclamation.

It clearly stated that the Proclamation provided the freedom to the enslaved Americans in the seceding states once those states were conquered and had surrendered to the Union Army.

 For that reason, 200,000 African-American men, those who had escaped slavery and those who were born free, joined the Union Army despite the threat of immediate execution if taken prisoner by the Confederate Army. 

They did so to ensure that the Union Army defeated the traitorous Confederate Army to win the Civil War so their enslaved brothers and sisters would be freed.

In essence, African-American men fought courageously and won the freedom – it was not “given” to our ancestors.

Even though General Robert E. Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865, the last battle of the Civil War – Battle of Palmito Ranch – was fought in Texas on May 12 and 13, 1865. Texas was conquered, at this point, and the state was occupied by the African-American Union troops that helped defeat it. The enslaved Americans in Texas discovered their freedom one month later. The conditions of the Emancipation Proclamation had been satisfied, and freedom had been won.

It was an enlightening and proud moment for me to learn these facts, which had never been taught in school. Through my quest to always seek knowledge, I moved from disdain to pride in this date and its significance to my people, my state, and my country.  

Juneteenth is not just a holiday for African-Americans but ALL Americans. It is the date that our country decided to live up to our declaration that ALL men are created equal.

So, during this COVID-19 pandemic, I will celebrate with a good friend. We will attend together via Zoom, a virtual tour, and presentation at the National Museum of African-American History & Culture.    https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/celebrating-juneteenth

I will proudly reflect on the journey and contribution of The Ancestors from 1619 to today. 

How will you celebrate Juneteenth?

The Best Thing in Life #13 – A Good Book

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Students Reading Books Showing EducationOne of the treasures I learned to value very early in my life was a good book.    I was fascinated with books before I learned how to read.  When my older brother started school he came home and read his books to me.   Books were readily accessible in our family household as our parents controlled access to the one and only television.   Picture books fueled my imagination and when I started school reading naturally became my favorite subject.

As I entered my pre-teen and teenage years, my love of books did not diminish.    I was a student who loved the time spent in the library.  I read the classics, fiction, mythology, religion, autobiographies – whatever caught my interest.    In the summer, I walked 1-2 miles in the middle of hot Houston days to go to the bookmobile that came bi-weekly to my neighborhood.   All of my friends thought I was crazy reading so much while school was out.

I visited many beautiful places in the world, learned about other cultures, and plotted my life’s path all from books.   I even raided my single aunt’s hidden collection of sexy romance novels and imagined the qualities of the lovers I wanted in my life.   I must admit few lived up to those qualities and that is probably why I am single now.

Books have been my constant companion on business trips, road trips, and vacations giving me delight as I relaxed on beautiful beaches or sat in a solarium on cruise ships while traveling to some foreign port.    The Kindle has made my relationship with books easier as I can carry my entire library with me now and keep my suitcase under 50 lbs.

When I think of life without books I recall an old Twilight Zone TV episode where a man truly loved books.   All he wanted to do was read but at the expense of failing to do all else to the chagrin of his nagging wife.    Then one day the world came to an end via an earthquake and he was the only person left.   After he got over the shock, he realized he now had all the time to read.    So, he went to the library.   Just as he was settling in to read there was another tremor which caused his glasses to fall to the floor breaking into pieces.     I could totally identify with the anguish that covered his face at that moment.

My definition of a good book is one that enhances knowledge, experience, compassion, belief, and faith which makes it one of the best things in life.

 

QUESTION(S)

Do you love a good book?

What is your definition of a good book?

February 2015 – A Fusion of Love and History

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February is the month we celebrate Love and African-American History.    So, I am going to be creative and fuse the two topics into my blog posts this month.  I will celebrate with the love poems of a great African-American poet, novelist, columnist, playwright, and social activist, Langston Hughes.

Langston Hughes

A year ago, I purchased the book “The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes” but have not had the opportunity to delve into it.  Now, I can devote this month to do so and share with you.    Let’s explore together what he has to say about that wonderful and perplexing human emotion – LOVE.

