A difficulty Book Biography About a Black Woman That is Not Part of African American History

The story of black and white in America runs deep through our conscience. Each of us has both an contact and conception on the subject. Either it recalls a black man, a black woman or child it doesn't rise to the level primary to be thought about "text" worthy of African American History.

This book biography represents the history of just one unusual drama that had its beginnings wrapped in bigotry traditional to the times. If there is one inspirational story to open our minds and hearts to our commonality rather than our differences, this mystery book can be thought about at the top.

The inexperience of youth, who often sees life through ideals, rarely has the occasion to deliberately manipulate social justice and force their romanticized values onto others. Even with the best of intentions it can create havoc for those least prepared to deal with the resulting catastrophe. But this is exactly what happened in the early 1950's.

Fauna Hodel, the Caucasian progeny of a prominently social California family, was given away at birth to a Black maid, Jimmie Lee, who worked as a restroom attendant in a Nevada casino. The purpose was to make sure that a black house raise her baby. In her 16 year old mother's naive eyes, Blacks were the only population capable of unconditional love. To insure that the child would never return to her emotionally reclusive white family, she provided the race of the father as "Negro" on the birth certificate. The child grew up believing that she was of mixed race.

This is not just the story of a young girl and a Black woman who struggled to overcome extreme poverty and gigantic social prejudice, but also the story of perseverance. But through perseverance, and compel of character, the will to overcome these gigantic obstacles prevails and succeeds.

To understand how difficult living in a racist world where you clearly don't belong, yet trying to blend in to survive, one needs to be able to walk in those footsteps. But for us to do so cannot be closed voluntarily. To find the true knowledge of emotional & corporal belief requires Either slavery or kidnapping, two serious felonies universally frowned upon.

Our story begins with the dubious behavior from those responsible who initiated and controlled the events. The actions of Fauna's grandfather who was accused and acquitted of incestuous relations with his daughter Tamar, and Tamar who insisted but did not name the father as "Negro", and the grandmother unmoved in her settle to eliminate this tragedy from the family, become only passing consequences. But for a child, to begin life buried in a haystack, it's a lifetime of absurdities.

This story allows us to flow into the life of a young woman as she searches for the truth. We can feel what it's like to not know where she came from, nor why she is there in the first place. Her only hope is a few words remixed a dozen different ways, but never sufficient to piece together an answer.

With a very young Tamar leaving unanswered questions for Fauna, and Jimmie Lee not answering those questions for fear of losing her daughter, neither mum could foresee the consequences of their actions. Actions that affect generations yet to come. We can all learn something from this misguided manipulation. This part of African American history should not be left without notice.

Read more

African American History

History shows that African-American history had to pay a heavy price for improvement of the New World. One wonders if Columbus had not discovered the New World, the burden of slavery would not be so difficult to bear. However, the truth is that economies in the New World grew because of slavery as the slaves provided cheap source of labor.

For the Africans arrival to America, life was difficult. The territorial colonies started using these habitancy to sustain their economies and these indentured servants were brought to America where they did not know what awaited them. In addition, many poor whites from England came to America on indentured servitude. Most white workers signed a covenant to work for rich planters for a duration of 4 to 7 years in return for their freedom and a small piece land. During the early period, African slaves had the same covenant and managed to become free and own property.

However, slowly things started to convert for African slaves. This was primarily because the colonies were acquiring more land and the economy started being based on profit. The slave workers started becoming prized commodities because they were dependable and hardworking. In the warmer regions of southern America, the African-American slaves worked on plantations of rice, tobacco, indigo, cotton and sugar cane. In the northern part of America, the slaves worked on small farms and as skilled and unskilled workers in factories. While other slaves worked as dock workers, servants or along the coast as fishermen, and helpers to tradesmen.

All African-American slaves fought hard to accomplish their freedom and keep their culture and identity. Even today, many African-Americans are bitter about the hardships their ancestors had to bear. However, this is part of American history that is best forgotten because it has left scars on the minds of most gift day African-Americans.

Read more

African American Authors - Books, Ebooks, and Novels

An growth of African American authors started in the 60s, the same time as the civil proprietary movements, but their work on was noticed before America became a nation and black authors were slaves and abolitionists.

Among the first to gain prominence was Phillis Wheatley, who was brought from Africa when she was a child and sold to the Wheatley's in Boston. Wheatley arrived in America without any knowledge of the English language, but soon became proficient in reading and writing, even publishing the composition, 'Poems on assorted Subjects' in 1773, a landmark publication for the African American community.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass - After Douglas escaped slavery twice, this book was published. Just a bit later the American Civil War started, bringing new studying opportunities for African-Americans.

