Full Description
Rejection. Loss. Confusion. Pain. Our past and our future are intertwined. Each distinct memory becomes one life. What once hurt, eventually heals, and the lesson (or lessons) to be learned becomes one with our soul and our spirit. Our experiences provide strength instead of destruction. Our great-grandmothers, grandmothers, mothers -- all women of power who came before us -- were great descendants of the coastal lands of West Africa. They arrived in strange lands with their Gumbo - -their memories, rhythms, ingenuity, creativity, strength, and compassion. Their lived stories and conversation were recipes mixed with unique combinations of ingredients, dropped into the cast iron pot -- stirred, dropped in, seasoned, dropped in, stirred again, and again, and again, until done. This Gumbo is savory like the soul, carefully prepared, recipes rich with what our foremothers brought with them from their homeland. They brought the best of what they had to offer.
Gumbo or Gombo is a Bantu word meaning 'okra'. Okra is a rich vegetable that serves as the base (or gravy) for a delicately prepared stew. (Today's Gumbo cooks use a 'roux' as the base- see the recipe on page 3). Gumbo's West African origins have been modified over the past two centuries by people of varied ancestry: Native American, German, Spanish, and French (Moss, 2014). It is essential to understand the manner in which Gumbo is prepared: each ingredient must be placed into the stew at its specified time so that it can cook in and savor its own flavor. When completed, Gumbo is usually served over grits or rice.
Gumbo has become a cornerstone of life in African-descended communities across the south and southwest spanning from South Carolina to Louisiana and Texas. Gumbo is a treasure... a reminder of the greatness that lived in the village in a time of strength and abundance...a reminder of the resilience and richness of our people over generations.
This book -- a collection of memoirs written by Women of Color is shared to inspire and motivate readers. The authors of these precious, soulful stories are from across the globe and represent various backgrounds and professions. What these women have in common, though, is their drive to tell their story. Stories of pain, discovery, strength, and stories of beginnings. Many of the experiences, as difficult as they may have been, made the women who they are today. Telling these stories to a new generation will empower and encourage them in their experiences no matter how troubling or challenging (Harris, 2015). These stories, like our foremothers offering their Gumbo, present the best these women have to offer. These authors want the world to know that deep inside of each of us is a rich, vibrant, purposeful beginning. As our lives develop and we are "stirred and stirred again", like Gumbo, our experiences begin to shape who we are and who we become. When the stirring is complete, a comforting meal -- one that says no matter what has gone into the dish, it's going to be amazingly magnificent!!
The authors hope these stories will inspire and motivate girls and Women of Color to trust their experiences -- whether good or bad -- to help them become. Our becoming means that after all that life has thrown our way, we are strong, purposeful, and powerful people who are a great treasure to a world that sometimes rejects and ignores our existence. Embedded in this book are stories of abuse and triumph, sadness and victory, disappointment and resilience, discovery and victory.
We are very proud to be the keepers of these rich recipes. They represent the first in what we hope will become a collection or series of inspirational memoirs that will be shared to help others live out their destiny and become the women they were born to be.
Contents
Introduction.
Chapter 1. At Risk...And at Promise Too! Sheree Nicole Alexander.
Chapter 2. Pushing Past Trauma; Natoshia Whaley Anderson.
Chapter 3. At Your Best, You Are Love; Melanie Askew.
Chapter 4. Sweetest Candy, Education and the Love of Teachers! Margaret Barrow.
Chapter 5. The Seven-Mile Divide: From Intellectually Gifted to Remedial; Margarita Bianco.
Chapter 6. Against the Grain; Rhonesha L. Blache.
Chapter 7. I Am a Composite of All My Experiences; Dionne Blue.
Chapter 8. Sancocho: How Mamí's Stories Fed My Curiosity and Continue to Sustain Me; Mildred Boveda.
Chapter 9. From Homeless to Hopeful: Overcoming Tragedy to Persevere; Mercedes Cannon.
Chapter 10. Racism and Giftedness: A Double Whammy; Marissa L. Campbell.
Chapter 11. Forging Ahead in the Midst of Challenges; Disha Lynch Charles.
Chapter 12. I Needed My Mother and My Daughter Needs Me: (Biggest Fan! First Defender! Best Advocate!); Johnita Collins.
