Without the love and support of contributors -who by the way look for no compensation, just exposure- I am humbled by the votes of acceptance this first ‘out of the box’ issue has received.

Published quarterly for now, The Village Griot eZine can only soar higher. Anyone interested in becoming a contributing writer of poetry, articles, essays, how to’s, tech advice and storytelling will be considered. Visit www.thevillagegriot.com to download the Guidelines for Contributing Writers and to join the email notification list.

In the meantime you can read, browse and print from right here. Thank you for your support.

© Sharon Moore Stenhouse  –All Rights Reserved–

I have carried the idea of writing a novel around in my head for years. In fact, about six years ago I developed an outline for the story, characters and location. During a workshop with the Black Writers’ Guild of Maryland,  I was honored to read a preview of the work and reviewed the beginnings with a professor of writing from the University of Maryland. The professor’s advice was to keep thinking and writing along the path I was taking, and I would have a brilliant book. She suggested a series of books on novel writing and reminded me to stay true to the characters and settings.

Writing a novel has proven to be an arduous task, especially for me the perfectionist. My thought was not only to tell a story but also, to teach something in the process. For me the teaching would have to be from both a spiritual level, as well as a bit of history. The concept is a historical fiction, which means research.

My house, if it could talk, would tell you that I’ve neglected everything except my day job and my newsletter “The Village Griot”(which is now an electronic magazine) to finish this work. Last night I experienced great joy when I actually completed the story. Now I can begin editing, although I’ve edited continuously while writing. Doing so did slow down my thought process…that’s the perfectionist in me.

The title I originally wanted to use was unacceptable to me because there were already two books in print with the same title. That doesn’t mean I couldn’t use that particular title, I just decided I needed my title to stand out; to peak the prospective reader’s interest. Halfway through the writing process I found my title.

The research took me to various places imaginatively, on the Internet, and physically in a search through time. The novel’s back-story takes the reader to 1893. My research also brought to light actual historical events and places that I have woven into the story.

I guess you want to know about the book. The official title is “JuWasha’s Shroud.” The story begins in 1960s Baltimore and travels back in time to New Orleans, then to the Northern Neck of Virginia and ends in the town of Lively, Virginia. The story is totally fiction… well almost.

As for the teaching, the book will contain photos, charts, maps and an appendix with my historical research.

Look forward to a pre-sale promotion at the end of summer, and publishing in October. My prayer is that the novel will be ready for an upcoming book festival in Richmond, VA on November 13.  Stay tuned.

Oh, and from time to time I will blog on the progress. If you’re on Facebook look me up and become a FAN of The Village Griot.

Amani na Mapenzi: Love & Peace

© 2010 Sharon Moore Stenhouse  –All Rights Reserved–

Eldrick (Tiger) Woods

“All I wanna say is that they don’t really care about us!”  I don’t care whether they call us… African-American, black, people of color or even the N-word, it boggles my mind that in the United States there is still a culture set on destroying anyone of us who gains a tremendous degree of fame and fortune. I suppose boggle is not the verb I should use because I am not overwhelmed or bewildered; I am angry as hell.

I can assure you that my anger is nowhere near the intense level of anger the man standing at the center of this very vivid controversy feels about his own transgressions. In fact, I firmly believe the man deeply regrets many of the decisions he has made in his personal life over the past few years, however, that is a different story for another time.

For the most part, it seems the celebrity of blacks who obtain their fortune through sports and entertainment is the root cause of the tremendous discord deeply embedded in the psyche of White America… though they are loathe to admit it. And, of course, this celebrity places them under an unnerving degree of scrutiny whether they like it or not.

For more than 10 days now, there has been a media frenzy building around an incident that took place in the private life of Eldrick (Tiger) Woods, the son of a black father and an Asian mother. Tiger Woods knows he is an African-American -just being based upon the U.S. one drop rule, however because of his mixed heritage  he made a conscience decision to blend into the country club sports network of golf where his athletic prowess is recognized.

If we are to believe everything presented to us by the media, we now know that a bevy of unscrupulous females have emerged as either a one time or current mistress of Tiger Woods, even during his not-so-acceptable marriage to a former Swedish model. The “breaking news” gets more bizarre with each passing day, and is based on pure speculation. Respected news media are giving ‘top story’ status to any rumors coming in from sources whether they are reliable or not.

