Mar 13

AIN’T I A WOMAN?

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
In honor of Women’s History Month, I’m introducing readers to women not easily found in history books. I hope you find her words as inspiring as I did. Abolitionist, Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) was enslaved until she escaped in 1826. She devoted the rest of her life to speaking out against slavery and for equal rights for women. She helped free and formerly enslaved Blacks, relocate to western states. Here’s what she had to say in 1851, delivering a speech entitled “Ain’t I A Woman” in Akron Ohio at a Women’s Conference. “Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that ‘twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what’s all this here talking about? That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered […]
Mar 07

CONGRESSWOMAN

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
Here’s my second participant in honor of Women’s History Month. As I mentioned previously, I wanted to introduce readers to women that might not be in the typical history books. I always liked to hear this particular woman speak. Her voice was deep, throaty and soothing. I thought of her as a true orator. She held the country spellbound during the Nixon impeachment hearings when she reminded her fellow congress people why the president could and should be impeached for covering-up the infamous Watergate activities. Listening to her during the televised hearings, I wondered who was that woman? Why hadn’t I heard about her before? Like Congresswoman Chisholm, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan was a woman with a series of “firsts” in her background. I will briefly outline them here because we should all know about her. Knowledge is power. In 1972, along with Andrew Young, they were the first two African Americans to be elected to congress from the deep south since 1898. Prior to becoming a congressperson, she was the first African American woman to win a Texas State Senate seat in 1966, after losing twice in 1962 and 1964. She was the first African American to win a Texas […]
Mar 01

LET’S CELEBRATE WOMEN

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
When I started thinking about celebrating Women’s History Month and how to write a little something-something, I went on the internet to good old Google. I used other sources like cable, the radio, Y-tube, LinkedIn and Pinterest too. I started saving articles from the magazines and newspapers I read. Then I sorted through my book collection looking for books about women. I guess I’m old school because I still read newspapers and magazines. My book selection includes both the hardcover and paperback versions. Before long, I had amassed a collection of information about women that any researcher worth her weight in gold would love. And that was my problem. Too much information. Great if I was writing a thesis but way too much for a one-page post. Like most writers I love words. Whether they are my words or somebody else’s, I love ‘em like I birthed them. So, it’s difficult for me eliminate them entirely as good editing requires. It wasn’t long before I realized writing this article was becoming a nightmare for me. Then I did what I usually do and waited for inspiration to help me. When that didn’t work, I did the other thing I usually […]
Feb 25

WHY I WROTE TRICK OR TREAT, WHO’S MY SWEET?

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
Long before Bruce Jenner became Kaitlin Jenner, I’d seen this reality show that tracked a woman’s sex change process and operation from female into male. I grew fascinated with the program and the ideas and theories behind it. I wondered why would a person do that kind of major life change? I tried to imagine what it must be like to feel uncomfortable in the gender you were born into or to hate your body. What if you felt you didn’t have a choice in the matter? Every time you looked at your naked reflection in the mirror, did you feel at odds with what you saw? Would you want to change your looks? Would you change your gender, too? After you went through the testing, monitoring, and the gender change process, how would you feel? Would you be happy or sad that you’d made the gender change? Who would you be attracted to with your gender changed? I started to research the topic of sex change operations and bumped into another topic that was somewhat related … cross dressing. Did you know that women have been dressing like men for centuries? I didn’t until I started researching the topic. […]
Feb 18

WHY ARE APOLOGIES SO DIFFICULT TO MAKE?

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
Years ago, I had friend I was always trying to impress. She was in school earning her masters when I first met her. After twenty years of dancing around the edges of higher education, I returned to school for my BA first and then my masters, inspired by her quest for higher education. We grew close. We shared our hopes and dreams of the future. She wanted to be a lawyer, then a civil court judge. I wanted to be school psychologist until I learned how long my journey would be. I calculated I’d be a year or so from retirement before I met my career goal. In a particularly revealing moment, she told me how guilty she felt when her kid sister died in a fire and she couldn’t rescue her. I told her about suffering spousal abuse literally at the hands of my former husband. My tale of woe would come back to haunt me. My friend began to tease me about my domestic abuse. She made offhand, mean jokes about getting hit. The first time she did it, I ignored it, which was my mistake. The next time she said something offhand about spousal abuse, I stopped […]
Feb 11

I HATE CELLPHONES. NOT MINE JUST EVERYBODY ELSE’S CELLPHONE.

