This Thread of Gold

     "For centuries, Black women have been overlooked, downtrodden, and dismissed. They  have been  sexualized, racialized, and ignored. Culture has often portrayed Black women as a monolith and in terms of victimhood. And yet, what we have not seen--still do not see enough of--are the real women behind the stereotypes radically resisting being spoken for...In reclaiming their individual acts and voices from the cultural narrative that, for centuries, would rather suppress them, This Thread of Gold will make these women visible--in some cases for the very first time."

     In This Thread of Gold Catherine Joy White portrays a wide range of awesome Black women in a wide range of professions. 

     Shirley Anita Chisholm was raised in Barbados by a grandmother who taught her to trust her own voice. As early as h

er college years she was active in the fight for racial advancement. In 1968 she became America's first Black congresswoman. In this role she was a fierce champion of a wide range of underdogs. She even envisioned reproductive rights as a necessary part of Healthcare. She coined the inspirational saying: If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.

     Wangari Maathai was raised by nuns in Kenya. She was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a PhD. Aware of the dangerous deforestation in her country and the desperate poverty and hunger of her country woman ("The more you degrade the environment, the more you dig deeper into poverty.") she created the Green Belt Initiative that not only planted trees, but empowered women to become agents of change. She was the first African woman Nobel Peace Prize winner.

     In 1940 Hattie McDaniel become the first Black person in history to win an Oscar for her role as Mammy in Gone With The Wind. She was segregated from whites the night of her great professional accomplishment. This honor didn't open the doors she hoped it would. White Hollywood continued to give her maid roles while many Blacks considered her a race traitor for taking those maid roles. She also was also instrumental in desegregating Los Angeles housing. 

     And these are only a few of the amazing sheroes readers will learn about. If you believe that Black Lives Matter most definitely put This Thread of Gold on your summer reading list. 

On a purrrsonal note, I voted for Hillary Clinton as the the lesser of the two evils. I am not a fan. In my opinion she was too good at standing by her man as he ended welfare as we know it, dooming so many women and children to inescapable poverty, and created those tough on crime laws that needlessly incarcerated so many people of color, ruining their lives and devastating their families and communities. The woman I desperately wanted to be the first woman president was Shirley Chisholm. I was on fire for her unbound unbought message. Finally here was somebody who was not going to cave to the rich and powerful, who would stick up for the underdogs. I think if we'd elected her back then we'd be a lot better off today. I was so happy to see her honored in this fine book.  

A great big shout out goes out to White for bringing us these truly engaging and inspiring stories. 

Jules Hathaway 

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone