Afi-Odelia Scruggs: Inspires Us to Write

Greetings AfriGeneas Writers:

The Internet is a wonderful tool. Through it I found AfriGeneas, the web’s beacon to the history and culture of Africans in the Americas. Its posters piqued my interest. Their research on family ancestors were fascinating; each one is unique and an important chapter in America’s history.

Author, Afi-Odelia Scruggs has been a frequent contributor to AfriGeneas. I’ve been out of touch with Afi, so I was delighted to find several of her articles that I want to share with you. Her words are beautifully shaped and clear. Her perspectives are compelling and balanced.

IN HER BLOG:

She writes, “This isn’t a blog about genealogy, although genealogy might be discussed from time to time. This blog is about creating a family narrative by collecting and sharing family stories.
What’s the difference? Genealogy revolves around facts: dates, places and names. That information is important, but it’s just a skeletal rendering of a family’s history. Stories put faces to names, and bring people to life.”

You can find her words and an excerpt from her book “Claiming Kin” at the link below.

http://familyhistoryfamilylore.wordpress.com/

WHY WE STILL NEED FEBRUARY: Posted on The root:

http://www.theroot.com/views/why-we-still-need-february

The Washington Post: What Kind of Black Are We?

Scruggs underlines how “American” Black Americans really are. Her commentary below will hit home to Blacks who share the experience below. It’s a personal touchstone to my five-year travels in Egypt and my African friends in Europe and the US.

“For now, we are African Americans, with more emphasis on the latter part of that identity than we might care to acknowledge.
"We do like the benefit, assets of being American, but many of us have a desire to connect with things that are African," said Richardson, the psychologist. But she notes that visiting Africa or being around Africans can show native-born blacks how American we really are.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/27/AR2007072701673.html

Enjoy Afi-Odelia Scruggs. She will inspire you to write your family history.

So Please…

Write Away