Good Evening! I wish Black History Month was longer, there’s just so much to write about. I love every member of my family, but today I am going to focus on one younger female family member who really impressed me this past week. Meeko is my niece’s daughter, my great niece. Over the years as our families grew, grew up and spread out, we did not spend a lot of time together. Until my mom died in 2010 we used to gather at mom’s place for holidays and whatnot. On special occasions we would take day trips to a relatives house, say for a baby shower. My point is that I did not see a lot of Meeko as she grew up. And after mom died I did not get to see her at all unless pictures or videos were posted on social media. When her parents posted about Meeko it was usually to share about the fact that Meeko loved softball. And she was good. She got into the sport at about age 4. Over the years she continued to excel in the sport. Her parents were always there to take her to games in and out of town. It was cool to watch her progress.
Today I went online and I found mention of Meeko and her dad from 2013. According to DAVE SHOWALTER Fontana Herald News July 18, 2013: The Fontana Pony Softball 10U All Stars won the Pony Zone Tournament last Sunday in Redlands. Meeko Harrison pitched four strong innings, striking out five. Manager Mike Harrison (Meeko’s father) was very proud of their accomplishments and thanked not only all the players, but also his coaches and parents for all their support. This is the first time I have seen this article. It impresses me.
Today Meeko is a member of the uksoftball (University of Kentucky) team. Her father is there in Kentucky, visiting, watching his daughter play after eight months or so of not seeing her due to the pandemic. According to the school’s news team, the Kentucky Softball team is off to its best start in program history at 13-0, after winning games against Stetson and New Mexico State on day two of the 2021 Spring Games at Legend’s Way Ballfields in Clermont, Florida. The school paper listed stats for Meeko from past years:
Has lettered in softball four years at Etiwanda High School
Has hit .495 and .490 in her last two years of high school softball
Received the team MVP award in 2019
In my mind, Meeko has always been about softball. Or baseball. I would wonder what is she going to do when she grows up? Are there grown-up women softball teams? Will she make money that way? Of course, I never asked her or her father or her mother. They were just random thoughts. A few days ago I came to the realization that Meeko is not all about just softball. She is now an 18 year old female with thoughts and dreams and opinions. She is someone who has studied life and has come to conclusions. She is a beautiful Black woman who has studied and is knowledgeable about the Black women who have come before her. She is proud of herself and of her people. And she just happens to love and excel at softball. I am proud of my great-niece.
In the photo above she quotes Marian Anderson. Marian Anderson performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. She performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United States and Europe between 1925 and 1965. Anderson was an important figure in the struggle for African-American artists to overcome racial prejudice in the United States. She participated in the civil rights movement in the 1960s, singing at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Anderson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963. She died in 1993 at age 96. Her story is worth looking into.
Meeko evidently read up on Ms. Anderson. She says that the above quote is her favorite quote. I’m sure she has read quotes from many other women and men. She has a desire to share her own thoughts through the words of women like Marian Anderson, and has done so. She has shown me that there are many young Black women today who have educated themselves and are ready to speak out and be heard. And they are right here within our families. I find that I am quite proud of Meeko Harrison.
Also, I was happy to be able to inform her that my mother, her great-grandmother, Norma, studied voice with Mme. Sara Cahier, Ms. Anderson’s voice coach. How cool is it that Meeko’s favorite quote came from a woman who shared the same voice coach with her great-grandmother back in the 1940s. This is our Black Family History. Ongoing and fantastic. Every day.
Thanks, for stopping by. 🙂
Every now and then I get the urge to SAY something (my daughter would attest to that). Today I want to reassure my fellow Americans that the Post Office is a lasting establishment. A true American entity. Since its inception we have had mail delivery continuously six days a week. Didn’t I learn about the pony express in grammar school? As a child I thought those pony express riders were heroes. The mail got through no matter what. The phrase “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”, was modified over time to refer to postal service workers, “Neither snow, nor rain, nor gloom of night shall stay these couriers from their appointed rounds”. I mean, for heaven’s sake, Benjamin Franklin was the first Postmaster General. The organizing of the Post Office was signed into law by President George Washington on February 20, 1792! This was major.
