I am a historian, author, and a bookseller! For years I managed the Shrine of the Black Madonna Cultural Center and Bookstore in Atlanta. You can still find me there as a consultant and volunteer. In the early 1990s, while serving as manager I created the Black Holocaust Exhibit, a collection of original documents on slavery and resistance. Folks loved it, were moved by it, told their family and friends about it. I was interviewed by the New York Times and later contacted by a sales rep (the late Manie Barron) who suggested I create a book based on the exhibit. That book became Lest We Forget, the Passage from Africa to Slavery and Emancipation, complete with documents that readers could hold in their hands. It was followed by Freedom's Children and We Shall Not Be Moved. In between I wrote No Man Can Hinder Me and sang on its accompanying CD. Well today, 20 plus years (and a couple of books and articles) later, the three interactive books have become my latest published work, Lest We Forget: The Passage from Africa into the Twenty-First Century. I love sharing history. I've taught African American history to college freshmen, served as a scholar in residence, guided educators, and have spoken to audiences across the country. I lend my singing to my presentations, paying homage to the ancestors and asking them to join us as we remember their struggles and sacrifices. My work is of interest to anyone who wants to better understand the African American experience, to people of all backgrounds and cultures who want a better world. Take this journey with me as we reflect upon the past and employ lessons learned to ensure a brighter future—lest we forget!