Tom Joyner’s Morning Show is having a field day making fun of Tiger Woods and what these recent events –whether pure speculation or not, may have done to Woods’ clean image. This is where the verb boggle can be put to good use. The insensitivity of the comedy pouring through the radio boggles my mind because it fuels the speculation and negativity to the point that both tabloid print and television media have requested interviews with Joyner. Were the interviews requests looking for an honest assessment of the situation, or because Joyner -a black man- openly made comedic fun of Tiger’s dilemma? I actually had to turn the radio off.

We have followed Tiger Woods since his childhood, just as we followed the career of another child prodigy who achieved celebrity, fame and fortune, and channeled his fortune into caring, universal causes until the media began tearing him down. Although the alleged ‘unscrupulous’ behavior was different from the speculation surrounding Tiger Woods, it was still the beginning of his downfall.

As long as Black America doesn’t pose any type of threat to White America we can make as much money, gain as much celebrity, and even try our best to assimilate their culture. It’s almost like the slave master and the overseer (media) mentality weighing in to bring them down if they get too uppity. Let us just suppose the accident that started all this was at the home of Phil Mickelson. What would the media do with that story?

Tiger Woods is on the threshold of meeting and breaking the record of one of the golf world’s greats –Jack Nicklaus, and has surpassed many long standing achievements dating back to 1913. He, along with his father, developed the Tiger Woods Foundation which is dedicated to children offering character development programs, scholarships, grants, junior golf teams, and the Tiger Woods Learning Center. The Foundation is helping young people reach their goals.

Tiger Woods Design is a business venture slated to design and build golf courses in three locations around the world. Three are currently in the works… Dubai, North Carolina and Mexico.

The tragedy here is the media –because of ratings, which of course translates to dollars, has created such a rush to judgment that a feeding frenzy beyond comprehension has brought people crawling out of the woodwork to stake a claim on Tiger the golfer, not the man. The root of all the attention is based upon something that is personal to Tiger and his family, and need not be addressed in the media.

Laughing at ourselves helps make our societal journey a little easier, given the many obstacles we as a people face every day. We must, however, be very careful about the perception we give our oppressor –and yes, as long as one group feels they are superior to another there will be oppression. The tone of media spin at a time like this plays right into their hands, and we provide even more fodder by our own insensitive actions in the midst of this madness.

Whether all or part of Tiger Wood’s situation is of his own making is not important, especially since he has not broken any laws –just perhaps gone against some people’s moral values. Each of us have our own demons and we are hard pressed to cast a sinless stone in anyone’s direction. The thing we cannot allow is a white controlled media to continue spinning rumors and creating stories based on speculation and innuendo, or the voices of money grabbers looking for  a huge payday and their 15 minutes of fame.

If the other child prodigy were alive today this is what he’d have to say. Tiger, take a listen.

“Tell me what has become of my rights
Am I invisible because you ignore me?
Your proclamation promised me free liberty, now
I’m tired of bein’ the victim of shame
They’re throwing me in a class with a bad name
I can’t believe this is the land from which I came
You know I do really hate to say it
The government don’t wanna see
But if Roosevelt was livin’
He wouldn’t let this be, no, no

Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, speculation
Everybody litigation
Beat me, bash me
You can never trash me
Hit me, kick me
You can never get me

All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us”

Lyrics: They Don’t Care About Us, written and composed by Michael Jackson, MiJac Music (BMI), MJJ Productions, Inc.

© 2009 Sharon Moore Stenhouse – All Rights Reserved

My Natural Hair

It amazes me how much emphasis we place on our looks in the U.S. Cosmetics, beauty, and hair care is a multi-billion dollar consumer industry. What we look like is a major factor in the type of lifestyle, job, and friendships we have throughout our lives. Though I have not seen Chris Rock’s documentary Good Hair, I have read a number of articles from a few very prominent people about this societal concept of black hair. When you look at me the first thing you see is my African heritage. There are no visible signs of my Scottish ancestors, or the Europeans I don’t even know about.

I painfully remember the taunts I received while growing up about having “good hair,” though I personally don’t place my own hair in that category. Even today, people -especially African-Americans comment on my hair with questions like “How do you get your hair to look like that?” or “Girl, I wish I had hair like that… you don’t even have a ‘kitchen’. The kitchen is the hair at the nape of the neck that is usually very dry and curly (kinky) on the heads of some women or color. Wanting to be accepted by my peers, I begged my mother to let me get a perm.

