Family Ties Bind and Remind Us of the Bravery in Our DNA

My family reunion is coming up.  We are billing this year’s gathering as “Back to the Beginning.”  And it is.  We are returning to Arkansas where my paternal grandmother was born, raised, and left.  She moved “up north” to Minnesota, one of the millions of Blacks who fled the South as part of The Great Migration.

Isabel Wilkerson chronicled the mass exodus of southern Blacks who had tired of segregation and its stunning legacy of inequality and fear.  In this month’s issue, Wilkerson talks to TheVillage about her book, “The Warmth Of Other Suns.”  Her illuminating and insightful storytelling will remind you of the bravery that lies within your DNA.

We are focusing on the family this month.  The incalculable value of family… your tribe… your peeps.  They are to a village what a foundation is to a building.  And when one is gone, there is a vast hole in our heart.  New contributor, Emily Shavers Edgell, shares her struggle to come to terms with the death of her father.  It is a must read.

Many families, especially African-Americans, are facing dire economic losses: jobs, homes, dreams.  “Going green” may be the best way to make green these days. Contributor Shera Dahlin tells you about one woman’s new career direction.  And if you have been fortunate enough to maintain your 401K, business writer, Nick Newton, implores you to study it like you would a map to a new land. Some day it will be: retirement.

My cousins and I who live in Saint Louis have assembled the tote bags for the reunion, carefully folding the t-shirts and tucking a camera and picture frame in each one.  Everybody knows a picture is worth a thousand words.  And one of the most important is family.

Read more about Vickie Newton, Publisher/Editor, TheVillageCelebration.com