A few years later we gained The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970-Here is the first paragraph: “The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by Act of Congress, and supported by the people. The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities. The costs of establishing and maintaining the Postal Service shall not be apportioned to impair the overall value of such service to the people.” We have since updated the USPS logo. Eagles are powerful, stately, determined and undeniably American, which reflects the spirit of the Postal Service and its employees.
The Marvelettes waited patiently for their mailman everyday. Or should I say postman. Wait, oh yea, wait a minute Mr. Postman-What a hit that was. Mail delivery was essential to living life. Still is. To so many people. People waiting for love letters or prescriptions. People waiting for hospital supplies. Checks. At one point Saturday delivery was almost cancelled, however, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013, passed reversing the cuts to Saturday delivery.
And how many of you remember Mr. McFeely? Speedy Delivery!! He stopped by Mr. Rogers place every day. He was always on time and always had a smile on his face. He was so much fun. One of the most popular characters on the show. Mr. McFeeley would sometimes bring videos to show children how macaroni or plastic combs were made. I always looked forward to mail delivery when I watched Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
Fun Fact: My father, Eddie Green, once got in trouble with the Post Office, according to my mom. Eddie would dress my mom’s female friends in long scarves, take pictures and send them on postcards to men who ordered them through magazines. One of the photos showed a bit too much and Eddie became a friend of the postal inspector. (Not really, he had to pay a substantial fine.) I wonder if he got his idea from this Mata Hari postcard?
Hello out there! What a lucky girl am I. I have started researching a third book. Just writing those words down makes me have to stop and ponder. I’ve never considered writing 3 books. Just the one-about my father- a rags-to-riches biography about the legendary Eddie Green, Old Time Radio icon (Duffy’s Tavern once a week radio show and others), composer, filmmaker, singer, dancer magician, TV star. A Black American who made it big despite the travails of Blacks in the early 1900s.
Duffy’s Tavern was on the air for ten years. It was funny. Especially Eddie the waiter’s lines. Apart from a very few, the weekly guests were White. The cast was White. The announcer was White. Eddie was the only Black cast member on that show. And he was hilarious.
My father made a movie titled Mr. Adam’s Bomb (1949). His idea was to show the world how regular every day Black people reacted to the use of the Atom Bomb. It was a horrible episode in our country. Eddie, as an ex vaudevillian and as a comedian chose to include humor and singing and dancing as in this movie as he had in his first four movies.
Now here’s a Fun fact: Mr. Bob Schiller and Mr. Bob Weiskoph (both gone now) wrote for Maude. The two Bobs also wrote for Duffy’s Tavern and probably knew my father. I love their picture.
Seen Today: May 18, 2020 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that he is taking a malaria drug to protect against the new coronavirus, despite warnings from his own government that it should only be administered for COVID-19 in a hospital or research setting due to potentially fatal side effects.
One of my favorite posters is this one. I mean, this is patriotic-a BIG flag and a little person. I know it’s a poster about a movie (Patton), but it signifies PATRIOTISM for me. Maybe because I saluted the flag every morning in Grammar School. It’s woven into my psyche. The President of these United States is the highest chair in the land and ought to be treated with dignity, as opposed to recklessness, in my opinion.
I’ve been doing what I like to do best-researching. I saw a story online about the 1918 Spanish Flu and it dawned on me that my father was alive back then. As a matter of fact, he was married to his first wife, had his first daughter, had signed up for WWI, had written a song and was on the road traveling down south with his “Deluxe Players”. The 1918 pandemic lasted from, I think, August of 1918 through December of 1920. Eddie began his first on stage vaudeville work in 1920. He was a comedian. The 1918 flu was targeting young adults. About half of the deaths were in the 20-40 range. Eddie was about 29. He had already experienced diseases and poverty being born in 1891 in Baltimore during a time of no indoor plumbing and rampant Leukemia in the East Baltimore slums. It’s one of the reasons he left home at nine years old and worked as a boy magician until someone suggested that he was so funny he really didn’t need a lot of props to entertain people. It seems that Eddie never got sick. Vaudeville and Burlesque were pulling people in. Eddie was performing in Tampa, Fla., in 1919 with his Deluxe Players when he applied for and got a job as a comedian in New York in 1920. The flu had hit Haskell County, Kansas In January 1918.
