I grew up during a time when Black people were called Colored and Negro but what I remember most is how we really loved each other like extended family living close to each other in neighborhoods and communities that were interconnected.  There were businesses owned by Black people, so we did not go too far outside of our neighborhood for what we needed.

There were other immigrant families living among us like Germans, and Italians on my street. We all had the same problems and challenges, survival. My community felt safe like a web of love in connectedness.

In he oral tradition of story telling from the Ashanti of  West Africa the Anansi tales demonstrate the interconnectedness of family. Anansi sets out on a long, difficult journey. Threatened by Fish and Falcon, he is saved from terrible fates by his sons. The story is about family connection, forgiveness and love.

My community felt like this growing up as women and men taking care of their families. Women expressed love by cooking for other families when some was ill or by taking food to a family grieving the loss of a loved one. Children played in each other’s yards and ran free on their block. We may have been poor in monetary values, but we were rich in love. Read more