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  CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN’S SOUL

  CHICKEN SOUP

  FOR THE

  AFRICAN

  AMERICAN

  WOMAN’S SOUL

  Jack Canfield

  Mark Victor Hansen

  Lisa Nichols

  Backlist, LLC, a unit of

  Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC

  Cos Cob, CT

  www.chickensoup.com

  Contents

  Introduction

  1. THE SHOULDERS WE STAND ON

  A Line in the Sand Sherie Labedis

  Legacy Jerilyn Upton Sanders

  Letters of Love Lorraine M. Elzia

  Walking the Lessons of Life H. Renay Anderson

  These Precious Hands Sheila P. Spencer

  My Mother’s Shoes Andrea Blackstone

  My “Shero” Lisa Nichols

  What She Said Betty DeRamus

  Getting to Know Miss Gladys Bari-Ellen Ross

  The Ring Monica Montgomery

  Just Like Mom Linda Coleman-Willis

  Mama’s Hands Evelyn Palfrey

  The Outfit Berthena Kemp

  Birthdays and Blessings Anesia Okezie as told to Karen Waldman

  Dancing in the Kitchen Barbara Holt

  History Through Her story Emma Ransom Hayward

  Ninety-Pound Powerhouse Swanee Rivers

  2. IT TAKES A VILLAGE OF MOTHERS

  My Womb’s Butterfly E. Claudette Freeman

  The Wisdom of Motherhood Lolita Hendrix and Briana Hendrix

  One Day, You’ll Understand Kelly Starling Lyons

  Even a Dancing Time Angel V. Shannon

  Keeping Faith Tracy Clausell-Alexander

  Handpicked to Nurture T. Rhythm Knight

  Single-Mommy Love Dayciaa C. Smith

  The Christmas Sparrows Joe Gurneak

  Soul Food Rite of Passage Anita S. Lane

  Lesson for a New Life Evelyn K. Lemar

  3. BEAUTIFUL—JUST THE WAY I AM

  Discovering Me Lisa Nichols

  Bathed in Love Adiya Dixon-Sato

  My Cup Runneth Over Nikki Shearer-Tilford

  Meet Me in the Middle Connie Bennett

  The Dreadful Story Lisa Bartley-Lacey

  Gluttony to Glory Lindale Banks

  Getting Real Elaine K. Green

  Crown of Splendor Sheila P. Spencer

  Birth of a Nappy Hair Affair Linda Jones

  4. MY SISTER, MY FRIEND

  A Cup of Tenderness Brenda Caperton

  Sistahood Jeanine DeHoney

  Who Is Helping Whom? Margaret Lang

  Merry Christmas, Emma Mary Saxon Wilburn

  Elegant Ladies . . . Again Karla Brown

  Friday Afternoon at the Beauty Shop Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig

  Sisters’ Song Rita Billbe

  5. THE POWER OF A WOMAN’S PRAYER

  Divine Intervention Michelle Cummins

  Holy Ghost Filled Kiana Green

  God’s Will Sophfronia Scott

  The Bus Vouchers Ruthell Cook Price

  You’ll Do It for Me Nancy Gilliam

  Solid Ground Yvonda Johnson

  Lord, Please Make One for Me! RuNett Nia Ebo

  6. LOVING BLACK MEN

  My Divas Antonio Crawford

  Love, Laugh and Live Today Charles Stanley McNeal

  King Kong Susan Madison

  It Was Magic Nancy Gilliam

  Forgiving Daddy Carol Ross-Burnett

  A Twenty-Dollar Education Nadine McIlwain

  No More Drama Patricia L Watler Johnson

  A Daughter’s Forgiveness Dawn Nicole Patterson

  A Gift from Above Leslie Ford

  Where Have All the Old Men Gone? Marvin V Arnett

  7 BREAKING THROUGH MY BARRIERS

  Music in the Rooms Carolyn West

  Turning My Mess into My Message Sanyika Calloway Boyce

  The Graduation Bernetta Thorne-Williams

  More Than a Dream Phyllis R Dixon

  Shades of Black and White Dorothy Jackson as told to Hattie Mae Pembrook

  Moving On from Militancy Damita Jo Johnson

  Never, Ever Give Up Tanya Hutchison

  Queen Charlene Charlene Copeland as told to Sonya Simpson

  Reclaiming My Soul Lisa J Whaley

  Greatness by Design Blanche Williams

  Kwanzaa on the Prairie Jacinda Townsend

  The Bus Stop DeAnna Blaylock

  Who Is Jack Canfield?

