Virginia DeBerry's Open Letter to Oprah Winfrey -- A Call to Action!

Dear Sisters, I received this e-mail from our friend, native Buffalonian and fellow author, Virginia DeBerry. Peggy and I have had the pleasure of meeting up with Virginia and her author partner, Donna Grant several times this year at book signings/readings in New York City, Washington, DC and San Francisco. Virginia has written an eloquent and hard-hitting letter on a subject that we have often talked about and is, in fact, an age-old problem that we address every day via our Uncrowned Queens/Kings Websites. That is, how to raise awareness about the folks that are not the "super stars" but who go about community building, historical and cultural preservation EVERY SINGLE DAY without recognition, support or acknowledgment.

We applaud Virginia for raising the question publicly. We have also tried to get Oprah's attention, Tavis' attention, Roland's attention, Tom's attention and quite frankly a whole host of folk's attention for the only publication by Black women that documents our response to the most significant political event in the history of this nation. All we've gotten back is silence! or worse yet, empty promises!

Thank you Virginia for putting into words, an issue that should concern all of us whether we are authors or not. If we can't support each other, who can we expect to support us? Read Virginia's letter then write your own, respond to us, respond to her, send her letter on to others, but don't do nothing!

"Dear Oprah:We don't sing karaoke or dance with the stars, we have been contributing to the cultural landscape long before Jon & Kate, Britney,Rhianna and Chris or Stephanie Meyer and most of America, including you have probably never even heard of us.

We have railed against Kanye's proud pronouncement upon the publication of his 52 page book: Thank You and You're Welcome, that "I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book's autograph." Huh?

We are writers and we are in trouble. Big trouble.I would never have imagined myself writing this with the hundreds of thousands of emails and letters the show receives, I know the chances of this one actually getting through are somewhere between slim and non-existent. But one of the mantras my best friend/business partner and I lived by in the early days, was "It's only postage." Now it's not even that. So I could not find a reason not to write and hit 'send'. Like I said--we are in trouble. Everyone knows that Oprah is a champion of reading, that books are one of her favorite things and it is precisely because of that passion that I send this note.

I'm sure you are aware that publishing, like so many industries today-especially those centered around the arts, is struggling to keep up and figure their way through the maze of new media. What I'm not sure you know is how that struggle is affecting, or more accurately disaffecting an entire segment of writers--black novelists. Not the few who live in the rarefied literary echelons-Toni Morrison, Stephen Carter, Edwidge Dandicat etc. are doing fine-they enjoy the support of the media and the "wider" (whiter) population. These struggling authors also don't include those who now make up the largest growing segment of Af-Am writers-urban/erotica authors whose books are acquired by publishers at little expense and sold at great profit. A quick look at the Af-Am displays in bookstores will make this trend abundantly clear.

The literary marginalization that is taking place largely affects those of us in the middle-much like the economy today. There are many of us who have/had careers courtesy of Terry McMillan, we came along right after the success of Waiting to Exhale and found a warm welcome and an open door for a career we had longed for but so often found beyond our reach. Terry proved, what we had always known, that black folks read, and would buy books featuring characters they personally identify with. Not that we would stop reading all the non-black authors we supported, we would just enjoy a wider choice. Members of our 'class' include among others, Tina McElroy Ansa, Bernice McFadden and Connie Briscoe. Carleen Brice, a newcomer to writing fiction-though she has written non-fiction, last year started "December is National Buy a Book by a Black Author and Give it to Someone Not Black Month." She also created a blog and pretty funny video welcoming white people to the AA section of the book store.

For the past 20 years, Donna Grant, my writing partner, and I have been writing novels,7 in total. No Pulitzer or Nobel winners, but well crafted stories that have enlightened and entertained tens of thousands of readers. Our first "big book" Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made was published in 1997, has never been out of print, is in its fifth edition and sold over 750,000 copies, without any major advertising or endorsements. But that was then. This is now. And we, along with many of our "classmates" find our careers in jeopardy. (After 20 years, and at the age of 60, I personally am on the verge of throwing in towel and looking for a "real" job.) This precarious position is not because we write bad books, but because we all fall in the came category "African American Fiction" and we just aren't selling as well as our "street-lit" sisters and brothers. What we write is women's fiction with Af-Am characters--stories of struggle and triumph, loss, coping, love, and life, learning. But we are labeled, handicapped, before we're out of the gate. Those who are expecting urban lit are disappointed, and those (white folks) who might enjoy our work because the theme might be relevant to their life (like What Doesn't Kill You, our last book about a woman who loses her job after 25 yrs), don't ever see it because it's in "that" section and they aren't going "there."

