APRIL 2010
I Had A Ball In California..
Last month I was invited to a book event in Oakland, California given by Turning Pages Book Club. The weather was beautiful, the audience engaging and my fellow panel authors - April Sinclair and Renee Swindle were both a true delight. We talked about the industry, where we've been, where we are now and where we planned to go. I feel like I made two new wonderful friends in April and Renee. They are truly kindred spirits. Renee's friend took a fantabulous picture of the three of us. Picture is below.
This picture truly captures just how much fun I had. These ladies are awesome and it was such a pleasure to share the podium with them. That's April to my right (your left) and Renee to my left (your right).
Deborah Burton-Johnson and Raenette Sanders of Turning Pages Book Club made my stay a pure joy. I just want to take this time to publicly thank them both for an awesome, inspiring, delightful trip and I'm looking forward to going back one day in the future. And if you ever get an invitation from Turning Pages Book Club to participate in their events - go. You will have a wonderful time. Here is a picture:
Raenette Sanders Me Deborah Burton-Johnson
It's Good Friday as I write this, two days away from Easter or, as some call it now "Resurrection Sunday". My mom, which I've talked about a few months back, is 94 years old. She has a lot of years and a lot of history. Over the years, she has shared quite a few of her personal stories, and just recently, she shared another one.
It turned out that my mother may have been the first black child to attend an Easter Egg hunt on the Great Lawn at the White House. With Obama in office now, we tend to forget that such a thing was not even conceivable in the early part of the last century. But my Mom, with the help and assistance of Mrs. Jessica Cadell, made it possible.
The year was either 1920, or 1921. At the time, my grandmother Margaret Hinton, was a domestic for Mrs. Jessica Cadell, a rich white women in DC. Mrs. Cadell took an instant liking to my mother and took her many different places that most black people, no less black children were allowed. One of those places was the Great Lawn at the White House for the annual Easter Egg Hunt in 1920 or 1921.
My mother shared with me how a policeman insisted to Mrs. Cadell that 'she can't be here', referring to my then five year old mom. Well, Mrs. Cadell insisted that yes she could and what he going to do arrest her? Long story short, my mother, the only black child there, gathered up as many Easter eggs as she could find. And though the police officer followed Mrs. Cadell and my mother around the whole time, he didn't lay a single hand of either one of them.
So, the next time you see pictures of children of all races running around the Great Lawn, gathering up their Easter eggs, remember that almost century ago, a little five year old girl by the name of Alma Hinton, with the help of Mrs. Cadell, was possibly was the first little black child to do so.
In this time of resurrection, may your Spirit be renewed...
And lastly, Happy birthday to all my April friends and family: Tony Jacobs, Terry Hall, Christopher Hodge, Devon Shippam, Audrey Lawrence, Shawn Moore, Kelly Jacobs and Evelyn Richardson. I love you all...
As always, I invite you all to drop me a line at: mjhodge@bellsouth.net. Until next time, may your life be filled with love, light, and understanding. Until next time,
Peace and Blessings,
Margaret
