Curled Up with a Family Story:A Review of “Momma. Where Are You From?” by Marie Bradby

Title: “Momma, Where Are You From?”
Genre: Children’s (Ages 5-12), Afro-American Fiction
Author: Marie Bradby
Illustrator: Chris K. Soentpiet
Publisher: Orchard Books, New York: New York. 2000.

“We can travel roads in my memory…”

I absolutely love “Momma, Where Are You From?”. This book gives life and color to Black history, its rich traditions in American life and beckons the reader to remember their own stories…and pass them down.

“Momma. Where Are You From?” is not read like a book—it quickly envelopes you until you forget the pages beneath your fingers, and feel like you are curled up on “Momma’s” lap, hearing the family stories.

Momma’s stories circle the events of her life—growing up in a small town, shelling beans for dinner, facing discrimination during the Jim Crow era, and finally sitting on the porch with her daughter, sharing memories. “Momma, Where Are Your From?” is particularilly powerful in that it gives the message that our stories are worth telling, and that our children will cherish and grow from our memories.

Combined with the stories, the illustrations are beautiful, no detail is missed; each picture in itself imparts a story. There is history within these pictures—the segregated schoolhouse, the children doing domestic labor to help make ends meet, the family gathering to listen to music and share a meal. These are stories we can all relate to—the wondering “Where are you from?” and how the answer inevitably connects the past to the paths of our own lives.

I highly recommend “Momma, Where Are You From?” It is a dignified retelling of Black history and also a vivid portrayal of the struggles, joys and faces of family.

Lynn Mari, 2009.

LINKS:

Marie Bradby’s Site: http://www.mariebradby.com/

Chirs Soentpiet: “Momma, Where Are You From?” Include Activities to do with your children when reading this book.
http://www.soentpiet.com/mama.htm

The Heart Speaks: Lessons from my Grandmothers

By Lynn Mari, 2008

In a memory, my family is enjoying my son’s Christmas program at school. The theme of the program was “Christmas Around the World”. The program began with the children circling the room, waving flags that represent various countries. I made cornbread for the potluck—using a recipe that had remained in my family for generations. The children celebrated by dressing in costumes that represent their heritage. My son was dressed as a farmer. He wore a straw hat, overalls and a plaid shirt with a boll of cotton in the front pocket. Designing the costume became a time to reflect on family stories, passed down through generations of women.

I closed my eyes to imagine the life of Momma Judge, the earliest ancestor I had traced in my family. Momma Judge was the daughter of slaves, who were bought at auction in Virginia, then shipped to a plantation in rural Alabama. The first and last impression in the life of Momma Judge was of brittle stalks of cotton, the red earth staining the hem of her skirt. Amid the familiar line of her family, she hummed spirituals as she stooped over the prickly bolls. She’d live in a cabin heated by a pot-bellied stove with rags stuffed in the cracks to keep out the cold. Meals cooked over that stove would become recipes passed between generations of women, sharing a connection in the food that brought our family together at mealtime.

I thought of Big Momma, the granddaughter of Momma Judge. Shortly after Big Momma gave birth to my grandpa, she returned to the same fields her ancestors worked, her baby snug in a burlap sack slung at the hip. Big Momma had her first child, Grandpa Bud, when still young and raised him alone after her husband disappeared. Disappearance was a way of life back then. The threats of violence against Blacks, the migratory seasons of sharecropping, the poverty and debt perpetuated by cropping and the hope for something better fluctuated between leaving and coming back–or not being seen again. Big Momma raised six children on her own. She saved up for a house in the city and managed to get a job out of the fields. Faith and determination saw her through.

My thoughts turn to Grandma Dee, the wife of Grandpa Bud. She was a beautiful woman who was devoted to her family. Grandma Dee met Grandpa Bud at a juke joint in the hollows of Bibb County. Together, my grandparents made a dazzling couple; twirling to a rhythm only they shared. Grandpa Bud was a handsome man with a honey colored complexion and wavy hair. He was quiet, and when he spoke he was known to be nobody to fool with. My grandparents were passionately in love, even when they fought there was a spark between them. At my age Grandma Dee would have three children and was preparing to move up North, where Grandpa Bud landed a good job. She was proud to give her children a better life, where they wouldn’t have to work the fields and could go to school. The lives of my grandparents would end in tragedy; they died before I was born.

When I remember stories of my ancestry, I am grateful to the grandmothers whose determination and faith provide a well of strength to draw from. My grandmothers were born into a world where their bodies were worth only a few coins. They gave birth to children whose lives were limited by slavery and racism. My grandmothers were denied an education; they knew only a life in the fields. In deprivation, they gave birth to new life—they prayed until the church shook, they fought for change even if it meant they had to do a man’s work or move to a distant city, and they reminded their children that they are loved, precious and worth so much more. In hardship my grandmothers not only persisted but also thrived. One day I will stand among my grandmothers, and my children will know that I never stopped fighting to provide something better for them, that I never stopped loving them.

