Morphological Confetti

Book on subject:    Give Us Each Day: The Diary of Alice Dunbar Nelson

Cater Godwin Woodson, the father of African American History, was born on this day in 1875.   Woodson founded The Journal of Negro History (now the Journal of African American History), which chronicles the lives and history of Africans in America.   The journal is published four times a year by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, founded in 1915 by Woodson and Jesse E. Moorland.   Carter G. Woodson died on April 3, 1950 in Washington, District of Columbia at the age of 74.   Woodson’s contributions and research in African American history and culture is paramount.   He is an inspiration to Morphological Confetti, and all who love and research the history of African Americans.   God bless his soul. Photo and source:   Association for the Study of African American Life and History and wikipedia

Jamaican poet, novelist, and playwright, Geoffrey Philp has recently released his collection of poetry, Dub Wise . I really enjoyed reading this collection of poetry. Although I do not have a vast knowledge of reggae or Dub music, I was able to relate to Philp’s words. In fact, in reading Dub wise , I felt as if I was privy to the vivid imagination of a quilt maker. Geoffrey Philp has woven together everything that represents his heart and his perception of the world dealing with spirituality, existence, love, and family. Yes, acrostically, this spells “SELF.” I threw that in just to be clever, but he also explores identity in the poem,“Red.” The opening poem, “Father Poem,” talks about a father who comes home. While reading this poem, I wondered if this was a daily routine, or was the father coming home from a long journey. The poem ends talking about the reaction of the children as the father pulls into the driveway. There is likely more to the poem, but this is what stood out...

Are you aware of the significant contribution that Washington, D.C. made to the Black Arts Movement (Harlem Renaissance) of the 1920's? It was 1923 and the wounds of slavery were still infected. A movement to showcase the resilience and creativity of a people was just the thing to help in the healing process. Two Washingtonians come to mind when I think of Washington, D.C. during the Renaissance and they were composer, Jazz pianist, and bandleader, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington and writer, Jean Toomer. I am especially proud of Duke Ellington because he formed a group in 1923 called the W ashingtonians that stormed Harlem that year. The name of the group was not especially creative, but it certainly showed that the Duke's heart was still in Washington. Duke and his band eventually landed a gig in the famous Cotton Club on December 4, 1927. Their popularity soared afterward s and secured them a place in Jazz history. In 1923, Jean Toomer impressed the literary wo...

She was grandma's older sister. I called her Amanita. She was born and raised in Washington, D.C. Grandma once described her as the "party" sister or at least the more adventurous one. She hit all of the hot spots as a young woman in DC during the 1940’s. Her favorite hang out spots were places like, The Howard Theater and bars like The Casbah on U Street. She would outgrow the DC scene and move to Chicago sometime in the 1950’s. She lived on the South Side of Chicago for almost 20 years before moving back to DC in the late 60’s. By the time I came along, Amanita had lived most of her life. She settled down into an apartment on E street in Northeast DC. In fact, her apartment was right across the hall from my grandmother’s place. Amanita would get me dressed every morning for school when I began kindergarten at Gibbs Elementary in 1972. She would fuss and tug as she tried to get me ready for school in the morning. I would always asked her for some pickles because I cou...