This schooling at the turn of the 20th century helped look after a new black culture in the United States, one with many informal African-American book clubs where participants shared literature. The un-ending turn over begun by W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington still continues on how an African American can best heighten himself.

With the 21st century, publishing has been revolutionized once more, with eBook publishers targeting children, adults, and niche markets of race and culture. With the rise of the Internet came a revolution in publishing for niche eBook markets, from children's literature to adult literature, including works by African-American authors addressing race and cultural identity. Bookstores and African-American book clubs alike have benefited greatly from ebooks. You have to look back to the past to comprehend this impact.

Better teaching in the 20th century fostered the growth of black cultural awareness all around America. Since early African-American writers were slaves and abolitionists, much of early African-American literature was political or spiritual. Phyllis Wheatley's poetry made up the first published book by an African-American person.

Proven a thriving business in spite of our current economy, African-American authors are finding success within the internet black eBook community.

Even though African-American writing might only fill a bookshelf in your local library, the Internet will divulge a wealth of poetry, fiction, novels, advice, history, and even adult ebooks.

Books serve an foremost function from when we are kids up until we are old, and they impact our lives.

American-poets and African-American-authors have been putting an impression on the emotions of those who read them with their strongly scribed black-novels, Black-books, love poem, wedding poems, birthday poems, African-American-books, African-American-poems and others.

The Harlem-Renaissance came up with a many black impressions and black-authors during the 1920s that showed black-history and introduced African-American-fiction that was widely loved by people who enjoyed books.

With the help of Zora-Neal-Hurston's books depicting African-American fiction, African-American literature realized its turning point during the Harlem-Renaissance.

Over one hundred years ago, an club was formed to help African-Americans feel like they are advancing in their proprietary progressively and it is now ordinarily known as the Naacp. African-American authors and poets began their rise to fame through this group, whose mission was to good the plight of the African-American people.

Like the predominant Hughes, there are a large whole of African-American authors and poets who have focused on the topic of slavery.

In this day and age, there are some African American book clubs that have been created to help African American literature and the African American Writers also. Readers can find whatever at these book clubs, from black poetry to black history and love poems. These book-clubs allow the book-lover to make your mind up distinct types of literature, from poetry collections to bad dream novels, based on their personal preference.

You too can join African-American book clubs and sense the heritage of Black novels and African American writing.

Read more

Leadership Secrets of excellent African American Women

African American women have overcome unprecedented adversity historically and have now arisen to a place of grand success and notoriety. Two of my personal favorites among African American women are Rosa Parks and Oprah Winfrey.

Rosa Parks was an African American seamstress and civil rights activist whom the U.S. Congress dubbed the "Mother of the Modern-Day Civil rights Movement". Parks is notable for her refusal on December 1, 1955 to obey bus driver James Blake's question that she relinquish her seat to a white passenger. Her subsequent arrest and trial for this act of civil disobedience triggered the Montgomery Bus Boycott, one of the largest and most flourishing mass movements against racial segregation in history, and launched Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the organizers of the boycott, to the forefront of the civil rights movement. Her role in American history earned her an iconic status in American culture, and her actions have left an enduring heritage for civil rights movements around the world.

Oprah Winfrey after her birth spent her first six years living in rural poverty with her Grandma Hattie Mae. Winfrey's grandmother taught her to read before the age of three and took her to the local church, where she was nicknamed "The Preacher" for her potential to characterize Bible verses. At age six Oprah moved to an inner city ghetto in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her mother.

Winfrey was molested by her cousin, uncle, and a family friend. This traumatic sense deeply effected Oprah, but at the same time amazingly enabled her to feel for women, who would later become her major audience over the world. Turning her personal mess into a message, Oprah has mightily arisen as a global voice for women, an advocate for their rights, and a motherly figurehead who daily nurtures women throughout the world straight through her Tv broadcast.

Despite her dysfunctional home life, Winfrey skipped two of her earliest grades, became the teacher's pet, and by the time she was 13 received a scholarship to attend High School in the suburbs. Like many teenagers at the end of the 1960s, Winfrey rebelled, ran away from home and ran the streets. When she was 14, her frustrated mum sent her to live with her father in Nashville, Tennessee. Vernon was strict, but encouraging and made her instruction a priority. Winfrey became an honors pupil and was voted "Most favorite Girl."

Other aspects of Oprah's journey to success comprise her joining her high school speech team, and placing second in the nation in dramatic interpretation. She won an oratory contest, which secured her a full scholarship to Tennessee State University, where she studied communications. At age 18, Winfrey won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant.