The “Roaring Twenties”. Booze and parties. Eddie was appearing onstage in “All In Fun”, dancing and singing now along with his comedy. I read he and his partner were encored many times. So everyone must have been having a good time. Duke Ellington was coming along. Eddie opened a publishing business, a movie studio and wrote “King Tut’s Blues” because of the discovery of the tomb in 1923. And better things were yet to come. Even so, there was also the fact that in those early 1900 years racism was also a death sentence for Blacks. And Eddie was touring the country with Burlesque shows. In Blackface. And he was a hit everywhere he went. Fascinating when you think about it.
Every now and then I like to write about random stuff. Stuff not connected to my father’s biography or my latest writing venture. Sometimes I ache to write about politics, however, I would probably burn up my laptop with my furious typing. But today I am going to share with you the conversation I had with myself while “doing” my hair this morning. My daughter says I spend way too much time worrying about how my hair looks. But I have always placed a lot of emphasis on how my hair looks. As I was combing it today I remembered the old childhood story about Rapunzel- “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair”. I loved that story as a young girl. But I did not have long hair like Rapunzel, I had frizzy hair, when my mom put my hair up in a rubber band I looked like I had a bunny’s tail.
“This yam will make a nice dinner, said the farmer. Put me down! Put me down!” said the yam
Life sends us through changes, but if we can find what makes us feel good and hold onto it, we can be happy. Eddie was a comedian. He liked being a comedian. He found something he did well and he made a career out of it. He liked feeling happy. He said he didn’t even like watching other comedians getting booed off the stage. And other people found him hilariously funny. With that and a lot of hard work he achieved fame. I think he would have felt extremely happy to have been able to witness this little precious family addition.
Today, November 17 is the day on which my mom was born in 1923. She passed in 2010. I know she would have felt a true warmth for Dior. This picture was taken at Dior’s moms wedding. This post is definitely coming from an emotional place within myself. My family members are all very special to me. The fact that I can share them through my writing gives me a great deal of pleasure. May you find joy, inspiration and something to celebrate every day.
p.s. Christmas Treats:
Once you accept the fact that you’re not perfect, then you develop some confidence. ~Rosalynn Carter.
I called the office of the producer of the tv sitcom The Jeffersons to speak with him to try and get some quotes for the new book I am writing on The Jeffersons. His assistant told me she would get back to me and let me know when he would be available. Thinking they would certainly not call back that same day, and needing groceries, I went to the market. I turn my cellphone off when I drive and when I shop. When I turned it back on later, they had called me and said I had 40 mins. to return their call before the producer went into his next meeting. Of course, that time had passed. Then began my “critical self-evaluation”. What a maroon!! I should’ve known they would call!! I blew it!! I’m a big dummy!!.
I do get to experience things in life that I see as perfect. We have a new in-law and a brand new baby in our family. I think this is a perfect picture. Say hello to Mr. Spivey and his son Kaison.
I will also be focusing on writing my second book. This will be a non-fiction about the 1970s sitcom, The Jeffersons. I am so tickled!! Someone actually gave me the chance to write another book! Now, when anyone asks me what I do I can say “I am a writer.” I spent my early years pursuing a singing career, then worked 30 years as a Secretary then retired. And now a whole new career has blossomed. I love it. And, I have actually found a connection between one of the characters from The Jeffersons and my father, Eddie Green.
In 1949, the year before Eddie died this article was printed. “Gosden still speaks the parts of Amos, Kingfish and Lightnin’. Correll enacts Andy and Henry Van Porter. Eddie Green is Stonewall, the lawyer; Ernestine Wade is Sapphire, wife of Kingfish, and Wonderful Smith plays various roles as needed.” Rochester Democrat Chronicle 1949
I finished the book with news of Eddie’s last movie from 1949 and his death in 1950. The following article appeared in the Los Angeles California Watts newspaper:
pininthetush 