  Who Is Mark Victor Hansen?

  Who Is Lisa Nichols?

  Who Is Eve Eschner Hogan?

  Contributors

  Permissions

  Introduction

  Sweat was my great-grandmother’s name.

  weat Suffering was my grandmother’s name.

  Suffice was my mother’s name.

  Self-Sufficient is my name.

  Emma Ransom Hayward

  While we were working on Chicken Soup for the African American Woman’s Soul , two of the most powerful and influential African American women in our history—or rather our her story—passed away. Thus, it seems fitting to offer this book as a tribute to their lives and their work.Without Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King, without their dedication, their courage and their sacrifices, it is questionable whether this book would exist. It is questionable whether many of the story contributors in the book would have had the awesome opportunities and successes that they were able to share in their heartwarming stories.

  Sister Rosa Parks was a sweet but powerful lady who spoke softly while making a statement that screamed so loudly. I could see the gentle spirit in her eyes and in her smile, and hear it in her kind words. As I watched Mrs. Rosa’s niece speak about her in an interview, I had two reoccurring thoughts: How proud she must be to have had an aunt like Mrs. Rosa , and Mrs. Rosa must have been the most widely adopted “Auntie Rosa” by all of us who are thankful that she took a stand for each of us. We are all proud of her. Mrs. Rosa took a big stand by taking a firm seat, letting us know that even on our way home from work, on public transportation, in the middle of chaos, if we are willing to pay the price for our convictions, then we are ready to reap the rewards, as well.

  When I was blessed with the opportunity to see Coretta Scott King speak, I hadn’t before noticed how really beautiful she was. Previously, I’d admired her gracefulness, her stand for peace—and her choice in men. But that night, I found myself captivated with her every word, her beautiful disposition, her confidence and her gentle but steady strength. I felt as if I were holding my breath as she told the story of what it was like to actually “be” the stand for truth and justice. As she sat there poised to perfection, I saw for the first time the mother in her, the grandmother, the friend, and I caught a quick intimate glimpse of the solid rock of a wife she must have been.My eyes were fixated on Mrs. Coretta Scott King; my ears were enjoying the melody of her rhythmic and profound words. In the past when I’d heard Mrs. King speak, she had inspired me a great deal, but somehow this moment was different. On this night, she grabbed me; she held my heart, expanded my mind and stirred my soul. I felt her words. I listened as she explained that she was called just as Martin had been, that she was obedient to God in a different way but with equal conviction. She shared that she hadn’t sacrificed her life in the same sense that Martin had, but she had definitely offered her life to the cause.

  For the first time, I did not see Dr. Martin Luther King’s wife, I saw Coretta, Coretta Scott, Coretta Scott King, a dedicated, passionate, remarkable African American woman powerful in her own right, not as “the wife of” but as the woman, herself.

&n
bsp; The long nights of fear as mothers and wives, the endless organizing and protesting, the ongoing prayer and so much more, were not in vain. Because of Mrs. Coretta and Mrs. Rosa, we stand taller, we breathe deeper, we love ourselves more, and we have bigger convictions to be obedient to our own callings. Many are called but few answer because the price to pay for our convictions is often considered too high of a price. Today we get to be who we are because Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks had convictions for equality and were willing to pay the price not only for their own sake but for us all.

  While the work is not yet done, they have shown us how much one or two people can do in the world. How can we make this world a better place? How can we contribute to the cause? We now know that by sharing our stories of success both large and small, by taking our own stands in honor of our convictions and by rising to the occasion or staying firmly seated as the situation demands, we work every day to live out that answer.