About ten years ago, I decided to stop putting harsh chemicals in my hair after developing a severe eczema around the hairline. The chemicals also caused hair breakage, dryness, and left me with lifeless strands of hair that seemed to come out by the comb full. To alleviate the problem I cut my hair to about an inch from my scalp and began proudly wearing a feminine short-cropped hairstyle. This was an emancipating experience for me; I was no longer slave to the products that caused the damage in the first place.

Back when I asked for my first perm, the stylist told me I was crazy -that I was going to ruin my hair. After more than 30 years of chemicals, she was right. It has taken a number of years since I put a halt to the chemicals and that first initial cut for me to love and understand what is now my absolute God given natural hair. For years, I wasn’t even aware of my own curl pattern that some women pay top dollar to achieve; it was already there so I decided to stop cutting it as well. Now my hair is healthy, the eczema is long gone, and I save a ton of cash from not using products I didn’t need in the first place. I can’t wait for more growth to allow me to be more creative.

What I have noticed and experienced is the change in some segments of society, and acceptance as an intelligent, educated woman -especially by older whites, in the workplace because of my natural hair. When I wear a free-style (without a headband) which allows the curls to cascade over my forehead, I receive comments from some of my white co-workers like “Oh I like your hair better when it’s smooth.”  Once I slicked it back with a load of gel and my director commented on how sophisticated she thought I looked.  That comment was most insulting because I’ve also noticed that I’m no longer asked to visibly assist when we host high profile or international visitors.

With the exception of certain careers, i.e. entertainment (music, theatre and the arts), and journalism -to a point, the natural state of the African-American woman’s hair is still looked upon as unacceptable in many circles. Initially my stylish short-cropped hair is perceived as the thing some women do as they age and considered non-threatening however, since allowing it to grow and becoming more adept at styling, there is a definite shift in perception from the non-Hispanic white people at work.

This poses the question to those who find cause to judge me by my hair. Do you where your hair in its natural state? No one questions the stringy, oily, often shedding hair on your head. In fact, I find it amusing that some whites try everything they can to achieve a thick bouncy, curly head of hair. They’ve even tried African braids and locking to no avail. In their case I suppose one could use the old adage, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Thank you Lord for creating me in the image you purposed. I love my natural hair.

Note: I now use products produced by Carol’s Daughter.

© 31 October 2008 – Sharon Moore Stenhouse – All Rights Reserved

Artist's Queen of Sheba based on the Biblical description.

As a young girl growing up in Baltimore, there was a saying that often echoed throughout my home. “Everyone in my skin, ain’t my kin.” What my parents were saying to me and others, during a time when African-Americans were still being called ‘colored’ or ‘Negro’, was that one should not associate with individuals whose core values and mores were perceived as denigrating.  I remember my mother constantly trying to instill the notion that the company we keep judges us.  She insisted on reading; if one reads, one can achieve anything, including wisdom, and can learn to think for themselves.  As someone who has been around for more than five decades, I can say with certainty that I’ve witnessed varying degrees of African-American’s self denigration and therefore, I am willing to put my own spin on those words.

We as black people -called the descendents of Ham have a long, storied history that dates back to Genesis. The Old Testament tells us in Genesis 6:8-13,  “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham*, and Japheth. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.  And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”

Note: Egypt was traditionally called “the Land of Ham,” and Ham was considered to be the ancestor of the Egyptians and of all African peoples south of Egypt. (Source: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

Genesis 9:18-23 goes on to say,  “And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.  And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.”

Some Biblical scholars tell us that Ham in seeing Noah accidentally and involuntarily, committed no criminal act against God’s word, but that he pleased himself with the sight and he told his two brothers in a scornful deriding manner.  His brothers by refusing to see for themselves what Ham had seen, covered the nakedness. For whatever reason, Ham entered his father’s tent. He saw his father in a drunken stupor; perhaps Noah’s wife was as well.  His brothers feared Noah’s situation.  In Leviticus 20.11, to  “uncover his father’s nakedness”  is to lay with his father’s wife, that is to have intercourse with her. Also,  “You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness (human weakness and imperfection).

Upon the discovery of what Ham had done, and the fact that Shem and Japheth chose to cover their father, Noah shunned and cursed Ham’s descendants and their descendants into servitude.  It is believed that result of Ham’s shunning created the black tribe. There are native African tribes that are believed to trace themselves back traditionally to Ham.

