"In Search of My Mothers Garden I Found My Own"
"In Search of My Mothers Gardens I Found My Own."
"What did it mean for a Black woman to be an artist in our grandmothers' time? It is a question with an answer cruel enough to stop the blood."
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"How was the creativity of the Black woman kept alive, year after year and century after century, when for most of the year's Black people have been in America, it was a punishable crime for a Black person to read or write? And the freedom to paint, to sculpt, to expand the mind with action did not exist. Consider, if you can bear to imagine it, what might have been the result if singing, too, had been forbidden by law. Listen to the voices of Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Roberta Flack, and Aretha Franklin, among others, and imagine those voices muzzled for life. Then you may begin to comprehend the lives of our "crazy," "sainted" mothers and grandmothers. The agony of the lives of women who might have been poets, novelists, essayists, and short story writers, who died with their real gifts stifled within them."
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I often muse about the creativity and magic of women, past, future, and present. How did they, and how have we, found our creative outlets? What's in your garden? I realize it's all around us. It's in the way we cook, clean, and pray. It's expressed via our food, clothing, hair, dance, gardens, businesses, and the way, we care for our families.
In March 2020, I created this series highlighting women over 50 from all walks of life...
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“Grandmother, the alchemist, you spun gold out of this hard life, conjured beauty from the things left behind. Found healing where it did not live. Discovered the antidote in your own kitchen. Broke the curse with your own two hands...You passed these instructions down to your daughter who then passed it down to her daughter.”
Beyonce, 'Lemonade'
Women who, in search of their mother's gardens, found their own.
Master Chef
Fiber Artist
Photographer, Speaker, Author, Lawyer
Master Chef
click through photo gallery
Tonya Holland, Chef. Level 54.*
I first saw Tanya Holland, level 54, when she was a contestant on the 15th season of #TopChef, one of my favorite shows. It's rare they have Black contestants so to see not just Tanya but @chefadriennecheatham, another Black woman, was a treat.
I saw from jump that Chef Tanya was a force. While she didn't win the title of Top Chef, she has won numerous awards and accolades and is a continual voice, and mentor in the food community, advocating for Black Chefs and diversity wherever she can. She didn't get a seat at the table so she built her own table and set out chairs for us all.
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"Known for her inventive take on modern soul food, as well as comfort classics, Tanya Holland is the executive chef/owner of Brown Sugar Kitchen. She is also the author of the Brown Sugar Kitchen Cookbook and New Soul Cooking; she was the host and soul food expert on the television series Melting Pot, and competed on the fifteenth season of Top Chef."
You can find Chef Tanya Holland at tonyaholland.com. On Instagram: @mstanyaholland. Check out these interviews on her creative process and more, here and here.
Adriene Cruz. Level 50+
"The art I create fulfills a powerful desire to express visually what's not easily spoken, a passion for color, a love of symbols, and a deep interest in matters of the Spirit. Gifts of my ancestors, angels, and spirit guides celebrating the power of art beyond visual image flows through me as a celebration of survival. Ancestral roots real and imagined offer a base to channel elements of healing and blessings." - Adriene Cruz
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I met Adriene Cruz in the 90s at a wonderful women’s retreat, women of color as warriors of light. The space was filled with her jaw-dropping quilts. I was mesmerized by her use of color, fabric and unique materials.
A native New Yorker like myself, she has planted deep roots in the soil of Portland Oregon. You can find her art all around Portland, and the world.
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You can find Adriene Cruz at adrienecruz.com and on Instagram.
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Dr. Marta Morena Vega. Level 70+.
I attended a lecture on the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade given by Dr. Vega. Exploring my history and spirituality, I was thrilled by her presentation. During her presentation, she asked for drum music. She noted that out of the 200+ Black people in attendance, only a few of us were up and moving, which she then insisted we do. She asked us, when did we lose our dance? When did African descendants stop responding to the beat of the drum?"
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Dr. Marta Moreno-Vega established the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) in 1976, inspired by a vision to create an international organization to promote and link communities of African descent. has grounded her life's work in the powerful experiences of people of African descent, developing cultural institutions that affirm their impact on the world stage. She has created a legacy of international advocacy and institution-building. Dr. Vega is recognized globally for her contributions as a respected scholar, producer, activist, educator, author, professor, and Yoruba priestess.
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Learn more about Marta Moreno Vega, including the books she's written, here: martamorenovega.com
Let the Spirit Move You: The Documentary.
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Shafia Monroe: Level 50+
Shafia M. Monroe is a renowned midwife, doula trainer, motivational speaker, and cultural competency trainer. Shafia has been “Birthing CHANGE,” all her life. In 2016, Madame Noir named Monroe “Queen Mother of a Midwife Movement” for her pioneer midwifery work in Boston, Massachusetts, her hometown. There she co-founded the Traditional Childbearing Group (TCBG), a non-profit organization, whose mission was to reduce infant mortality through homebirth services, training community midwives, and providing prenatal education. Monroe served as Boston’s primary African American homebirth midwife from 1978-1991.