Read more about Langston Hughes here: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langston_Hughes)

Making History – Creative Coolness AND Doing Her Own Thing – Shannon Johnson

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Here is another dynamic woman that was in close proximity to me for more than 5 minutes several years ago and we bonded over a shared passion – writing – when we met in a beginning fiction writing class.   Since that time Shannon has written and published her book “Found in Black Texiana”, contemporary poetry, stories and notes for women with Texas and Louisiana roots (http://www.yourtexiana.com).    Shannon has also started her own business so she is delivering a double whammy to this blog post – “creative coolness” and “doing her own thing”.   Here is her information about her endeavors:

“Creative Coolness”

Please describe your creative art form.

I originally struggled with defining a genre for my book.  My original love is poetry and I would describe my art form in this book as a poetry memoir.  All of the recipes and stories in the book are based on my Louisiana heritage yet the poetry throughout addresses all facets of life and ties it all together.

 How/when did you decide to embrace your artistic gift?

When I look back at my life, I enjoyed writing from the time I was a pre-teen, but I never realized what “it” was back then.  It wasn’t until I was in my late twenties that I realized how writing allowed me to find myself.  A self that had always been there all along but was not awakened until I reached a valley in my life.  The power of the written word can be a healer for the writer and writing truly healed me.

 What are some of the positive, unexpected experiences you have encountered as a result of pursuing your artistic life?

Unimaginable inner joy and peace—priceless!

 What is your favorite thing about your artistic life?

Meeting and talking to fellow writers and artists.  The passion to create and be creative is a necessity when someone is an author, painter or musician.  It’s so enjoyable being able to share ideas and learn from other creative people.

 “Doing Her Own Thing”

Please describe your business.

College Nannies and Tutors (CNT) is the nation’s most complete resource for customized nanny, professional babysitting and tutoring services. We provide role models from cradle to college.  We offer a complete set of customized tutoring solutions for college bound students including homework help, study skills, college prep, ACT and SAT test prep services.  We also offer full-service childcare services including nanny placement (Summer, Full-Time, Part-Time and After School), on-call nannies and professional babysitting.

 What motivated you to “do your own thing” and start your own business?

I had been in the Information Technology field for 20 years and I really enjoyed being an IT Project Manager.  But I found myself wanting to do more to help others, wanting to write more and wanting to be more in touch with my community.  My original thought was to be a full-time writer and provide free workshops to children in the community to encourage writing.  It was a great thought but the only problem was we still needed to pay bills and it wasn’t the right time in our lives for me to sit on a grassy knoll and write/teach all day long.  The other thing is I had always been a working mother for most of my career. I intimately understood the challenges of finding good childcare that gave a mother peace of mind and also understood the time it took to prepare your child for college.

 Once I made the decision that I could no longer stay in the standard corporate world, I found a for-profit opportunity that allowed me to help working mothers, connect with children/students, give me the inspiration to continue to write and allow us to pay our bills!  That was College Nannies & Tutors.

 Is your business a result of a formal education or self-taught genius?

I’d say a bit of both.  I had to learn on my own how to prepare my daughter for the SAT and ACT and how to find the best childcare.  I learned a lot from the corporate world about marketing, human resources, project management, etc.  I also had to go through formal training for months with the corporate franchise office to own this business.  

 What is the one thing you enjoy about your type of business?

Being able to make a family happy by helping them out when they have a need.  I love being able to give a family some quality time back—whether it’s providing a sitter for a husband and wife to reconnect or providing a tutor to lessen the tension between parents and children.

 What would you say encouraging to other women who may have a business idea but are reluctant to pursue it?

Plan, Pray, Prepare then Push through your fears.  I still wake up in the middle of the night every now and then and think “what in the world am I doing—why did I leave my job?”  But once I remember that I prayed on it, received support from my husband and family and prepared extensively, my fears are quieted and I lean on faith.

Here are the websites to give more information about Shannon’s endeavors:

http://www.yourtexiana.com

http://www.collegenanniesandtutors.com