We wrote a blog about this subject a few years ago and repost it every year--because, sadly, it's still relevant. (Nov 20 entry-Writing White. http://bit.ly/3isaSI) We do our best with our craft, but get "editorial" requests to add "more grit" or "more sex" and when we don't, can find ourselves without a publisher. This tactic has already cost us the final payment of a very lucrative contract---and a publisher. And despite exuberant praise from our editor about our new book (March 2010) "I kissed the manuscript when I finished..." we find ourselves wondering if we will get a deal for another book. We certainly know that if we were starting out in today's climate, it is unlikely we would have ever been given a chance.

I am going to resist the urge to be pejorative about urban fiction, but it is well known that most of these books are "under-written and under-edited" and are viewed strictly as profit centers. I do question what it means when books about pimps, hos and thugs, are fast becoming the predominant image we have on display in bookstores-a kind of anti-Obama if you will. What will happen when our young people find their choices limited like they were only a couple of decades ago? I will not ask that Oprah select a book by one of us mid-list Afican American authors for her book club. I will not ask her to condemn the proliferation of badly written urban lit which would likely instigate another rap/hip-hop debacle. (While I do liken it to the crack epidemic in our communities in the '80's.)

But I will ask for her attention. A word or two on this subject from Oprah, Champion of Things Literary, would I believe, make a world of difference in our plight. It might even mean that we keep encouraging young writers and continue to get emails like this one we received 2 weeks ago:

"Hi,My name is Carlie and I am a writer. I have loved books my entire life but have never been as inspired to write a full novel myself, until I met you when I was in high school. Up until then, I had dreams of becoming a published author, but was afraid to step put and do more than just a collection of short stories and poetry. Not that writing those don't require equal talent, but I have found that there is something about the dedication it takes to write a full length novel that I admire. I believe it was my sophomore year when you two came to my high school (Lanier High School in Austin, TX). You did a reading of Trying... and then handed out copies that you autographed for us. I have read my copy over and over again over the years and I fall in love with the characters every time as if for the first time. I was so excited when the second book came out because it felt like a chance for me to catch up with old friends lol. I have been working on a novel and have almost completed the first manuscript. I know I still have a lot of revision ahead of me but I thought it would be nice to get some advice from someone who has inspired me on how to begin my journey into the world of publishing. I would really appreciate it if you have a few minutes to share some of your words of wisdom and advice. Thank you so much for continuing to do what you do because you give women like me hope for my own future success."

Love, Carlie Dempsey

Thanks for letting me rant, Virginia DeBerryhttp://deberryandgrant.com/"

Photo (Peggy Brooks-Bertram, Virginia DeBerry, Donna Grant, Barbara Seals Nevergold)

MAUMBUSOMA: Sisters Reading Book Club

I don’t know if they’re the oldest continuously operating book club in Western New York and the country but after 17 years of monthly meetings to discuss books authored by Black women, I have to believe that they are one of the oldest. The Maumbusoma Sisters Reading Club met on Sunday, November 08, 2009 to commemorate this milestone and invited us to discuss “Go, Tell Michelle”: their featured book selection for this event. Held in a building aptly named “Our Healing Center”, we felt like we’d been wrapped in a soft, warm comfortable blanket of sisterly positive regard and support. What a great feeling! This was one of the few times we’ve had an opportunity to speak to a group who’d already read the book. This freed us to talk more about the wonderful, poignant and funny, experiences we’ve had on this journey with “Go, Tell Michelle”. This book has created so many opportunities to network, develop friendships and expand sister-connectedness (okay, maybe that’s not a word, but you know what I mean!) with other women across this nation. This presentation was the last formal reading and book-signing on our schedule this year and was a wonderful climax to what has been an extraordinary experience. We are looking forward to next year and more exciting news about “Go, Tell Michelle” as we work on a dramatic adaptation of the book for the stage. Stay tuned!

Above: Dr. Sharon Amos introducing the authors.

“Go, Tell Michelle” Contributor Sharon Holley To Receive Zora Neale Hurston Award

Storyteller, Sharon Jordan Holley will receive the Zora Neale Hurston Award at the “In the tradition…” 27th Annual Black Storytelling Festival & Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, November 11-15, 2009. The Zora Neale Hurston Award is the highest honor given by the National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc. (NABS) to an individual who has contributed significantly to the preservation and perpetuation of African American Folklore.

