Grace Notes Blog
February 12, 1945- To Command of Negro Naval Personal
During black history month I promised to to use my Grace Notes Blog as an outbox to share some of the discoveries I’ve made while researching my book, or in my travels speaking to readers who often shared archival material of their own.
Today a peek at a guide the US Navy published after the integration of armed forces to help officers figure out how to command a group of …
Read More >>Just a shade of AMERICAN history…
As a journalist I have developed mixed feelings about Black History Month. Don’t get me wrong. I understand and fully endorse the idea of exploring and celebrating black history but like many, I regret that our greatest enthusiasm for this subject is concentrated into just one month – and the shortest month at that.
Sometimes I find myself rolling my eyes because this is the time of year …
Read More >>Don Cornelius. Say it ain’t so!
On the first day of Black History month I glanced at my cell phone and saw an email that tugged my heart and snatched me back in time. The ladies of my dinner group were circulating the news that was just hitting the wires:
…Ladies –
Assuming you don’t already know this. Don Cornelius shot himself to death, last night.
He was found in his home this morning. Devastating news.…
Read More >>Grace Notes Blog- Race is Rocks Thrown at Kids!
Race is rocks thrown at kids!
That is the way one of my readers summed up his feelings on RACE in six words. It was part of an exercise I’ve asked readers to engage in. I call it my Race Card Project. I ask people to share their thoughts, experiences, observations, hopes, laments or viewpoint about race in one sentence. But that sentence can only have six words.…
Read More >>Grace Notes Blog- Talking about Race is like Cooking with Onions
Even though I called my book The Grace of Silence, I always hoped that it would be the starting point for conversations. I just wasn’t sure HOW that would happen, especially as I hopscotched across the country on a 35 city book tour. So, I came up with an idea that might serve as an icebreaker. Everywhere I went I passed out little black post cards with the following …
Grace Notes Blog- STAY IN THE BOAT
I’ve got this little box in my office filled with all the little gifts I’ve received while traveling the country on my thirty-plus city book tour. It’s quite a collection. There are picture books, poetry volumes, picture books and cooking guides. I received two blankets from folks who worried that I might catch a cold with all that constant travel and I felt a warm glow of appreciation on a …
Read More >>Guest Blog-GOOD FOOD RELAXES TALK STORIES FOLLOW by Madhulika Sikka
GOOD FOOD RELAXES TALK STORIES FOLLOW
A Grace Notes Blog, Guest Blog
by: Madhulika Sikka
Executive Producer
Morning Edition
Ok, that’s my play on Michele’s 6 word challenge. She’s looking for stories about race in 6 words and you can see some of the submissions on this website.
But what she really wants folks to do is to sit down and tell stories to each other, the stories that …
Read More >>Grace Notes Blog- Match Book Fiction
Match Book Fiction
Shorts bursts of creativity are all the rage right now in the age of email, twitter and face book. It is hard to be profound in 140 characters or less, but lord knows a lot of people try. Given the success of twitter it’s no surprise that we’re starting to see adventures in micro-publishing. There’s a cook book called Eat Tweet in which more than 1,000 recipes …
Read More >>Grace Notes Blog- Listen Up! National Day of Listening 2010
I juggle a lot of titles in my life. Mother. Wife. Daughter. Radio Host. Book Author. Occasional Room Parent. SisterFriend. Gardner. Cook. Chief bottle washer.
This season I get to add another title to that list: Ambassador.
My friend Dave Isay, the founder of the national, non-profit oral history project called StoryCorps has asked me to serve as the National Ambassador for another one of his wise contributions …
Read More >>Grace Notes: A Veteran’s Day Remembrance
On this Veteran’s day I am thinking of a question I get over and over again while I am traveling the country on book tour. What, if anything, should the U.S. Military do to officially acknowledge the men and women of color who served in the armed forces under onerous segregation codes. Is an apology in order? Is it instead prudent to thank them for serving their country at a …