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
The photo above is of my two favorite cellphones. The one on the left was my first ever cellphone. The one on the right, I still use. I placed tape over the brand names so nobody could accuse me of shilling for one company or another. I regard my cellphone as my emergency connection to folks I love. It’s my roadside connection when my car goes on the fritz. When I want to alert my son or my friends that I’m standing outside getting soaked by the rain, it’s my umbrella of sorts. I’ve used it during snowstorms too. Lately, I’ve been using my cellphone (one phone on the right) to take some interesting pictures whenever the urge hits me or I see something interesting in the park across the street from my building or when fierce storms rip and swirl across the Hudson River. If you’ve read my blogs or my FB business page, you’ve noticed that I’ve posted a couple of those photos. While I use the phone as my lifeline, very few people know I have one. When I apply for accounts online or in person, I never list my cellphone. I’ll list my email or my […]
Jan 07

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
Hello Everybody, I just wanted to say how grateful I am to all my READERS for their overwhelming support for my novels this year: You made my dreams of becoming a published writer come true. I can’t say it enough, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!! BL Wilson Links to my books for 2018: TYSON: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0795Y11HG Doctor Is In: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DRPNXC6 Forever Women: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D3FPMCV Armed But Not Dangerous to Love: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FMLF1W1 Ideal Man Is A Woman: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GN186LQ The Sergeant’s Daughter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HGN434N Waiting For The Good: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JKJ8C7N Old Man Peterson: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KMC949Y Connect with BL Wilson at these links: Blog: http://wilsonbluez.com Facebook Business Page: https://www.facebook.com/patchworkbluezpress Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/1y7Ncar Smashwords Author Page: http://bit.ly/1tY3e27 Ask David: http://askdavid.com/books/10892 Twitter: http://bit.ly/11fAPxR Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1BDmrjJ
Nov 26

WHY I WROTE: WAITING FOR THE GOOD: Already had the bad

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
You were a patrol officer. Recently, you were promoted to sergeant. You have a year or so under your belt in your new title. You love your work as police officer and the precinct loves you right back. Although, because you also love the ladies too, you’ve sometimes gotten into a bit of trouble when they love you back. Lately, you haven’t had much to time do anything outside of your work. Your sister died six months ago. You’re now the only caregiver for her two pre-teen sons and their animal menagerie. Today, you’re feeling carefree. You’re young. You’re healthy. You’re good-looking. It’s a beautiful fall day. You offer to bring some paperwork to the courthouse downtown. Filing the orders doesn’t take long, so now your afternoon is free. You’re hungry. You know of several unique places. You also see a woman who interests you. You go over and speak to her. You and she trade quips until you realize she was the defense attorney whose scorching cross-examination made you a better cop. You explain how that happened in the cab ride to share lunch with her. Twenty minutes later, your world turns upside down and inside out. You and […]
Nov 19

CAN WE TALK? LET’S DO LUNCH.

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
On Thursday, October 11, 2018, I caught a snippet of one of the oddest sights I’d seen and heard in the White House in quite a long time. Kanye West startled President Donald Trump by hugging him. I was startled too. It was obvious to me that the president was uncomfortable with Kanye’s hug. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with his own hands, which he raised in the air rather than return Kanye’s hug. The president finally resorted a friendly man-to-man back slap when Kanye finished the hug. I was surprised the president allowed the embrace in front of all the cameras. I’d read somewhere he was a germophobe. I was surprised he didn’t try to do a strongman handshake as he’d done before that pushed Kanye away or prevented the embrace altogether. I grew curious. What was Kanye doing in the White House? I knew he wasn’t an international leader of another country, nor was he a representative of any community organization. Why was he hugging the president? Why was he wearing that red MAGA cap in front of the cameras? Why was Jim Brown, the famous running back from the fifties, sitting next to Kanye? Who […]
Nov 05

Obama, Monkeys & Midterms of 2018

by B.L. in Other 0 comments
OBAMA & THE CHIMP On Thursday, February 19, 2009, I saw the infamous “monkey” cartoon by Sean Delonas and I was suddenly reminded of the fugitive slave posters I’d seen in a collection of Black History books from years ago. The posters were arrest warrants, advertising how Prince Jim or Joseph stood nearly six feet, weighed 180 lbs, was strong as an ox, a good breeder, already domesticated and could plow an entire field in a day. His master would pay X amount of money for the return of his chattel. Sketching Prince Jim or Joseph to resemble a monster ape in a white man’s ill-fitting clothing, with long arms dangling below his knees, and gorilla-like facial features was no coincidence. Slave owners wanted to scare the bejesus out of the public—hoping they’d return his property with little fanfare or the expense of hiring slave catchers. Owners especially wanted to spread the fear of God among southern white women—their own wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters who might otherwise be approached by Prince Jim or Joseph and convinced to shelter them. Slave owners couldn’t afford to have Miss Elizabeth Ann hiding Prince Jim or old Joseph. God forbid—it might lead to […]
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