Sharon who hails from High Springs, Florida is a retired librarian from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. She is a founding and performing member of Spin-A-Story Tellers of Western New York and co-founder of Tradition Keepers: Black Storytellers of Western New York. She is also a member of the National Storytelling Network and the National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc. Her storytelling experience has taken her throughout Western New York and in many other areas of the country, where she has performed at libraries, schools, community events, colleges and other venues. Sharon also performs stories and plays percussion with Daughters of Creative Sound: an African American women’s drum and percussion group in Buffalo, New York. Storytelling members of Daughters of Creative Sound will also be featured tellers at the 27th Annual Black Storytelling Festival & Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas.

In addition to storytelling, Sharon serves on the Board of the Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier and the Michigan Street Preservation Corp. She is a member of the Buffalo Genealogical Society of the African Diaspora and works with the Juneteenth Committee and the Kwanzaa Committee of Buffalo. Sharon has received numerous awards for service to the community and has been recognized as an “Uncrowned Queen” by the Uncrowned Queens Institute. She is a member of Agape A.M.E. Church. Sharon is married to Kenneth Holley and they are the parents of three daughters and three grandchildren.

(Daughters of Creative Sound - Sharon Holley, 4th from left)

Uncrowned Queens Celebrates Karima Amin

Our sister, Uncrowned Queen and member of the Go, Tell Michelle Sisterhood Network Karima Amin is doing extraordinary work with her long standing Buffalo project, Prisoners are People Too. She is to be commended for this work to give voice to those incarcerated humans behind bars who have few if any to speak for them. We are so proud of Karima and extend our support as we feature her work on the www.GTMsisterhoodnetwork.blogspot.com

"Prisoners Are People Too!" is a monthly documentary film and speakers series that meets on selected dates at the Pratt-Willert Community Center, 422 Pratt Street, Buffalo, NY 14204. For more information call: 716-834-8438 or karima@prisonersarepeopletoo.org.

Originally created in 2005 to enhance the general public's awareness of prison issues, the program has grown to include networking, referrals, community building, action organizing, and camaraderie as well as community education. Through films, guest speakers and follow-up discussions, the program promotes the growth of the community's knowledge and understanding
of the Prison Industrial Complex, the plight of prisoners and prison families, and the challenges of re-entry.

The program operates on the premise that, "Prisoners are people too; to deny their humanity is to deny our own."Monthly programs are sponsored by The Circle ofSupporters for Reformed Offenders and Friends of Baba Eng.

I remember almost five years ago on June 23, 2005 when I received an email from Karima with the following paragraph:

“last night I held my first "prisoners are people too!"
event...it was a BIG success! ...even my 88 yr.old dad
came out to support me and my daughter, sabriyah, was
a lifesaver.....i am conducting a monthly documentary
film and speaker series which i hope will open up the
minds and the hearts of the general public to the
plight of the incarcerated....50 people showed up last
night!.......i was delighted!........
the film was moving and my two speakers were
incredible!

Since then, Karima has held meetings each Monday night without fail. To inform the public she has had speakers from around New York State and the country present; she stages informational/educational forums; she searches out and features outstanding films depicting the plight of our prisoners; she participates with a prison ministry so that the incarcerated will remember that they are not forgotten and she has single-handedly taken on the plight of Baba Eng who hopes to be released on parole shortly.

Meeting are held at the Pratt-Willert Community Center, 422 Pratt Street in Buffalo from 6:30pm - 8:30pm. The program is sponsored by The Circle of Supporters for Reformed Offenders and Friends of BaBa Eng.

A SUMMIT of SISTERS!

Kudos and much appreciation to Dr. Arlette Miller-Smith, St. John Fisher professor and “Go, Tell Michelle” contributor for organizing an extraordinary program last Wednesday evening (October 21^st) entitled, “SUMMIT of SISTERS”. This special symposium, an extension of her Women and Gender Studies Senior Seminar – Assumed Positions: Re/dis/uncovering Resistance & Resilience in the Black Female Body – brought community members and students together to identify and analyze the issues, challenges, achievements, experiences and resistance strategies used by herstorical (sic) and contemporary African American women. Nearly 85 women and men attended the program and I was particularly pleased and impressed by the 15 young women and their advisor, who drove two hours from SUNY Courtland to attend the symposium. Mrs. Donald E. Bain, wife of St. John Fisher College’s President as well as the official Monroe County Historian also attended this special event.