  Chicken Soup for the African American Woman’s Soul offers a sampling of the stories that each of our lives hold— moments of love, hope, faith, courage, conviction, persistence and inspiration. Sometimes, we just need the inspiration to stop long enough to remember, to find those stories stored within our hearts and hiding within our life’s experiences. It is our hope that as you read, powerful, heartwarming stories from your own life will pop into your mind, and you will be inspired to put the book down for a minute and turn to your children, grandchildren, parents, siblings, friends or coworkers and share your magical moments with them. It is our hope that you will take any inspiration this book gives you and share that blessing with someone else. In honor of Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King, we offer the world this book full of stories by or about women who have benefited from their examples of God’s obedience, manifested in the African American woman.

  Lisa Nichols

  1

  THE

  SHOULDERS

  WE STAND ON

  I am where I am because of the bridges that

  I crossed. Sojourner Truth was a bridge.

  Harriet Tubman was a bridge. Ida B. Wells

  was a bridge. Madame C. J. Walker was a

  bridge. Fannie Lou Hamer was a bridge. . . .

  Oprah Winfrey

  A Line in the Sand

  On my underground railroad, I never ran my

  n train off the track and I never lost a passenger.

  Harriet Tubman

  Blue. Once the paint was blue. Weathered, sun tarnished, the house slumped on the sand in the clearing. The door stood open, and though the few windows were without glass, it was dark inside. A roof of rusted tin shaded the front porch and steps, never painted. A shabby cane chair, a broken box of firewood, that’s all there was.

  She was as weathered as her home, dressed in gray, the blouse darker, but still gray. Gray hair was pulled severely back from her face. Her skirt stopped at bare ankles and cracked, worn feet as she stood on the hot sand and watched me trudge up the road.

  The same sand pulled at my low-heeled white shoes making each step a commitment. The runs in my nylons and scratches on my legs were witness to an encounter with a raspberry bush. I’d read books about the sun searing the skin on the desert. Not here. The clouds formed a lid on the pot I’d simmered in since June. Sweat oozed persistently between my breasts, under my arms, down my thighs. Many hand washings had not released a moldy whisper from my cotton dress, which glued itself to my damp body. I yearned to be dry.

  What was she thinking as she watched me? White folks drive up in cars; they don’t walk up to the house. She went to church regularly, and perhaps she guessed who I was. When I reached her, her eyes were veiled, but not cold. She didn’t trust me, but she wasn’t locking me out.

  “Evenin’, Mrs. Crawford?” I asked.

  “Evenin’,” she answered, her voice almost a whisper as she looked at her feet. She wasn’t going to help me.

  “My name is Sherie Holbrook, and I am here registering voters for Martin Luther King.”

  I had said the magic words, Martin Luther King , and she looked up at me quickly and then down.

  “We’re talking to people about going to the courthouse to register to vote. Have you registered yet?” I wished she would offer me a glass of water.

  The soft voice answered, “Yes, ma’am.” I’m sure she was thinking that perhaps I would go away now.

  I didn’t believe her. I had been taught to say exuberantly, “Good for you. So few people have. Do you have your registration card?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” She turned toward the house, limping slightly as she walked up groaning steps and disappeared into the darkness. Time went by. I thought she had decided not to return. Sometimes, that’s what folks did. They just disappeared so they wouldn’t have to explain they were terrified to vote.

  This was the summer of 1965, and waves of change were crashing against shoals of tradition across the American South. The American Negro demanded freedom and the rights that freedom bestows, and they were determined to get that freedom now! For many, the price for that freedom was costly. Some of the people we met told us that Negro votes were not counted, so there was no reason to vote. They knew that some people who resisted the system lost their jobs, like Rosa and Raymond Parks when she refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. Some relied on surplus food to feed large families when the income from chopping cotton fell short.

