Alejandro Canales "Mujer con Sacuanjoche," Woman with Flower

Among the many and varied items donated for the Silent Auction fundraiser for our church's annual Christmas Bazaar was a watercolor painting which caught my eye. Waiting for the last day to bid, and seeing none, I entered the minimum bid, and thus became its new owner.

Inside the  bright orange manila folder with the painting were a  June 11, 1991 Los Angeles Times article, by Kevin Baxter, copies of pages from Art and Revolution in Latin America by David Craven,  a copy of LUCY LACS 20 "About Nicaraguan: The Revolutionary Murals of Nicaragua, and a letter from the donor.

  The donor wrote:
 "This is an original watercolor painting by famed Nicaraguan artist Alejandro Canales. He was            arguably one of the most important and celebrated muralists in Nicaraguan history. He died in
1990, and shortly thereafter, the right wing mayor of Managua initiated a campaign to "erase"             his and other murals across the city.
     
 I purchased this piece at an art show (in New York) to raise funds for humanitarian relief for              Central America in 1990. I have enjoyed this painting for 25 years and am now ready to share          it and its history with someone else who will appreciate it."
 Blessings,
 MM

The painting is identified as "Mujer con Succanoche." on the back. I asked my friend, Jose' to translate, and I was surprised to learn that there was no word "Succanoche" in the Spanish Dictionary. Eager to learn more about the artist, I turned to the internet. There was no Wikipedia biography on Canales. I was curious about Canales' early death and if any US museums/universities held special collections of his art.

The internet revealed that the OMCA (Okland Museum of California Art) held a painting by the artist. I contacted the Museum and left a message. A museum worker, Julian returned the call.
He informed me that OMCA had one painting by Alejandro Canales, "The Coffee Picker," painted in 1986, tempera on paper, donated to the Museum in 2010 by the Rossman Family. The painting is not on display.

Later, I shared my translation dilemma with someone who was visiting me. He e-mailed me with the
following information: "My stepdaughter looked at the Nicaraguan Spanish that I copied from the art work you showed me. She said she thinks the last word, "Succanoche," is actually a misspelling.of the word "Sacuanjoche, which is the word for plumeria, the national Nicaraguan flower... The translation for the whole title "Mujer con Sacuanjoche" would be "Woman with Plumeria."
I think she is right based on the fact that there is a flower in the image  My art piece shows the head of woman with a yellow flower with five petals in a vibrant yellow color. It is a perfect match with the image of the Nicaraguan national flower. It is a watercolor on white paper.

 Canales was born in 1945 and died in 1990. At age 12, he was apprenticed to a carpenter, but continued to draw and paint on his own. His formal art training was at the National Fine Arts School where he studied drawing, painting and sculpture from 1961 until 1970.

(c) copyright 2016

Reflections on Between The World And Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Our Presbyterian Church Peace and Social Justice Ministry elected to read Between The World And Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates along with another congregation. Our interim pastor returned from the Big Tent with this book on the suggested reading list.

Our church is a metro multi-cultural congregation, 78% African-Americans, 15% whites. and 5% Hispanics. The participating congregation is a suburban, white church.


At the first of four scheduled meetings, there were four African-American males present, one under thirty, one who had lived during the Jim Crow era in Tennessee.There were three African-American females, five white males and four white females.


The book by The Atlantic Journalist, Ta-Nehisi Coates, is in  a letter format to his fifteen year old son within the backdrop of police killings of African-American males and fear of losing the body and its destruction. Reading this book would challenge some deeply held beliefs. As a member of the so called Mature/Silent generation, I wondered what  common ground or perspective I would share with Author Coates whose age places him in Generation X . Most of all what might I learn from a justice perspective.

Born and raised in the Jim Crow South where I spent a third of my life, the legal racial caste system defined my relationships. My school and community were segregated. I have been impacted by personal and institutional racism in the north. I know the anger as young adult which Coates speaks of and the joy of attending a historical black college. I've never negated personal responsibility for my own actions and behaviors.

I did not fear my father, my peers or my community. I have great empathy for those who are traumatized by such fear or actual violence. I did, however, fear the police although, I had no encounter with the police. We did not view the police as protectors of the community My life centered and revolved around family, the church, and school which were a source of support, inspiration, and hope.

The book allows one to step into Coates' reality, although you may not have experienced it, know it or claim it. In the midst of his fog and anger, there is a continuous quest for knowledge, truth and image of a dream unfolding, although it is not the "American Dream."  The essence of Coates' soul is speaking to his son about the path Coates has traveled, and perhaps the path he has prepared for his son.

 From a social justice perspective, the book is clear  that the struggle for African-Americans continues, Coates does not entertain how this might be pursued or who is responsible. The book rattles the chains and  troubles the waters.

 The study group discussed what it means to be white and white privilege. The questioned  was raised Who is  most responsible for righting the wrongs and solving the problems of injustice, and what gets in the way?

Howard University was and is Coates "mecca." Coates is a testimony to Howard University and the continuing need for historical Black Colleges and Universities.

