Reading: Not With Laughter, by Langston Hughes

 I just completed reading this book, by one of my favorite poets,

  Langston Hughes

        "Not Without Laughter" is a powerful exploration of African American life in the early 20th century. Through the story of a young boy named Sandy, Hughes examines themes of identity, family, and community, offering a vivid portrait of a world that is both unique and universal.

        At its core, "Not Without Laughter" is a coming-of-age story that follows Sandy as he navigates the challenges of growing up in a world that is often hostile to people of color. Sandy's journey is a deeply personal one, but it is also representative of the experiences of countless African Americans who were coming of age during this time period.

        One of the most striking aspects of the novel is the way in which Hughes portrays the complex dynamics of African American families. Sandy's mother, Annjee, is a hardworking woman who is determined to provide for her family, but she is also deeply conflicted about her role as a mother. She is often distant and preoccupied, leaving Sandy to fend for himself. Despite this, Sandy loves his mother deeply and is fiercely loyal to her.

        Sandy's relationship with his grandmother, Hager, is similarly complicated. Hager is a deeply religious woman who has strong opinions about how Sandy should be raised. She is often critical of Annjee, and she sees herself as the moral center of the family. Despite their disagreements, however, Sandy and Hager share a deep bond, and Hager serves as a source of strength and guidance for him throughout the novel.

        Through these and other characters, Hughes paints a rich and complex portrait of African American family life, showing how these relationships can be both sources of support and of tension.

        Another central theme of the novel is the importance of community. Throughout the book, Sandy is surrounded by a network of people who offer him guidance and support. From the members of his church to the teachers at his school, Sandy is constantly reminded that he is part of something larger than himself.

        This sense of community is particularly important given the many challenges that Sandy faces. He is often subjected to racism and discrimination, and he must navigate a world that is often hostile to people of color. Despite this, however, Sandy remains resilient and hopeful, buoyed by the knowledge that he is not alone in his struggles.

        Ultimately, "Not Without Laughter" is a powerful reminder of the resilience and strength of the human spirit. Through Sandy's story, Hughes offers a vivid and compelling portrait of African American life during this time period, showing both the challenges and opportunities that existed for people of color. By the end of the novel, I was left with a sense of hope and possibility, and a renewed appreciation for the power of community and the importance of family.

currently listening to Brotha, by Angie Stone

/62\

what happens to a dream deferred?

He would have been 111 years old today.

My favorite writer,  Langston Hughes

Dinner Guest: Me

I know I am
The Negro Problem
Being wined and dined,
Answering the usual questions
That come to white mind
Which seeks demurely
To Probe in polite way
The why and wherewithal
Of darkness U.S.A.--
Wondering how things got this way
In current democratic night,
Murmuring gently
Over fraises du bois,
"I'm so ashamed of being white."

The lobster is delicious,
The wine divine,
And center of attention
At the damask table, mine.
To be a Problem on
Park Avenue at eight
Is not so bad.
Solutions to the Problem,
Of course, wait.

--Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America

I, too, sing America

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. 

                                                   --Langston Hughes

Well, son, I'll tell you:

Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor --
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now --
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
--   Mother to son,   by Langston Hughes

Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision. 
--Ayn Rand

On this day in 1959, Lorraine Hansberry's 'A Raisin in the Sun' opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York City with Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil in the lead roles. The play ran for 530 performances, becoming the longest running Broadway play written by an African-American. This was also the first Broadway drama written and directed by an African-American woman. In 1961 'A Raisin in the Sun' was made into a movie, again starring Sidney Poitier as the chauffeur Walter Younger. Hansberry's landmark career was cut short when she died of cancer in 1965 at the age of 34.

What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

                 --Langston Hughes

The one thing

If we do everything else but that one thing, we will be lost. And if we do nothing else but that one thing, we will have lived a glorious life. ~ Rumi

I spent a long time agonizing over my one thing, only to discover I've always known what it is. Actually what they are.  Second is writing. Before my speech pathologist introduced me to the poetry of Langston Hughes, e.e. cummings, and Gwendolyn Brooks, I had another love, realizing it was such, when I was 6.  My grandfather loved to cook. Even after he retired, he cooked at a homeless shelter every day, for free, up until the day he died.. Cooking, to him was as normal as sleeping or breathing. He even passed away while cooking, doing something that brought him happiness.
Growing up, my mother and her sisters never learned to cook, and my earliest memory is of me sitting on a barstool in the kitchen, watching my grandfather cleaning a bucket of chittlin's and frying catfish, and watching his girlfriend bake cakes and pies.  My first love was/is cooking. When I was 12, he decided I had the knowledge and skills to make the entire Thanksgiving dinner while he sat on a chair and coached me.  It was an intimidating experience, but I pulled it off. He did help me, only minimally. I made turkey and dressing, chittlin's, potato salad, fried chicken, candied yams, collard greens, corn bread, spaghetti,  coleslaw, a coconut cake and a couple sweet potato pies- our usual Holiday meal. And I remember watching my mom and sister  and uncles and aunts and cousins devour the food.  I experience that feeling everytime I cook or bake something for dates, friends or family.

