Barbara A. Seals Nevergold – författare

Treasury of letters written by African American women to Michelle Obama.Winner of the 2009 Letitia Woods Brown Memorial Book Award, in the category of edited volume, presented by the Association of Black Women Historians"You are me. When I look at you, I see me. I see the young African American woman who, through good family values, strong roots, hard work, and perseverance, has come into her own … Though your journey may not be easy in the coming days, weeks, months, or years, think of us to ease your burden and pain. Think of those who you inspire. Think of those who you have given hope to. Think of those whom you have filled with pride. Think of your sister … Think of your favorite cousin. Think of your mother. Think of me. We are the same.""To you Michelle I take off my African woman hat from Cameroon, my motherland. You have given us African women the courage and the hope to move on and up. You keep your head high and hold your husband close to your heart. Keep praying my sister, you are the best. You have lived the dream of every ebony woman. Ride on sister, we are with you.""You are the song, you are the proverb, and you are the symbol of human dignity.""When you and your family go to the spot under the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial, where Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, you will take with you our history of dreams deferred; however, you will also take with you our prayers and hopes for an America that is ready to build and dream anew.""Thank you for your courage to say yes, to step from behind your private veil into the public eye, to step forward with the grace of boldness, to carry a message that 'Hope is a wise decision' and also teaching the importance of learning to prepare oneself because with hope, things can change. I sat next to my daughter, praying that all women would tell this message to themselves, their daughters and sisters, nieces and neighbors, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, friends and sisterfriends, strangers and mates. But most of all, I thank you from the bottom of my heart to remind me to keep being hopeful so I can keep flapping my wings and not be afraid to fly.""What I really want to say is thank you for existing and remaining visually the kind of woman I've always wanted to be. I'd given up hope. I'd given up hope that Black men could affectionately and passionately adore a woman publicly the way that your old man adores you. I'd given up hope that I'd get to keep my booty and succeed in the commercial production world of NYC. I honestly didn't believe I'd be able to be intelligent and sexy at the same time and be taken seriously … You two have revolutionized what I believe to be possible in Black life. Black, young, sexy, beautiful, brilliant, and powerful. How marvelous.""We are one woman, blessed to be born Black in America … I rejoice for every little girl, every teenager, young adult and yes even every senior, who like me, can look at you and see herself. I rejoice for the mothers who loved their children as much as you and I do, yet could not protect them.""Thank you for making me reconsider bringing my Black babies into this world."Passionate, shattering, and tender, this astonishing book gathers together letters to Michelle Obama, written by African American and African women. Shortly after the election, the Uncrowned Queens Institute in Buffalo, New York, sent out a call across the country for African American women to share their hopes, fears, and advice with the new First Lady. Hundreds of letters and poems poured in, signaling both an unprecedented moment in our nation's history and a remarkable opportunity for African American women to look at the White House and see and speak to one of their own there.These very personal letters and poems, written by African American women from all ages and walks of life, celebrate a newfound hope for our world and children, speak to a strong sisterhood with the First Lady, confess often very private fears and dreams, and acknowledge and remember the generations before who endured so much for so long.

talented musician and an expert photographer. His photography career spanned nearly ahalf-century and produced thousands of photographs and negatives. Following his deathin 1995, members of the family decided to gather as many images as possible, especiallythe early ones. However, the search that the family conducted for the negatives and photosthat chronicle our father''s photographic career resulted in finding materials that are equallyemblematic of his role as a minister of the Gospel.We found an unexpected treasure in the copies of the notes that he used to constructhis sermons. These hand-written notes were probably also used when he preached. Manywere dated and cited the church where they were delivered. The earliest one dated to 1948with the last ones ending in 1988. Surprisingly many of the messages he conveyed have atimeless nature to them as the issues which he addressed are still relevant! This small volumeis also enriched by copies of photos taken from our fathers collection and scans of some ofthe original notes.The majority of the sermons in this book were preached during Dad''s pastorate ofthe Cold Spring Baptist Church in Buffalo, New York. He was the pastor of Cold Springs,located at Verplanck and Woodlawn Avenues, from about 1956 to 1961. During the latterpart of his tenure at the Church his sermons show signs of mounting frustration anddifficulties with a faction of the congregation. I leave the analysis of this period of myfathers ministry to the reader, but I think that these sermons provide an interestingpicture of the management problems that many ministers encounter in their positions asspiritual as well as organizational leaders.Finally, we were extremely fortunate that these papers werent over-looked anddestroyed. I have to give special acknowledgement to my brothers, James, John and Jerry fortheir foresight in gathering these sermons, the negatives and photographs for preservation.Initially, I transcribed these sermons/notes and saved them to be shared with the family. It''staken over 15 years but finally they can be passed down to a generation, who were not evenalive when our father died.However, I believe that these papers represent not just a family legacy as they illustrate atradition of the Black ministry. Like so many of his peers, our father was an itinerant minister,who answered his call to ministry while keeping his day job (in my father''s case, day jobs).This little book offers a glimpse into the life of a Black man, born more than a century ago,who persevered against the challenges of his day to succeed in several chosen fields.