The study group met four times. The members of the group raised other thoughtful questions such
as What would we tell our children or grandchildren if we were writing a letter to them?  How would Christians end this book? Where do we go from here as people of faith?

Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of the many but contemporary writers who "have  found the courage to tell the ugly truths about slavery, Jim Crow and current racism that were repressed by the wider culture."

Joseph Carter Corbin Memorial Scholarship

The Joseph Carter Corbin Memorial Scholarship was established by Gladys Turner Finney July 10, 2015 at Ohio University to assist freshman students in the College of Arts and Sciences and who have demonstrated academic merit.The scholarship honors Dr. Joseph Carter Corbin, a distinguished 19th Century graduate of Ohio University, born at Chillicothe, Ohio. BA, 1853, MA 1856 and 1889. First African-American to be elected Arkansas State Superintendent of Education 1872.  Founder of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

For a limited time, your gift to the Joseph Carter Corbin Memorial Scholarship Endowment will be matched $.50 on the dollar as part of the University's OHIO Match Program. To make a gift to the scholarship, contact the Ohio University Foundation at 800-592-FUND or giving@ohio.edu
Checks may be made payable to The Ohio University Foundation (be sure to write "Corbin
Memorial Scholarship" in the notes section) and sent to: 
        
                                     The Ohio University Foundation
                                      P.O.Box 869
                                      Athens, Ohio 45701

Gifts also can be made online at www.ohio.edu/give

Reflections on "The Caning"

The Caning-The Assault That Drove America To Civil War is certainly the kind of book that wins the Pulitzer Prize. Written by Stephen Puelo, it focuses on the historical caning assault of Massachusetts anti-slavery Senator Charles Sumner in 1856 on the floor of the United States Senate Chamber by pro-slavery U. S.  Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina. The over arching theme of the book is that the assault on Senator Sumner was the first blow of the Civil War. Puelo sets forth in great detail the differences in background, education, personality of the two men and their views about slavery. Brooks is presented as the more likable personality and Sumner more admirable for his anti-slavery stance. The caning incident intensified the political polarization of the North and South on the issues of free speech and extension of slavery to the western territory.


The book is engaging and packed with historical events, the Dred Scott Supreme Court Decision, the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, John Brown's Raid, Abraham Lincoln and the election of 1860.

In addition to a brain injury and perhaps PTSD, Senator Sumner's recovery was long and painful.
Victims are not responsible for the violence inflicted on them. However,  Southerners felt that Representative Brooks was justified in his assault on Senator Sumner to defend a code of honor for Sumner's verbal insult to his kin, Senator Andrew Butler of Edgefield, South Carolina, and way of life in Sumner's "Crime Against Kansas" speech.

Slavery was a sin against God and a crime against humanity. Sumner accurately perceived slave holding as a barbaric act that made barbarians of the slave holders. Questions to ponder:
What made a minority of abolitionists defy slavery and turn the tide of history? To what extent a "southern gentlemen" would defend his right to human slaves as property?

I was interested in reading the book because of the time period, the caning incident, the political antagonists, and Edgefield County, South Carolina, the home of Representative Brooks. I am a descendant of slaves of Edgefield County, most of whom are lost to history. Edgefield was the center of political power in South Carolina. Ten of its state governors came from Edgefield County including Senator Strom Thurmond.  Although I have never visited Edgefield County, I understand
that neo-slavery existed there in the 1950s.

Family Research: Sgt. Elmo Blair, U.S. Army

• Sgt. United States Army
• STM 3, United States Navy
• Service: World War II and Korea
• Date of Birth: December 1, 1919
• Date of Death: January 15, 2001
• Buried: Section 49, Row 7, Site 20, Leavenworth, Kansas National Cemetery 
• Wife: Cozie Bell Turner Blair: Date of Birth: November 21, 1920; Date of Death: February 8, 2000. Buried: Leavenworth National Cemetery: Section 49. Row 7, Site 20.
  

Family Research: MM/ 3C Roger Morris, Jr., United States Navy

                                     

                                                               Roger Morris, Jr., MM 3 C
                                                                United States Navy, 251-00811
                                                                       Korean Conflict
                                                                   
                                                   Date of Birth: December 9, 1935
                                                    Grady, Lincoln County, Arkansas

                                                    Parents; Roger (R,D.) Morris
                                                        Margaret Bluford Morris
                                                                                       
                                             Dates of Service: January 6, 1955 to January 6, 1959

                                            Assignment/Location: USS Wren-568; Norfolk, Virginia

                                            Awards: Good Conduct Medal
                                         
                                            Wife: Sylvia Green Morris

                                            Date of Death: March 9, 2008

                                            Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
                                         
                                           (c)copyright 2015
                                         
                                         

                                            Source: Roger Morris, Jr.
                                                 September 12, 2006

Basic Training of Black Military Soldiers During World War II (Unknown Training Photograph)

     Basic training of black military soldiers during World War II was in segregated units.

     See Unknown Training Photograph By Dr. Gladys Turner Finney.

     Click here: www.aaggmv.org