How about you? What is your one thing? Are you doing it and if not, why not?

As I grow older

It was a long time ago.

I have almost forgotten my dream.
But it was there then,
In front of me,
Bright like a sun--
My dream.
And then the wall rose,
Rose slowly,
Slowly,
Between me and my dream.
Rose until it touched the sky--
The wall.
Shadow.
I am black.
I lie down in the shadow.
No longer the light of my dream before me,
Above me.
Only the thick wall.
Only the shadow.
My hands!
My dark hands!
Break through the wall!
Find my dream!
Help me to shatter this darkness,
To smash this night,
To break this shadow
Into a thousand lights of sun,
Into a thousand whirling dreams
Of sun!
             
                  --Langston Hughes

Happy Black History Month

on today, November 29,

in 1919,  Pearl Primus was born.

She played an important role in the presentation of African dance to American audiences. Early in her career she saw the needs to promote African dance as an art form worthy of study and performance. Primus’ work was a reaction to myths of savagery and the lack of knowledge about African people. It was an effort to guide the Western world to view African dance as an important and dignified statement about another way of life. Additionally, her work provided a knowledge and meaning for dances that had been plagued by distortion of movement and excessive hip shaking of the backside.
Primus was born in Trinidad in 1919 to Edward and Emily (Jackson) Primus. Among her relations were drummers and initiates into the Shango/Spiritual Baptist faith. Her maternal grandfather, in particular, was an Ashanti musician from Ghana. When Pearl Primus was two years old she, with her two brothers were brought to New York City where they were reared. Although her parents did not exhibit theatrical tendencies, Primus’ mother had learned the social dances of Trinidad from her grandfather. Primus also had a colorful aunt who sympathized with her decision to embrace dance. When that came, this aunt who dressed in unusually colorful clothing, exclaimed that she would have been shocked had Primus not become an entertainer.
Primus also choreographed a work to Langston Hughes’s long famous poem, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, which was performed at her Broadway debut on October 4, 1944 at the Bealson Theatre.
She then began to study more intensively at the New Dance Group and became one of their instructors. In the summer of 1944, Primus visited the Deep South to research the culture and dances of Southern blacks. She visited over seventy churches and picked cotton with the sharecroppers. In December 1943, Primus appeared as a guest artist in Asadata Dafora’s African Dance Festival at Carnegie Hall.
In December 1944, Primus, who was primarily a solo artist recruited other dancers and performed in concerts at the Roxy Theatre. African Ceremonial was rechoreographed for a group performance. At this time, Primus’ African choreography could be termed interpretive, based on research and her imagining of the way in which a piece of African sculpture would move.
In 1946, Primus was invited to appear in the revival of the Broadway production Showboat choreographed by Helen Tamiris. Then, she was asked to choreograph a Broadway production called Calypso whose title became Caribbean Carnival. She also appeared at the Chicago Theatre in the 1947 revival of the Emperor Jones in the ‘’’Witch Doctor’’’ role that Hemsley Winfield made famous.
Following this show and many subsequent recitals, Primus toured the nation with a company she formed. While on the university and college circuit, Primus performed at Fisk University in 1948, where Dr. Charles S. Johnson, a member of Rosenwald Foundation board, was president. He was so impressed with the power of her interpretive African dances that he asked her when she had last visited Africa. She replied that she had never done so. She then received the last and largest ($4000) of the major Rosenwald Fellowships for an eighteen month research and study tour of the Gold Coast, Angola, Cameroons, Liberia, Senegal and the Belgian Congo.
Primus was so well accepted in the communities in her study tour that she was told that the ancestral spirit of an African dancer had manifested in her. The Oni and people of Ife, Nigeria, felt that she was so much a part of their community that they initiated her into their commonwealth and affectionately conferred on her the title Omowale- the child who has returned home.^{[3]  
                          --Courtesy wikipedia.org}

"Use those talents you have. You will make it. You will give joy to the world. Take this tip from nature: The woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except those who sang best." 
--Bernard Meltzer