ever have I been this close to my people, it is as if all of my past work is converging towards this center and I will ascend to the next level of wisdom.  Accumulating knowledge, storing and giving when the time comes is a satisfying thing; one of the greatest rewards for me is to be in a position that benefits others of my heritage, we share a common culture that has rearranged the world forever. Being at  peace with my ancestry-slavery in America- is a Balm of Gilead for me.

Reading the Schomburg Library of African-American 19^th Century Women Writers ignited a spark in me that spotlighted episodes out of the past, which caused me to look at my life differently, appreciate that which created the American South-then and now. Possessing the gift of free intelligence, these women recorded the South's history in candid style, the hideousness of the slaveowner's greed, lust and oppression is exposed within these pages and I am proud that African-American women are the bearers of this truth. It is said that, "seeing is believing"; however, knowing that many preferred the slaves to remain uneducated thus inferior and frightened, these women broke this  image while creating something that benefitted the whole: the intelligent African-American woman! Television did not exist then; Roots, North and South and Amistad are dramatic masterpieces; but these women are contemporaries of their slaveowner counterparts, to know their courage is to know our uniqueness.

There are many instances I can recall that I maneuvered through and overcame, after all, that is the way of my people: to survive-truly survive. However subtle, racism exists still and if allowed to go unchallenged, it gets worse. No intelligent woman can ignore that.