Linda Grace Morris: Baltimore Boomer Tales from the Hood

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Rita Toy-Carr is a 2nd cousin gifted to me by Ancestry.com shortly before COVID hit. The reason I can remember is that I am so grateful that she got to speak with the Speaks family historian, in the oral tradition. Leon was the family's greatest storyteller, possibly because he was the oldest cousin and had seen more relatives than the rest of us. However, it was COVID that took him away from us on Christmas Eve 2020. And while Rita did not get to meet Leon, we had a glorious conversation in my car when I connected the two by phone. Family is a bond that is never broken, and Rita and I are having fun exchanging family stories. We share a few in this episode.

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From the moment you hear Patricia introduce herself, you can tell she is a take charge person. Her childhood and adolescence in Cherry Hill prepared her to make her way in the world. And no wonder. As it turns out, she has no-nonsense ancestors who have left documentation of their contributions to American history. Listen as Patricia shares her journey.

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Donald Jones did not set out to be a minister. He took a very circuitous route. However, he got there, he's there. His family migrated to Baltimore in the early 1940s like so many black families searching for better lives. They moved to Baltimore before he was born which makes him the only member of his family born in Turner Station. Listen as Pastor Jones shares his Boomer path.

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Alvin Lee shares with us his family's journey from Nova Scotia to Washington, DC, to Cherry Hill. The son of a schoolteacher and ship's waiter, this young man was destined to chart an out-of-the-ordinary course for himself, and that he did. He tells us how he navigated the waters of segregation coming of age in the 1960s to accomplish breaking barriers in the world of advertising. The picture above, left to right, Alvin's older brother, Michael, Alvin's mother, Alvin's sister-in-law, and Alvin is on the right.

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When Leon Bailey won first place for his wrestling division weighing 136 ½ pounds at the Quonset Point Navy Base in Rhode Island in 1964, he became the first African American to win a Navy wrestling championship in New England. Leon had been preparing to box and wrestle all his life in the recreation centers and gyms of East Baltimore. When he found out that he could execute those skills for the Navy, he signed up for active duty during the Vietnam era and continued honing his craft. Wrestling for the Navy became his dream. It took three years for Leon’s dream to materialize, but he never gave up hope that it would. 

Leon has been recognized for his accomplishments across many areas of his life including: the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Outstanding American From the State of Maryland, October 2017; the Carver Vocational Technical High School Class of 1962 Distinguished Service Award, May 2000; Carver Alumni Award, 2005-2006; Roots of Scouting, Inc., February 22, 2014, in Recognition of Outstanding Character, Achievements, and Demonstrated Leadership in Service to Scouting in the African American Community; Navy Wrestling, 64-65, 65-66, and Navy Boxing 65; and Guest Speaker Award, 2017, Baltimore City JROTC Military Ball.

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After ending Michael's first episode because of time constraints, I felt uneasy because there was more that needed to be said to give you the full view of Michael's journey. I had planned to publish this the following week. However, I think it better serves you, the listener, to have it immediately. 

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This is a story of so many twists and turns that I had to do it in two episodes because every detail was essential. Cherry Hill is the launching point for the life that Michael has navigated so well with his faith at the core of his being. As we are told in James 2:26, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." Michael not only put the work in, but he also went a step further and asked for help--something many are afraid to do. No one makes it through this life without help--no one. 

Michael is the author of the book, "Burnside's Journey: Believing Good Things Can Happen." If you are feeling overwhelmed or struggling with aspects of your life, take time to read about Michael's journey. 

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Salima "Dolly" Siler Marriott describes herself as a feminist activist. That seed was planted by her maternal great-grandmother, Eliza Finney Fosque, who was born in 1874 in Exmore, a small town in Accomack County on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. She was a midwife in the town until 1940. Salima's activism has changed the landscape of the lives of women all over the world. Listen to her passionate account of her life's work and be inspired to answer the call yourself. 

Salima is the author of "Bringing Into Being Our Legacy", mini portraits of 16 dynamic African American women who have informed her life and whose lives have been informed by hers. It is a testament to the power of the sisterhood of women.

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No, they are not twins like Tia and Tamera Mowry, but they do love their hats. Sisters are special. They are our first girlfriends. They protect us and lead the way if we are little sisters. They are a pain--sometimes--if we are big sisters. Even still, blood is thicker than water. Sidney is one of my dearest friends from my Cherry Hill childhood. She was a year ahead of me at School 159. However, I caught up to her at Edmondson High School after I completed the accelerated curriculum at Garrison Junior High. I call Sidney the "foot soldier" of "Cherry Hill: Raising Successful Black Children in Jim Crow Baltimore" because she was in Cherry Hill until she went off to Morgan State and knew many more of our Cherry Hill contemporaries than I did. Sidney was a clinical social worker in Cherry Hill at the time I was thinking of writing the book, and once I created a questionnaire to capture information from original residents, Sidney urged those with whom she came in contact to call me. I owe her a debt of gratitude.

I am just becoming acquainted with Deborah who is seven years younger than Sidney. They are alike in that they both love Cherry Hill and the firm foundation growing up in the close-knit community gave them. They also had a drive to obtain advanced degrees in their fields. Meet Sidney and Deborah.

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Dreaming big is something we all should do. In Stephanie's case, she worked for a non-profit called Dream Big in Cherry Hill before exploring her dream in fashion. I met my Millennial friend when I was registering voters at the Cherry Hill Shopping Center for the 2020 Baltimore City Mayoral election. She is a beautiful young woman with a very striking presence, but yet so approachable and down-to-earth. This episode was recorded at her retail space in the Bowie Town Center, the MWBC Shop Local on the street approaching Macy*s. Stephanie shares the space with 9 other vendors from around the world with merchandise ranging from $15 to $250. Learn more about Stephanie and this very innovative business model.

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