Oprah's true media career began at age 17, when Winfrey worked at a local radio center while attending Tsu. Working in local media, she was both the youngest news anchor and the first black female news anchor at Nashville's Wlac-Tv. She moved to Baltimore's Wjz-Tv in 1976 to co-anchor the six o'clock news. She was then recruited as co-host of Wjz's local talk show population Are Talking, which premiered on August 14, 1978.

In 1983, Winfrey relocated to Chicago to host Wls-Tv's low-rated half-hour morning talk-show, Am Chicago. The first episode aired on January 2, 1984. Within months after Winfrey took over, the show went from last place in the ratings to overtaking Donahue as the highest rated talk show in Chicago. It was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show, extensive to a full hour, and broadcast nationally starting September 8, 1986.

Time magazine wrote, "Few population would have bet on Oprah Winfrey's swift rise to host of the most favorite talk show on Tv. In a field dominated by white males, she is a black female of ample bulk."

Oprah speedily silenced her critics by taking her show to the top. Her straightforward curiosity, delightful humor, and endearing empathy attracts viewers of all walks of life. making population feel safe in her presence, affirming their personhood, and encouraging their possible Oprah's show provides viewers throughout the world a group therapy and personal empowerment session.

What leadership lessons can we learn from Rosa Parks and Oprah Winfrey:

1. Stand up for yourself. Don't be afraid defy the status quo and say no!

2. Disobedience in the eyes of men is sometimes obedience in the eyes of God.

3. Be bold as a lion and rule the jungle.

4. Liberation for you means liberation for others.

5. Turn your mess into a message.

6. Your pain is the power of your purpose.

7. Your adversity is your testimony.

8. Pursue instruction and demonstration of your personhood.

9. Maximize the media to strengthen the message.

10. strengthen your heart and strengthen your world.

11. Empathize with others providing a sympathetic ear.

12. Love unconditionally and live wholeheartedly.

There is nothing new under the sun. Apply these ladies leadership secrets to your own life and live your dreams.

Read more

African American Music; The History Of

When I saw this title, I was afraid and I'm still afraid concerning my understanding about the subject. The field is complex and difficult so I cannot decide it overnight. I am an African. I do things the African way. I cannot write about African American music like a Western scholar. In my culture we live the past and the future in the present. When I listen to some African American music I can feel the past, the gift and the future all at the same time. Now, the best way for me to deal with this field is to work by questions and answers.

[Question] Yaya! Who do you think you are?

Yaya Diallo - I don't think! I am Farafin, which means I am a dark skin man. The word Africa is the Arabic name for our continent. In Bambara we call the so-called "Africa" Farafina. Farafina means the land of dark skin people. I am from Farafina and I am proud of it. I don't want to be somebody else. Habitancy in normal say African American. I would say American Farafin, which means dark skin human being who lives in America.

[Question] What is your African background?

Yaya Diallo - I come from far away. I was born in 1946 in Fienso (French Sudan), now Mali. My parents were nomadic. When I was very young I used to trip a lot. I grew up in the bush far from any western civilization. The music that I heard was very former and played live. I did not have a radio or Tv. I had the chance to listen to the music of the distinct ethnic groups from the Ivory Coast, Burkina and Ghana. In some villages I heard Muslim songs coming from the mosques. By night, I would enjoy the frog symphonic orchestras. From 1946 to 1960 I was living in complete nature. My musical training is a long story but you can learn more from my book The curative Drum.

[Question] What are your feelings about the civilized world?

Yaya Diallo - In the city I had strange feelings. I saw Habitancy listen to music through what I understanding was two kinds of boxes. The first was a radio. You could turn the singer with the tuning button, I thought. The second needed records. It read 78, 45 and 33 1/2. You had to adjust all things with something but I did not have a clue as to what. Even still, the only music that I heard was the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Johnny Holliday.

[Question] What do you think about the word African American?

Yaya Diallo - Dark skin Habitancy living in America are not distinct from Habitancy I met in Africa (Farafina). To me they are just distinct ethnic groups like the Yoruba, the Bantou, the Zoulou or the Touareg. Africa is not one culture. We have thousands and thousands of languages and distinct music. My wife is an African American from Louisville, Ky. Her mom is from Dark Corner, Ms and her father from Jackson, Tn. Like my wife and house there was one African American man, James Brown, who saved my life with his music.

[Question] How can an African American man save the life of a former African?

Yaya Diallo - In 1967 I left my country to go to Montreal, Canada. On my way, in Paris, I saw a big picture of James Brown in the Olympia Theater. In my mind I thought, "Oh! A black man in Olympia in Paris, France." In Montreal I was looking for a place to dance or listen to the music that I loved. One day I found a radio center that played black music. I heard James Brown and felt at home.

