YOU CHILD
A Black Family's journey as seen through the Prism of the last Surviving Child
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SYNOPSIS of YOU CHILD Who are you? Do you have a name? Do you have a name that you recognize is meant to summon you and you alone? During most of my childhood, the name given to me at birth was never used. Did it make one feel unwelcome? Probably. Did it make one feel undesirable? Sometimes. When you are the youngest in a family of 14 siblings (yikes!), do you feel like a surplus? Most of the time. Your presence was not a priority. Over time, being that invisible person becomes okay. Your name gets lost in the shuffle. Trying to identify which child is needing something, misbehaving, or generally getting on your nerves, is a chore, not to mention impossible. I was always on the end of a very long list. It was a running joke for family to refer to me as “You Child”. As an adult, I embraced it. I was the one ignored but often privy to all the family’s secret dynamics. It is only through the prism of hindsight and life experiences that I can perceive the goings-on and understand more. This book is not about Racism although that Elephant pervaded our lives. It is about a black family who thrived, despite racism, in Jim Crow South and the Midwest. We were disadvantaged but we were not impoverished. My parents were early entrepreneurs in the Jim Crow South. My dad redefined racial identity. My mother was part Choctaw Indian and a civil rights activist in the Midwest. We were Catholic. We weathered riots. We helped elect the first big city black mayor. One passed for white. Another headed a chapter of a nationally-affiliated social group. We excelled in the military. One was severely injured in the Vietnam War. We held once-restricted corporate positions. We carried on a life-long love affair with automobiles. I recall our stories without judgment and present lessons through the lenses of You-Child Prisms. Our stories are told in birth order and essay form, although there is overlap. As the narrator, I have tried to stick slavishly to the truth, wherever it led. My family’s lives are filled with humor, pathos and insight. We were diverse and resilient. Our bonds were unbreakable. I have witnessed the unravelling and retying of many knots. Our themes and lessons are weighty and universal. This book is a patchwork quilt of which I am a section. The entire quilt is a beautiful creation that is only complete when all the sections are woven together. As a senior, senior citizen and the last surviving repository of the struggles, joys, skirmishes and pleasures of a large 16-member black family, I am blessed to still be here and able to share our story.
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About the Book
As “You Child” my name was rarely heard above the din of 14 siblings in a black family, who managed to prosper in the Jim Crow South and in the Midwest. We were disadvantaged but we were not impoverished! Our story cover 120 years and is filled with humor, pathos and wisdom. We were diverse and resilient. Unbreakable bonds unraveled and were retied. Laugher, insight and encouragement can be appreciated by not only our descendants but also people of color as well as white readers. My parents were early entrepreneurs in the south. My dad redefined racial identity. My mother was part Choctaw Indian and a civil rights activist in the Midwest. We were Catholic. We weathered riots. One passed for white. Another organized a nationally-affiliated group. We excelled in the military. One was severely injured in Vietnam. We held once-restricted corporate positions. We carried on a life-long love affair with automobiles. Our themes and lessons are universal. We view the life of each sibling and the ways they moved through the world—in essay form, in birth order. There is overlap, of course; as I am the narrator and stories and lessons are told from my (You-Child) perspective. The lessons are collected and viewed through “You Child-Prisms”.
About the Author
The author is the last of 14 siblings of a prosperous black family who thrived in the Jim Crow South and the Midwest. She is a first-time author with a background in corporate America. Her story spans 120 years. She is an intriguing storyteller who engages her audience with truth, honesty and humor.