Dr. Miller-Smith set the stage by offering the background for the course. Dr. Margie Lovett-Scott and Rev. Iris Banister, guest presenters, addressed the issues of health and the significance of religion in the lives of Black women. Dr. Miller-Smith’s students presented the outcomes of their oral history interviews with three “community torch bearers”. We would call them “Uncrowned Queens” and in fact, the biographies of these women will be submitted to the Uncrowned Queens Institute for our digital archive. Again, I want to acknowledge the importance of these students’ research and to thank them and Dr. Miller-Smith for designing this course, which has such a positive impact on the community as well as the students. Through their oral history interviews and papers, the students are preserving the biographical histories of women, who might not otherwise have their histories documented.

I’m pleased and proud to have been invited to participate in this major educational presentation as a guest speaker also. The topic of my presentation was the Phyllis Wheatley Club, Buffalo’s oldest affiliate of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. Founded in 1899, the members of the Club exemplified the strategic resistance, representation and resilience approaches that have sustained Black women in this country. Together, with the other presenters, I think we fulfilled the goals and objectives of this symposium. Although the program was slated to end at 8:30pm, people did not want to leave and we continued the discussion for at least a half hour past the official end of the symposium.

It was a full evening! Prior to the symposium, a reading from “Go, Tell Michelle” was held from 5:30 to 6:30pm. Dr. Miller-Smith and I were joined by fellow contributors, Janeen Ceparano Wilkins and Dr. Sharon Amos, who also drove to Rochester from Buffalo. Over sixty women attended the reading and although we had little time to chat following this session, a number of women purchased the book and said how excited they were to hear us read the letters and to learn about the history of this publication.

(artwork - courtesy of Cheryl Olney)

Thank You, ABWH!

On October 3rd, we received the Letitia Woods Brown Memorial Book Award for edited volumes from the Association of Black Women Historians. We want to thank the ABWH for honoring our work on "Go, Tell Michelle" with the coveted recognition. Special thanks to Dr. Ida Jones and Dr. Elizabeth Clark Lewis. An earlier post provides a detailed description of this award and the ABWH. (Pictured at left, Dr. Jones and Dr. Nevergold)

A New Poem from Shirley A. J. Hanshaw

On October 3rd I had the pleasure of meeting two GTM contributors, Shirley A. J. Hanshaw and Adah Ward Randolph (pictured at left with me) . We shared a great panel discussion on Go, Tell Michelle at the annual conference of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in Cincinnati. About 25 individuals attended the session which I moderated and shared the "back story" of the book's inception and the experiences that Peggy and I have had as we've talked to audiences throughout the country. Both Adah and Shirley offered the context for their letters and read their contributions. Adah's anecdote of the Mother's Day situation that inspired her letter brought many of us to tears and was a graphic illustration of the deep well spring of experiences that Black women confront on a daily basis. Shirley read another poem that she'd authored that was too late for the original publication. She asked that it be shared on this blog and we are pleased to have the honor!

The Time Has Come, and I Can’t Wait

Lines written in anticipation of the Inauguration of President Barack Hussein Obama and

First Lady Michelle Obama, 11/08

The time has come for

A new chapter to be written in American his-/herstory

For bells to be rung and

Songs to be sung

Heralding the fruition of

Hopes and dreams.

The time has come, and

I can’t wait for the Presidential Inauguration,

Bearing witness to the celebration of our

First Black First Lady

Strolling arm in arm and bumping fists with our

First Black President;

Our Bronzeville King and Queen, beaming to the

Screaming of the crowd.

I can’t wait for

President Barack Hussein Obama to be

Sworn in with the oath of office,

Taking his rightful place,

Perched on the precipice of time;

On the 55^th anniversary of Brown v. Board

On the 100^th anniversary of the NAACP

On the 200^th anniversary of President Lincoln’s birth.

I can’t wait for your two little Black princesses,

Malia and Sasha, to inhabit their castle, with

Sleepovers and ice cream socials,

Scampering around the White House grounds with their promised puppy,

Playing make-believe in a real Dream House.

Like you, Michelle,

I am proud, for the first time, to be an American

Fulfilling the dreams of our fathers, mothers, and

“Other mothers”—sisters, babysitters, grandmothers, aunts, friends, neighborhood women—

Who cared for our children while we

Pursued careers, became co-breadwinners and breadwinners,

Walking in the proud ancestral footsteps of

All the nameless sheroes whose indomitable strength, hard work and

Belief in God brought us “thus far on the way.”