The “curse of Ham” refers to the biblical story in which Ham, seeing his father drunk and naked, refused to turn away as his two brothers did. When Noah awoke, he cursed Ham and his son Canaan, supposedly causing a darker pigmentation in their descendants. This so-called curse has often been wrongly used to justify racism. (Source: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

However, there are middle eastern nations which are according to biblical accounts, truly the decendants of Ham. “And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, (Babylon:Iraq)…” Genesis 10:6-9

Africans and African-Americans passed on many stories in the tradition of oral history that we are the descendants of Ham. The Bible does not definitively state that Ham’s “cursed” descendants were black however, there is an inference because the descendants of Cush, settled in Ethiopia, and therefore Sheba the first son of Raamah must have been black.  The prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah. 13:23) asks  “Can the Ethiopian change his skin?”

Biblical genealogy also indicates that Ham’s son Canaan and his descendents were generally within the Egyptian sphere of influence and became known as Canaanites. Abraham, called the “father of the multitudes” was the great nephew of Ham brother of Shem. God called Abram to migrate to Canaan, assuring him that he would father a nation.  Upon moving to Egypt, Abraham identified his barren Sarah as his sister rather than his wife, causing the pharaoh to be attracted to her.  In fact she was his half-sister, the daughter of Abraham’s father but not his mother. He decided he could produce offspring by taking Sarah’s Egyptian handmaid Hagar as a concubine. The union produced a son, Ishmael who could not become the promised heir.  Ishmael and his mother were expelled from the camp of Abraham at the insistence of Sarah following the birth of Sarah’s son Isaac. This history is directly linked to Noah and his three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Taking a look at another biblical character considered to be black, the queen of Sheba in Islamic traditions is the founder of the first royal line of the Kingdom of Sheba in southwest Arabia.  Her story is very well stated in the holy books of the Middle East.  Was she bequeathed to Raamah’s (Ham’s grandson) son Sheba, or was she a descendant?  The queen, described as dark and very exotic looking, visited the wealthy King Solomon at his court in Jerusalem. Hoping to impress him with her wealth, she arrives with a camel-train laden with spices, gold, and jewels. The purpose of her journey was to hear his wisdom and thus improve her own.  Solomon’s wisdom made more an impression upon the queen of Sheba than all his prosperity and grandeur.  She returned to Ethiopia pregnant with King Solomon’s child.  From 100 BC-700 AD,  Ethiopia was considered just as powerful and sophisticated as Greece, Rome and Persia (Iran).

Fast forward to today.  I cannot begin to count the number of people who over the years have stated that they believe black people are inherently cursed. This sentiment tends to rely on misguided teachings from the Bible, passed down through generations, as a crutch or explanation for society’s perception of our people.  One particular text can be found in Colossians 3:22:  “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:” Taken out of context this text can be construed as a powerful tool.  It was used as a precept for the atrocities of slavery and the mid-Atlantic slave trade.  It was used in the Jim Crow south, and the early church.

In context the text says, Colossians 3:18-25  “Social Duties of the New Life:  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”

We must stand for something or we’ll fall for anything.  The point here is how even today, there are many people -in this case I’m speaking to African-Americans, who will follow anyone and anything.

The urban legend of Willie Lynch, a British slave owner from the West Indies and the father of what was to become lynching, is a prime example of misperceptions and accepting them as being real.  In this legend, there is letter written supposedly written in 1712 to the Colony at Virginia, Lynch set a specific tone. The basic premise of the message was that there are many ways to keep ‘control’ of slaves. Portions of the text included, “While Rome used cords of wood as crosses for standing human bodies along the old highways in great numbers, you are here using the tree and the rope on occasion.  I have a fool-proof method for controlling your black slaves. I guarantee everyone of you that if installed correctly it will control the slaves for at least 300 years.  I use fear, distrust, and envy for control purposes.  I shall assure you that distrust is stronger than trust, and envy is stronger than adulation, respect, or admiration.”

In recent years, there has been speculation by historians and researchers that the Willie Lynch letter never existed. Many conclude that prior to the early 1990s no one ever heard of Lynch. Also, the language used in the letter is not in the manner, tone and dialect of the 18th century…whether British or American.  Some have even called the Willie Lynch paradigm an Urban Legend.  If you think about it, how many men from Great Britain, living in the West Indies in the 18th century would identify themselves as Willie Lynch.

