Celebrating Our Differences
Rev. Dr. Wanda Gail Campbell In 1999, along with approximately 7,000 other people from all corners of the Earth, I attended the Parliament of The World’s Religions in Cape Town, South Africa. Over the 5 days, we were welcomed by many world renowned heavy weight leaders. Most…
It was just another unpainted clapboard house dotting the rural southern landscape neglected ravaged by the elements long void of human life The winter of 1995 traveling on Montgomery HWY 31 South would change all that A friend seeing a white woman jogging along the highway…
Vague adages abound concerning history. We need to remember it, so we do not repeat it. We cannot know where we are going unless we know where we have been. History is written by the victors. People throw around these adages when it suits their personal beliefs,…
In my everyday existence there is rhythm. My life has a soundtrack, a pulsating beat which inspires, words that move me, and a flow as smooth as butter. I performed an experiment recently where I attempted to survive a day without music. I failed miserably. Like air,…
“Music is defined as vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.” -Oxford Dictionary Recently, my bonus father, Wayne Lambert and I sat at the kitchen table discussing his affinity for music. Over the…
It’s 4 a.m., my alarm blares and I lay there thinking, “Do I really have to get up? I can just be overweight, out of shape and eat what I want. The Mister will still love me, so it’s cool”. I said the last part while stumbling into…
Drummers beat out the rhythm of harmony from their bongos as they enter the rear of the chapel with skillful artistry and measured synchronicity fingers palms heels of the hands strike forcibly upon the hollow of the vessel we call the drum melodious flowing sounds that invade…
Garden Spices met YeYe Omileye Achikeobi-Lewis a few years back. I chronicled my journey to Asheville, NC to a ceremony that honored the Four Elemental Mothers. Along with her husband, Chief Olu, Omileye was “answering the call’ to host and facilitate the event. She has conducted a number of…
“Until the lion learns to write, all the stories will glorify the hunter.” -African proverb On opening night for Black Panther, the movie based on the Marvel comic book character and the mythical African nation of Wakanda, I was front and center with a close friend….
I met Kerrigan Casey at a wonderful Black History program, Youth Program: Who We Were Then and Who We Are Now, held at the library in Florence, AL. Part of the program, Casey was the ‘live art’ exhibit who was painting/creating, as other folks performed. When I saw…