I can’t wait, Michelle, to see you and Barack

Striding, hand in hand, into

Our futures;

While the world gazes in wonderment

At your beauty and intellect;

Resplendent, radiant,

Reassuring the world that it is now in good hands.

I can’t wait, Michelle,

I can’t wait,

The time has come

THE TIME HAS FINALLY COME,

AND I CAN’T WAIT!

A funny thing happened on the way to the Convention Center

Taxi cab drivers are an interesting group. We often talk to cabbies we meet in the course of our travels. On September 24th, we were in Washington, DC on our way to the Walter Washington Convention Center for the Congressional Black Caucus' Author's Pavilion. Our driver asked what we were doing in DC and we jokingly replied that we were authors and that we had written "Go, Tell Michelle". Oh, he replied, I've heard of that. I have to admit that we were somewhat skeptical, so we asked him what he'd heard. "Oh, I know all about it", he replied. "A group of women sent Michelle Obama letters of advice." Hey, we replied, how did you know that? "I heard you all on NPR.", our cab driver responded. He added, "it was a great program. I enjoyed listening to you."

Well, we have learned our lesson. Never underestimate the man who is driving you around in his cab. Not only was our driver an NPR listener, but he was a musician, who had played with some of the greats including Coltrane and Miles Davis. Like I said, taxi cab drivers are some of the most interesting people.

GTM Sisters: A Model in Networking

On September 23^rd, we returned to Baltimore and Washington, DC for two events: a reading and signing at the Robbye Apperson Home Gallery and a book signing at the Author’s Pavilion at the Congressional Black Caucus. We first met Robbye via a telephone conversation. She called to say that she loved “Go, Tell Michelle” and to ask if we would consider doing a book signing/reading in Baltimore at her Gallery. Over several months after her initial call, we e-mailed and worked out the details for our visit to Baltimore. Robbye enlisted the help of a friend, Cash Hester, who took over the planning and making the arrangements for this event. When we got to the Apperson Gallery, we could hardly believe the beautiful artwork that is tastefully arranged on the walls and floors of the three story Apperson home. The first two floors are used for the art displays and the third floor is used by the Appersons for their living quarters. Together, Robbye, Cash and Michelle, Cash’s assistant, put together a wonderful reception, attended by about 25 guests. We had a great reading and conversation with the guests; a diverse group of women and men. To say that Robbye is the “hostess with the mostess” is an understatement! The food was great, the ambience was great, and the company was great! We extend our sincere thanks to Robbye, who is another example of the extraordinary women that we have met in our journey with GTM.

As we recount the experiences that we’ve had and are having as a result of the readings/book signings and interviews since Go, Tell Michelle was published nine months ago, it might seem to some that these events are merely nice, social/sociable activities. They are, in fact, much more than social events, much more than promotional events and much more than mere book signings. In our travels from city to city; coast to coast, we are witnessing and participating in the development and expansion of the GTM Sisterhood Network – emphasis on sisterhood and network. The sisters we are meeting are kind, generous, supportive, encouraging and giving. They have extended themselves to help us expand our outreach to others and by extension to expand our network. They have shared their resources, their ideas and their contacts. They have organized programs for GTM readings; spread the word about GTM via e-mail, snail mail, telephone, word-of-mouth and other communication vehicles. They have modeled, in every definition of the expressions, what it means to be sisters and to network with each other.

In short, they believe that what we’ve done and are doing is important and resonates with their values and beliefs; identify common threads that unite us and strengthens us individually as well as collectively; focus their energies to bolster each other; encourage agency; make a significant statement about issues that Black women note as important in the 21^st century and offer a leadership model that is unique yet exemplary.

Since the publication of Go, Tell Michelle, we have now personally met nearly 50 of the 100 contributors. With each meeting we are confirmed in our assessment of the network and the women who are contributing to it. In addition, we have met women like Robbye Apperson and Cash Hester in Baltimore, Mary Ann Braithwaite and Sigrid Williams in Berkeley, Sandra Finley in Chicago, Jennifer Parker of Buffalo, for example, who have joined and enriched our network. Thanks to these women the GTM Sisterhood Network stands as a dynamic example of a vibrant network!

(Photos: Barbara at the Gallery; Peggy, Cash and Michelle outside Apperson's; inside the Gallery)

GTM on Paul Lawrence Vann Blog-Radio Program

This morning we met a very special gentleman and had a great conversation with him. Paul Lawrence Vann, host of the Wealthy Speaker Show on Blog-Talk radio interviewed Barbara and Peggy about Go, Tell Michelle. Listen to the program here (Note: the download may take some time - please be patient)