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In 1991, seven months pregnant with her sixth child, Monroe drove from Boston with her family to Portland, Oregon. When she arrived, she was unable to find an African American midwife for her homebirth. Experiencing the lack of midwives of color in the region, she responded by forming the non-profit organization International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC), to increase the number of midwives and doulas of color to empower families, reduce infant and maternal mortality, and bring Black midwives together.
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Monroe positioned ICTC as an advocate for disseminating culturally competent midwifery education, achieving recognition for Certified Professional Midwives (CPM’s), and directing funds to improve maternal health and newborn care. Under her leadership, ICTC spread across the nation, increasing the number of midwives of color, giving midwives of color a seat at the decision-making table, promoting the profession, as well as researching and teaching the contributions of African descent midwives in world history.
Monroe spends her free time with her husband, seven children, and ten grandchildren. She enjoys cooking for family and friends, walking, dancing, gardening, writing, fishing, and horseback riding. Monroe lives in Portland, Oregon.
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You can find out more about Sister Shafia at shafiamonroe.com
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Empress Karen Rose
Trained in Eastern and Western Herbal Medicine, Master Herbalist, Karen M. Rose created an outlet for her teachings and healing modalities with the opening of Brooklyn-based Sacred Vibes Healing and the Sacred Vibes Apothecary in 2002. Her inspiration for this work began as a child in her native home of Guyana, where she was exposed to how African, Caribbean, and Latin American traditions profoundly influenced plant medicine and community healing. The legacy of these lands is the foundation of Karen’s spiritual and healing practice.
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Karen is dedicated to empowering individuals to make informed decisions not only about their health but their total lifestyle. She has developed authentic and enlightening materials as well as an extensive line of herbal products, all of which are available through her apothecary, apprenticeship classes and mentoring programs,
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A strong advocate of community partnerships in healing, she believes that all spiritual traditions offer guidance on the path to finding the truth, and she has authored articles on the power and simplicity of herbs used to heal and nourish the mind, body, and spirit.
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Gloria Rodriguez. 60+
I was always on the lookout for women like myself, women who led women's groups and organizations. Now there are many but a decade ago there weren't as easy to find. In 2011, I discovered Gloria's work but for some reason was unable to make any of her workshops. In 2012 my sister died. I found out that Gloria was hosting a gathering in Central Park, NYC and I made my way uptown. I was divinely led. It was exactly what I needed. We sat on the grass on a sunny day. There was shared food, artwork, and rituals by the waterfall, [yes in Central Park!]. I didn't realize how deep my grief was until the Drum Circle which consisted of all women drummers. Always the one giving, all I could do was receive, and be refilled. I am forever grateful to Gloria and DeAlmas.
Gloria M. Rodríguez is the Founder and Director of DeAlmas Women’s Institute, a community-based organization launched in 1998. Literally meaning “of the soul,” DeAlmas is dedicated to providing women the opportunity to reclaim, honor and express their divine feminine gifts and human potential through spiritual and personal transformation. Ms. Rodríguez presents workshops, keynote addresses, and lectures to national and international audiences at major colleges, conferences, and retreats.
Ms. Rodriguez is a tenured Professor of Psychology at Bronx Community College of The City University of New York and holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology. Her interests and ongoing research include multicultural, women's, spiritual, social, and positive psychology. She is also a Certified Professional Life Coach specializing in spiritual and relationship coaching. She released her first published book, You Are More Than Good Enough in 2011,
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Gloria practices New Thought/Ancient Wisdom teachings and is an initiate in the Yoruba/Lukumi religious tradition. She is a mother and adoring grandmother. Gloria enjoys traveling, the arts, and experiencing the infinite beauty that exists within the global community.
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Karen Walrond. Level 52.
"And my mission is to help you name your gifts, attain your goals and make light."
“It’s not about whether you’re weird enough or talented enough or famous enough because then you’re still looking at other people’s stories about you. It’s about: 'the way I am right now is enough and I am going to show you that it’s enough and I’m going to live like it’s enough.'”
Lawyer, Speaker, Author, Podcast Host, and Photographer. I've followed Karen on social media for years. She appeared in my feed one day, and I, intrigued by her page name, 'chookooloonks', followed to find out what it meant and stayed. She is a wise woman worth listening to and learning from.
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Karen Walrond is a nationally recognized author and photographer who inspires others to find and celebrate their own uniqueness, through the power of storytelling. She has spoken around the world and has appeared on CNN, TEDxHouston, and the Oprah Winfrey Show. Her site, Chookooloonks, is an anthology of images and stories about living with intention and a sense of adventure.
A sought-after keynote and TEDx speaker, Karen has spoken around the United States and abroad to individuals and organizations on the topic of thriving, through leadership development, the magic of creativity, the valuing of cultural and racial diversity, and the power of social media. In support of her public speaking and delivery of workshops that include the concepts of courage, worthiness, and authenticity (both within the legal field and without), Karen is a Daring Way™ Certified Facilitator, having been trained in Brené Brown's work on vulnerability, courage, shame-resilience, and worthiness, as expressed in the books Daring Greatly and Rising Strong.
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*I use the term, 'level', in lieu of age. I love the idea of leveling up vs aging!