[Question] What do you think about African American music?

Yaya Diallo - I all the time say that I don't think, I feel. When we talk about African American music we talk about Spirituals, Blues, Funk, Jazz, Gospel, Rap, dance music, etc. I want to talk on each one by one.

When Habitancy in Canada were dancing the twist, jerk and go-go, in my country a French man named Johnny Holliday was playing bad versions of Wilson Pickett and Ray Charles' music in French. In America I found out this French man was a robber. He stole the music, sang it in French and looked like a genius for us Africans.

[Question] What did you feel when you started to dance?

Yaya Diallo - I used to go out to dance to Wilson Pickett, James Brown, and Sly and the house Stone's music. For me they were Africans. They had good beats, good feelings and most important, African Soul. I did not feel that from Chinese or European music. In the 70s I discovered the Funk music, The O'Jays, Parliament, Ohio Players, Kool and the Gang and Jr Walker and the All Stars. I felt I was at home when I knew the Motown house (Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Temptations and Stevie Wonder). I could survive because I had those kinds of musicians.

[Question] In terms of music, what is the link between African and African Americans?

Yaya Diallo - African Americans are Africans from the community and sadly they just don't know it! When you listen to the music you can find out. Kool and The Gang played Funky Stuff. When you listen to the drum part you will get the Dounouba part of the dance Sounou. Sounou was played in the 15th century and today is the dance young Habitancy love. In Africa we learn the past in the gift and teach it to the next generation. The African Americans sometimes do not know how African they are.

[Question] Why can you say that they are African?

Yaya Diallo - The first time I heard the Four Tops I understanding I was listening to the Bambara Farmers in the evening after a hard working day. The Temptations reminded me of the men Fire dancers and singers. I can listen to Temptations but I am afraid to see them. I am not initiated to the Fire dance and the music brings out memories about the private ceremonies that happened afar in the village. Aretha Franklin is for me a great Djeli-mousso coming from the Empire of Mali in the 13th century. When I listen to African American music I don't worry about the meaning, only what I feel.

[Question] What do you think about Jazz?

Yaya Diallo - Really, to tell the truth, I don't feel jazz. Many Habitancy coming from Africa feel the same way. I learned about jazz in 1980 when I recorded my first album, Nangape, on Onzou Records. That opened the door for me with jazz. Jazz magazines like Cadence and Down Beat wrote articles on me like I was a "jazz man." I was invited to do workshops at the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, Ny. I met jazz big names like Art Blakey. He said, "Yaya is the only African that I can jazz, that I can play with and be comfortable." I completed a trio with Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell in the Symphony Space in New York.

[Question] What about Gospel?

Yaya Diallo - To me gospel means religion or church but my father-in-law changed my mind. When going to church with him I saw a big band and a big choir. Habitancy were singing and I forgot that I was in church. I was surprised; I saw ladies in a trance like in my community but they called it shouting. This reminded me of the Mania private society where only woman go into a trance when praising god (See The curative Drum).

[Question] What is rap?

Yaya Diallo - I love rap! I use to lie about buying rap and say that it was for my children. Rap is the old tradition of the Fulani Habitancy in Mali. It tells life stories through poetry that is recited quickly. Nomadic Habitancy have to illustrate their daily journey through this same quick form, but without the foul language. Today, the young Habitancy think that they have reinvented the wheel.

[Question] Yaya, what is wrong with African American music today?

Yaya Diallo - Today all things is easy. Instead of buying a drum set you buy a drum machine. Computers do everything. You can get almost every sound by pressing a button. This is the type of world that we live in today. The young Africans love it like we used to love James Brown. Time is the only thing that has changed!

[Question] How did African American music turn American Society?

Yaya Diallo - We changed everything! We changed the style of dance; we created new sounds, new styles, and new way to dress ... Everything! Country music is the white version of the Blues. Rock-n-roll comes from our music. Habitancy forget that Jimmie Hendricks was a Blues player that just changed his sound and look. Without James Brown, Sly and house Stone and the Motown house there would be no Madonna, no Celiene Dion, no techno, and no disco. African Americans brought this to the world. It is sad because Habitancy do not recognize it. We changed the world and it will never be the same again.

[Question] How do Habitancy know you in America?

Yaya Diallo - I am the author of two books, The curative Drum and At the Threshold of the African Soul. I have four Cds, Nanagape, The curative Drum, Dombaa Folee, and Dounoukan. I thank Onzou Records, the first enterprise that trusted me to make my first album in 1980. That was not easy!

Read more