Chapter 13. Making Beauty from Ashes: On Learning to Forgive and Love; Kimberly Phillips Dabney.
Chapter 14. Surviving, Thriving, and Rising Above; Joy Lawson Davis.
Chapter 15. Forgiveness: The Unexpected Gift of Fatherlessness; Crystal A. DeGregory.
Chapter 16. Finding My Academic Self: Snapshot of a Bigger Picture; Isi Ero-Tolliver.
Chapter 17. Beyond Zip Codes and Genetic Codes: Black and Poor and Gifted, Too! Donna Y. Ford.
Chapter 18. Despite the Score: Removing Barriers From Access to Gifted Education; LaTonya Frazier.
Chapter 19. Free to Fly; Jessica A. Fripp.
Chapter 20. "Can't" is a Four-Letter Word and Life Rolls Along; Vernessa T. Gipson and Brianna T. Morgan.
Chapter 21. I Read to Live; Kristy Girardeau.
Chapter 22. The Day I Found Pain; Derria L. Ford Glover.
Chapter 23. The Difference between Giving Up and Moving On; Jamye Hardy.
Chapter 24. Never Put Rocks on an Eagle's Back; Breshawn N. Harris.
Chapter 25. Bendable, Yet Unbreakable; Tiffany Hollis.
Chapter 26. Being Called a Nigger: Reflections as a Student and in Teacher Preparation; Amina Humphrey.
Chapter 27. Like a Leaf in the Wind: Growing up Gifted in Turkey Without Privileges and Capital; Zeynep Isik-Ercan.
Chapter 28. To Thine Own Self Be True: Stand Tall; LaShonda M. Jackson-Dean.
Chapter 29. Fighting the Good Fight as an Afr-Rican Leader; Patricia Jahaly.
Chapter 30. People Come into Our Lives for a Season; Donna M. Johnson.
Chapter 31. From Smarty Pants to Scholar: A Personal Journey of Self-Acceptance; Jennifer M. Johnson.
Chapter 32. From Heartache to Head Up; Charemi A. Jones.
Chapter 33. Passion and Purpose through Pain and Dysfunction; SaDohl Goldsmith Jones.
Chapter 34. My Life Began to Bloom at Forty; Tammy D. Lane.
Chapter 35. The Perils of Being Too Young to be Grown; Tonya Leslie.
Chapter 36. Push Back and Stay in the Game: Life Goes on After Mistakes; April J. Lisbon.
Chapter 37. Learning to Love Myself after Sexual Abuse; Arleezah Marrah.
Chapter 38. I'm not an Oreo. I'm focused! Renae D. Mayes.
Chapter 39. The Dark Side of Giftedness: A Hidden Curriculum of Rejection; Heather Cherie Moore.
Chapter 40. The Greatest Gift of Love; Shondrika Moss-Bouldin.
Chapter 41. Fear is Not an Option; Barbara Mullen.
Chapter 42. The Garrison Finish: Learning to Live on Purpose; Not Just on Time, Janice Nix-Victorian.
Chapter 43. I Am Not Alone: Overcoming Abuse and Rejection; Quinita Ogletree.
Chapter 44. Adversity is Knocking... Let Success Answer It; Charissa M. Owens.
Chapter 45. A Family and a Dream: A Journey from South Central to Life Beyond; Alexis Riley.
Chapter 46. Beyond Overcoming: Living Out God's Plan; Cynthia Rivers.
Chapter 47. The Other "Big C"; Kelly A. Rodgers.
Chapter 48. My Journey from the South Bronx to the Academy; Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz.
Chapter 49. Why Not You? My Story of Inspiration and Determination; Chinequa Shelander.
Chapter 50. A Journey into Racial Identity: A Black Woman and White Socialisation; Victoria Showunmi.
Chapter 51. No Safe Space; Aisha K. Staggers.
Chapter 52. Being Above Average: Hearing, Accepting, and Believing; Michelle Trotman Scott.
Chapter 53. School Changed My Life; Desireé Vega.
Chapter 54. I Am Because of Her; Nicole McZeal Walters.
Chapter 55. Move Over World... Here I Am; Tuwana Wingfield.
Chapter 56. From Special Ed to Higher Ed: A Black Girl's Journey in Discovering Her Giftedness; Jemimah L. Young.