Even the recent film produced by Harpo, Oprah Winfrey’s production company, titled The Great Debators which tells the true story of a 1930s debate team that took on the Harvard elite, used the Willie Lynch legend to make a point. In the film however, the it was used to inspire the students to work hard at becoming great.

The fact is we are not cursed.  Our history long before the middle passage give cause to take a serious look at our communities today.  Some of us, as black people, place more emphasis on the long held perception that we cannot, rather than on seeking the truth.  We have a propensity for living as though there is no tomorrow.  We are among the largest group of citizens who tend to live without giving rational thought to the consequences of unbridled consumption, inferior or under education, and noninclusive participation in governance.

Although blacks are not the only group in this category, we tend to fall under greater scrutiny for our decisions and actions, sometimes through years of purposed design.

Wisdom is defined as knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; scholarly knowledge or learning and wise sayings or teachings; precepts.  It is the ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting and insightful, using common sense and good judgment.  Some (in my skin) have negated wisdom which results in losing respect for our environments, our communities, and ourselves.

Our rich history, ancient to present day dictates pride not condemnation.  We have allowed influences, some of them our own, rather than truth and wisdom to imbue us with our own self hatred.  Throughout history, we as a people have endured many instances of  mis-education -not to mention oppression, thus creating a diminished appetite for gaining knowledge and wisdom. This has kept a large portion of our community in our own chains of agony, and the only way to break those chains is truth.

Everyday I see instances of my people, black people who literally do not care, or perhaps have no clue of their truth or the magnitude of their actions. Their attitudes filter down to our children and future generations.  Until we as a people learn to prioritize the important aspects of life, and become learned and wise, I must continue to say “Everybody in my skin, ain’t my kin” however, those in my skin most assuredly are historically connected. ###

© 2009  Sharon Moore Stenhouse -All Rights Reserved.

Cheshire Cat from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

There has been quite a bit of elation in Republican circles since Maryland’s Michael Steele became the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee. He’s even being called the guy who can stand up to Barack Obama and challenge him. Wow, I am ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing).

Anyone trying to make a comparison between Barack Obama and Michael Steele needs to not only start doing their research, but a lot of soul searching as well. You’ll discover that… Michael Steele is no Barack Obama.

Quoting a recent article by Charles Mathesian on Politico.com 2/1/09…

“Clearly Obama’s success contributed to Steele’s victory,” said former Rep. Martin Frost (D-Texas), who served two terms as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Had Obama not won, I can’t imagine the Republicans would have elected an African-American chairman.”

Obama’s historic presidency, the way in which he won and the scale of the crises he inherits have scrambled some of the underlying assumptions about American elections and politics and altered the laws of political logic.

“Barack Obama’s a phenomenon,” said California Republican Committeeman Shawn Steel after Friday’s election. “It’s going to take a phenomenon just to challenge him.  Michael is the one guy we have, regardless of background, who can do that.” Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!!!

Michael Steele is exactly the type of “black” politician that most African-Americans have tried to distance themselves from over the years whether Democrat or Republican. He is the polar opposite of Barack Obama, and doesn’t hesitate to hitch his wagon to whatever he thinks will make his star rise. In other words, Michael Steele is all about himself. Just ask the folks in Maryland.

His recent unremarkable one term stint as Lieutenant Governor to Robert Erlich (2003-2007) gave him many photo opts which he most assuredly took advantage of however, I don’t recall ever hearing a memorable anything he said that was positive. In fact, when he had the opportunity to speak after winning the RNC chairmanship he couldn’t think on his feet.

Oh, I did forget one though…the statement where is declared that being a black Republican was like wearing the scarlet “R” on his forehead which makes moving through politics difficult for him. I do remember how proud he was of being Mike Tyson’s legal counsel and in-law, until the need to distance himself began to surface. I simply don’t recall very much about his public service or community activity, and politically there isn’t much beyond state chairmanships for the GOP.

There are many adjectives available to accurately describe the persona of Michael Steele, which I’ll leave up to the reader’s imagination, except suffice it to say that he will do whatever his master (the GOP) asks if he believes it will get him into the big house; not caring at all about the folks he tramples along the way.

Does he stand out in a crowd? Absolutely, because he is standing in a sea of white Republicans grinning like the Cheshire Cat from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.