I am blessed to be a daughter of a lineage of such intelligent, determined and spiritual women. Women whose ability to love was not diminished by loss. Women who infused their faith, creativity and love into the little they had to create a better future for their children. Women of deep faith in God. Women, who, despite all challenges, impressed a sense of hope that was passed down to the next generations, to me.

Henry Coleman: Burnsville, Ala * 1917

Source: Form 1 990 Registration Card No. #53, WWI Draft Registration Card
Name: Henry Coleman
Age: 21
Home: Burnsville, Alabama
Date of Birth: August 10, 1895
Natural Born
Where Born: Safford, Ala USA
Occupation: Saw Mill Laborer
Employed: (A bit unclear) Geoff Blessed Lgr Co.
Where Employed: Burnsville, Alabama
Dependants: None
Marital Status: Single
Race: African
No Prior Military Service, Sign with his mark

Registrar’s Report

Tall, Medium Build, Black Eyes, Black Hair (Not Bald)
No Disability

Signed By: WJ Taylor
Precinct 22
County, Dallas
State, Alabama
June 5, 1917

Also:

Coleman’s Are Listed in: 1866 Alabama State Census Colored Population Dallas County, AL Thank-you BJ Smothers!
http://www.prairiebluff.com/census/1866Dallas.htm

1900 Census * Violet Radford

Source: 1900 Census, Columbiana (Shelby County).

Violet Radford, b. 1840, B
Sallie Radford, b. 1880, B, Daughter
Carrie Radford, b. 1885, B, Daughter
Willie Radford, b. 1893, B, Grandson

Additional Sources:

AL Gen Web:Shelby County, Alabama- http://www.rootsweb.com/~alshelby/shelby1.html
City of Columbiana, Alabama- http://www.cityofcolumbiana.com/
Tracking Your Roots: Shelby County, Alabama- http://www.trackingyourroots.com/shelby.htm

1870: Alexander & Violet Radford Family

Source: 1870 Census, Perry County: Alabama.
Place: Township 18, Range 9
Date: July 8, 1870
Surname: Radford

Alexander Radford (head), b. 1835, B, Farm Laborer
Violet Radford (spouse), b. 1840, B, Farm Laborer
children:
Jessie, b. 1858, B, Farm Laborer
Martin, b. 1860, B
Sherman, b. 1865, B
Harriet, b. 1863, B
Jane (This may be “Paul”?? Or Jame? Was listed as male on the census), b. 1867, B
Silas, b. 1867. B
Amy, 6 mos, B

Welcome to In Our Hearts

Zechariah 10: 8-9,” I will call My people and gather them together. I will rescue them and make them as numerous as they used to be. Though I have scattered them among the nations, yet in far-off places they will remember Me. They and their children will survive and return home together.”
(Good News Bible: American Bible Society, 1976).

Welcome Family and Friends,

Through this page, I will show how the invisible connections between the past and the present shape our world, and our place (as individuals) in it.

Within each one of us is a legacy of memories, lessons, values and history passed down from those who walked before us. No matter how far you have traveled, or what separates you—the ties of family are intricately connected through the guiding hands of our ancestors watching over us. Sometimes the hands are gentle, other times the pull is strong. We are called to remember. We are called to teach our children from the lessons and experiences of family. We are called to question. We are called to open doors to healing. We are called to give voice to a forgotten past. We are all called by name, to return to the faded footsteps from which our very first steps began.

This web page is a tribute to the branches of my family tree(s): the Fords, Martins, Mortons, Green(e)s and all branches I have yet to discover. Through this page, I will share my own journey of how I was led to discover my past and reconnect with family. I also invite my family to contribute to this page, so that all our journeys can be shared. Please feel free to include anything you think is relevant—stories, pictures, recipes, genealogy, current events, etc. My vision is to create a family scrapbook, and have it printed. This page will be a foundation for what is put into the scrapbook. I need your input to make this possible! Feel free to e-mail me at any time with your contributions. I am flexible—and if you would rather not have your entry posted online that is fine, I will save the information for the scrapbook only. I look forward to hearing from you

My sincere gratitude goes out to my family. I thank all of you taking the time and effort to share with me. I thank my grandparents and ancestors for their efforts, dreams, and sacrifices. I wake up each morning with appreciation, and awe of how your work and love created such a life, such opportunities. I know we, as a family, have endured many hardships but faith, determination and love has seen us through. I have faith that God is working a special purpose through every experience, or as the old saying goes (grin), “We are built Ford tough!” I look forward to seeing this page grow.

The connection of one life to another brings the closeness of family into our relationships with others. As part of a greater purpose, what is learned within the family is to be shared; everything that is experienced in the family offers a lesson or insight. It is God’s design to open our hearts, to open our homes, and to open the circle of family (Hebrews 10:24), “Let us be concerned for one another, to help one another, to show love and do good.” My sincere gratitude goes out to my friends, thank you for your support and encouragement. We are not connected through blood but through spirit. I thank you for sharing this incredible journey with me. You are also welcome to contribute to this page—and be part of its growth.

In Joy, Love & Peace, Lynn Mari

©2007