Give the World a Gift

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If you want the world to remember you, give it a gift. 

It will "Forget you not."

My girlfriend's mother, Annie Reid who is 90 years old, asked her to dial my number so that she could thank me for a gift I sent her.  The gift was a box of tea and a teacup set designed with a top that covers the teacup for steeping. The tea set was from Forte, a company that sets itself apart from other tea companies through packaging and presentation. Its tea bags are small silky mesh pyramids with a green leaf stemming from the top.  The wrapper which envelopes the tea has the same shape made of quality card-stock. The Forte teacup set consists of a cup with a fitted top for steeping. A tiny hole in the top of the cover allows the leaf and stem to sprout through. 

When Annie and I talked she said how much she appreciated it, how beautiful and thoughtful it was, and how much of my style came through. Her sentiments also made me realize why I love her so much. She has always believed that I can do anything I set out to do and that it would be fantastic.  What she didn't know is that she gave me the motivation to try and to be persistent.  Before she hung up, she said, "We sat here, drinking tea and talked about you.” Using the name my close friends and family call me, she said, “So Faye, you see, if you want people to remember you, give them gifts." I will always remember that advice.

For Women's History Month, Black History Flag Company honored all women for the many gifts they have given the world.

“Forget Them Not”

Forget Them Not

If you are under the impression that the waves of change happened because Blacks demanded it, think again. White Americans – both men and women – sacrificed their lives alongside Black men and women so that we could have the voice we have today.

On this day in Women’s History Month, BlackHistoryFlag.com waves the flag of honor in celebration of the life and courage of Viola Gregg Liuzzo.

Viola Gregg Liuzzo, a mother of five, traveled from her Michigan home to the South to help on the frontline of the civil rights movement, and suffered a cruel fate at the hands of an Alabama klansman. She was killed instantly when he fired a .38 caliber pistol through the window of her car on March 25, 1965.

Thousands of other white women worked for black freedom. Anyone who cares to learn more can read Deep in Our Hearts: Nine White Women in the Freedom Movement, published in 2000 by the University of Georgia Press. Another book, Debra L. Schultz's Going South: Jewish Women in the Civil Rights Movement, demonstrates the singular courage of women driven to the cause by a sense of morality and social justice.

Atlanta novelist Lillian Smith, a southern liberal and vocal critic of segregation, received an anonymous letter threatening her life if she spoke about racism to a group of white students. Her collection of essays in Killers of the Dream, published in 1949, challenged the South’s prejudice and racism and pointed to the evils of segretation. For her liberal views, she bravely faced social ostracism from southern circles.

Bill Maxwell summed it up well in his 2008 article published by the Tampa Bay Times: “Virginia Durr, an early supporter of the sit-in movement in Atlanta, learned the hard way about the hazards of standing up for human rights. "I am seeing down here," she wrote, "this deathlike conformity building up, when to speak out, to take action of any kind, to protest, to write a letter, to hold a meeting, brings down on your head both social and economic ruin and there is no recourse in the law."”

Maxwell’s article details more White heroes from the civil rights movement and the vital support they provided in securing change. 

Practice Leads to Perfection

The lessons learned and practiced as a child are carried with them for a lifetime.
 

The more things change the more they remain the same. When I was a kid in the 50's, Negro people would say, if you can't sing or dance, you can't be successful in America. Today, nearly 60 years after the marches for civil rights and human dignity ended segregation, if you are Black/African American and you can't entertain, and you can't express yourself well in writing and communicate in standard English, you aren't going very far.

It is imperative that we know how to write and communicate well to change the social and economic circumstances of African Americans. In order to unleash the power of our voices; in order for us to truly be heard; in order for us to make a difference; in order to improve our circumstances and become leaders, we must invest in education at the level of the family. We must take time to nurture and support our children's learning, to let them know we care about their future and that we will do our best to help them succeed. Let's begin encouraging parents to insist that their kids practice at home what they learn in school. Only by practicing lessons learned in school can they become second nature to their being. As the saying goes: "Practice makes perfect."


Were it not for an aunt who would always question my sister and me - “How did you learn to say that sentence in school?” - I wouldn’t sound like I learned very much English grammar today.

Children should be encouraged to practice at home what they've learned in class and given the freedom to share what they've learned; even if it means correcting you. Give them the space to grow.  To ensure preparedness for their future, let's encourage our children to practice the lessons learned in school.