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i will die this month. how i do not know. still there is much work to be done. i am afraid not for myself but for betty and the girls. some nights i stay awake looking out the window, a gun in my hand. i know how cruel people can be. i have known hatred and blindness. there are brothers waiting to do me harm. i will die for them. i will love them as only i can. may allah be my witness.

​Malcolm X, February 1965 BY E. ETHELBERT MILLER

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The sky, lazily disdaining to pursue   The setting sun, too indolent to hold   A lengthened tournament for flashing gold,   Passively darkens for night’s barbecue, A feast of moon and men and barking hounds,     An orgy for some genius of the South   With blood-hot eyes and cane-lipped scented mouth,   Surprised in making folk-songs from soul sounds. The sawmill blows its whistle, buzz-saws stop,   And silence breaks the bud of knoll and hill,   Soft settling pollen where plowed lands fulfill   Their early promise of a bumper crop. Smoke from the pyramidal sawdust pile   Curls up, blue ghosts of trees, tarrying low     Where only chips and stumps are left to show   The solid proof of former domicile. Meanwhile, the men, with vestiges of pomp,     Race memories of king and caravan,   High-priests, an ostrich, and a juju-man, Go singing through the footpaths of the swamp. Their voices rise . . the pine trees are guitars,     Strumming, pine-needles fall like sheets of rain . .     Their voices rise . . the chorus of the cane Is caroling a vesper to the stars . . O singers, resinous and soft your songs   Above the sacred whisper of the pines,   Give virgin lips to cornfield concubines, Bring dreams of Christ to dusky cane-lipped throngs.

​Georgia Dusk BY JEAN TOOMER

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I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table When company comes. Nobody’ll dare Say to me, “Eat in the kitchen,” Then. Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed— I, too, am America.

I, Too BY LANGSTON HUGHES

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Some books my grandma loved to read in the 1970′s :) 

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Heirlooms in Our Family

There was many arguments that went on in our family but one I will never forget is the story of the quilt. It was a story told to me by my grandma Wangero. On one of her very first time back home from college an altercation happen involving our family's heirlooms. Quilts have been passed on from generation to generation in our family. These always meant something special to my great grandma. She always told us that heritage is something you exercise and do everyday and is not to be displayed. Wangero wanted an old quilt to take back home to hang up on her wall and show her friends just how intact she was with her culture. They all had their own opinion on what should be with these quilts. Should they be cherished forever and never be touched to hold its blood, sweat, and tears that was put into it. Or should it be put to everyday use in the house and pay it the respect it deserves? People show their appreciate in different ways and its safe to say these quilts are still in our family today and I  hope it stay that way in years to come. 

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What is it used for?

Quilts are used for people to pass time, to keep them warm, and some quilts even tell a story. Through the years the usage of quilts have been changed. Some people quilt just to make pretty quilts for decorations. Some people just make them to give them to their children and be able to pass them from generation to generation, especially if they have some sort of meaning to them. I have seen so many quilts that are stacked in peoples bedroom that they want to preserve and keep forever.

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How would they use it? What symbols or markings does it contain?

 African Americans did use these quilts to send messages through the underground railroad. For example, the quilts below each have a different message.

. Monkey Wrench usually meant that they would need to gather tools for the long journey ahead.

Birds in the air meant to follow the birds to get to the safe side.

  This exact symbol could be either draw on the floor or stitched on the quilts to let people know that they were safe to talk with.

 The wagon wheel meant to load the wagon and plan for the escape.

Another way that they would use these quilts would be to replace the little sacks that they would give them to sleep on. They wouldn’t give them a bed or something comfortable to sleep on so they would use those comfortable quilts that they would make to sleep on or with them to keep them warm.

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Check out this amazing video I found that describes the importance of quilts to the African American Heritage.  

African Quilt Making Traditons

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Tradition of African-American quilt-making by the women of Gee’s Bend community, Alabama

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Unknown African American Maker, Quilted Bedcover, ca. 1875–1900, cotton top, linen back, and cotton stuffing.

 High Museum of Art, Atlanta, purchase with funds from Ann and Tom Cousins and the Decorative Arts Acquisition Endowment, 1997.203.

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My grandma was known for wearing dresses down to the ground, even when the weather was hot as fire. A dress so loud it hurts the eyes of those looking. My great grandma Mama would say “There are yellows and oranges enough to throw back the light of the sun. I feel my whole face warming from the heat waves it throws out.” 

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My prom dress was inspired from my grandmas good fashion taste!  

Ending prom season with a mini collection inspired by the woman who started it all. With her African inspired prom dress designer Kyemah Mcentrye set the record for many African Americans to feel beautiful & comfortable in their own skin. Taking our culture into prom season and making it the most epic prom season of all time. I present to you Prom16: Cultural Appreciation By:Yashara Hynes

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Tina Turner performing with a member of the Ikettes, October 2, 1970

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Its nice to see the fashion my grandma wore coming back in style :) 

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Stevie Wonder performing on stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City, USA, 25th March 1974.

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An iconic moment in time when my grandmas was young and in college. 

Portrait of Muhammad Ali posing in front of Le Militant statue before fight vs George Foreman at the presidential complex outside of Kinshasa. N'Sele, Zaire 10/26/1974 - 10/29/1974