  With the mere flourish of a pen, this source of sustenance could disappear. There were beatings, lynchings, bombings and burnings. Just having us in the community could have lethal consequences, as it had in Neshoba County, Mississippi, where churches were burned and three civil rights workers disappeared for over a year before their tortured bodies were found buried in an earthen dam. In Birmingham, Alabama, a church was bombed, and four little girls in Sunday school were sacrificed. We represented change, but we also represented danger, and eventually we would leave, and the community would be left with the Ku Klux Klan, the White Citizens’ Council and politicians who owed their success to stopping this change at any cost. Terrorism wasn’t shipped from afar; it was homegrown and individually specific.

  Now I brought that danger into her dooryard. Mrs.

  Crawford had no job, and her husband could not be fired.

  He had died long ago. She had no children who could be hurt. They had moved north for jobs in the cities. Her house was all she had, and she knew it could easily be burned to the ground. That’s what happened to her church when the “Civil Right” people came and held their mass meetings there.

  Her hands were empty except for calluses when she reappeared. She watched the ground as she came closer.

  “Cain’t find it,” she mumbled an apology.

  “But you don’t need it.” I didn’t want her to get away.

  “You can help us anyway because you have registered to vote.” She glanced up at me for a second.

  “On next Monday, we are taking a bus of people down to Monck’s Corner to register. If you come with us, you can help them understand how important voting is, and they will see that you have done it.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll come,” she said softly.

  “We are meeting at Redeemer Church at 10:00 A.M.,” I insisted.

  “Yes, ma’am,” was all she said.

  Mrs. Crawford was not there as the old, faded green bus crunched across the church parking lot and rested before the crowd of quiet people. The importance of the occasion was clear that sultry morning: Sunday dresses and suits, fancy hats with feathers and tulle, polished shoes, pocketbooks. They were too quiet, too afraid, but they were there. They deserved more. They deserved to celebrate their courage! Florence began to sing, “Oh, Freedom. Oh, Freedom. Oh, Freedom over me.” The crowd began to sing tentatively.

  We stepped up the tempo of the singing with “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize.” Voices committed a bit more.With “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round” everyone got on the bus, and it slowly whined out onto the road. />
  Inside the bus fans fluttered like butterflies to beat back the heat. Many had pictures of Martin Luther King on them, others the image of Jesus. Someone else saw her first, walking slowly toward the church, waving her handkerchief. The bus creaked to a stop, and Mrs. Crawford stepped up.

  She came down the aisle to the empty seat next to me and smiled as she met my eyes.

  “Everyone! We’re so lucky. Mrs. Crawford has already registered to vote, and she has come to answer any questions about doing it.” Applause. We went on singing.

  She sat quietly next to me in her broad-brimmed straw hat. Five miles went by, and then she whispered, “Chile, I ain’t never registered.”

  I whispered back, “But you will today.”

  “But I cain’t read or write.”

  “I’ll teach you. You just need to sign your name.”

  “I cain’t.”

  “We have time. I’ll show you.”

  I took a pencil from my purse and turned to the back of the map of Berkeley County. I slowly wrote Rebecca Crawford. It was too much; I could tell as a furrow tightened between her eyes, and her gaze dropped to her lap.

  “Wait. Let’s start one letter at a time. Here, write over the top of this letter R .” I wrote the R and handed her the pencil and paper. Awkwardly, she traced the letter over and over. “Now, write the R fresh here below.” Her hand shook as she tried. I couldn’t recognize the letter, and we started again.

  Fifteen miles is not very far when you’re trying to overcome 250 years of defeat. We registered 150 people that day, but Rebecca Crawford was not one of them. She asked me to come and teach her, so she could “regster” next time. I promised I would.

  More than a month went by. As much as I remembered my promise, my other responsibilities kept me away. I begged our project director for some time to visit her.

  The road was as long and as hot as before. Far ahead, I could see someone moving toward me. I recognized the straw hat first, then a basket on her arm and finally that beaming, delighted face.

  “It’s you!” She set down her basket in the middle of the road and raised her arms to heaven in thanks. I shook her hand and smiled back into her eyes. Before I could say anything, she said, “Chile, I been wonderin’ where you was.