It’s Morning In America

Last night America elected its first black president.  We made history, as everyone still enjoys saying.  And I think we’ve earned the right to bask in the glow for a little bit.
But listen, there’s still a lot to be done.
First and foremost, it should be stated that, although come January we will have a Black [...]

All good things must come to an end

February and Black History Month are over! My limited exposure to the media meant I didn’t have to deal with too much stupid BHM crap this year. Must remember this strategy next time around.
First thing, I want to thank all of the guest bloggers and essayists who contributed to ABW last month. [...]

“How can we conjure the wondrous world we believe in?”

It’s a common misconception that writers create characters or situations that have a direct parallel to their lives or the people they know. It’s not always that straightforward, and many times happens on a deep, unconscious level. For Black History Month, I’ve invited a few writers to explore how history — whether personal [...]

“Each turn of a writer’s imagination creates a different history”

It’s a common misconception that writers create characters or situations that have a direct parallel to their lives or the people they know. It’s not always that straightforward, and many times happens on a deep, unconscious level. For Black History Month, I’ve invited a few writers to explore how history — whether personal [...]

Oh that black history!

February is coming up soon and that means Black History Month stuff will abound. While it is a bittersweet time of year for us black folks, it does serve as a reminder, even to ourselves, to go beyond the surface of our history in America and learn something new and useful (then put it [...]

Our Black History – the Larkin Family in Fourth Creek

In 2004 the Finley-Larkin family had a reunion in Fourth Creek, Alabama. This branch of the family doesn’t have very regular reunions, but this one is generally felt to be among the best because we all went back ‘home’. We still have people who live in the area, though many have spread out [...]

Angry Wee One

I’m in the process of collecting more information for some other OurStory posts. I want to get stories on the Larkin family from a cousin and also do the interviews about my mom. Next week for sure there will be posts about my maternal grandmother Anna Ree and her mother Katie Bell. [...]

Book Review: Middle Passages

Several months ago I happened to hear author James T. Campbell on a local NPR show talking about his book Middle Passages: African American Journeys to Africa, 1787-2005. Impressed by the interview, I ran out and bought the book. (In hardcover, for $30!) It’s very well-written, very intriguing, and very thought-provoking. [...]

Our Black History – Billy Strayhorn

NPR and PBS seem to be as tired of clichéd Black History Month tributes as I am. Not only did we have the Percy Julian features last week, but there was also a lot of coverage for the Billy Strayhorn documentary “Lush Life”.
Morning Edition, News & Notes, and Talk of the Nation had segments [...]

Our Black History – George Dallas Finley and Julia Larkin Finley

My maternal grandmother’s grandparents were George Dallas Finley and Julia Larkin Finley. They lived and died in Sumpter County, Alabama, and are the main nexus of the Finley/Larkin clan. The Finleys, Larkins, and Tidmores (my grandfather’s people) were three of the main black families in Sumpter County. Not only because they were [...]