Blogs | Belva Davis

Library Journal

Submitted by admin on Sat, 01/29/2011 - 11:21

Pioneering journalist Davis, writing with Haddock, tells her fascinating story in this highly readable memoir. Davis grew up hand to mouth in Louisiana and then Oakland. Unable to afford college, she began writing for African American publications and later moved to radio and local television news. Despite resistance at every turn because of her race and gender, her fame and influence grew with each career move.

The arts in a time of famine

Submitted by admin on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 19:19

Almost every large and small arts organization is challenged these days to find a way to remain financially afloat.The old model for non-profit survival is just that---old. The days when a good idea or demonstrated need automatically drew the support of wealthy patrons and foundations, is rapidly eroding in the face of sharp drops in the financial markets. Government grants are being sharply cut as cities, counties and state governments face gigantic deficits, even bankruptcies.

The Crimson Shield of Truth

Submitted by admin on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 15:14

The Harvard University crest takes the form of a crimson shield, surrounded by laurel wreaths, on which are depicted three open books bearing the Latin word, "Veritas"(truth). The design symbolizes a belief that mastery and "truth" can be found through study, research and contemplation, and that educational truth can be a crimson shield for victory in the battle against ignorance.

"Ghetto Girl": Michelle Obama and the Martha's Vineyard black elite

Submitted by admin on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 15:11

Are you ready? Here's a quick lesson in African American social history. For more than a century, the East Coast black elite, including prominent artists, intellectuals and financially secure professionals, has gathered on the island of Martha's Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts, to relax and spend time with one another. By tradition, other ethnic groups do the same, and while the groups mingle socially, they largely live in segregated communities on the island.

Fortunate fog and lucky summer sunshine

Submitted by admin on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 14:57

Life in San Francisco has a myriad of benefits, but a sunny, warm summer is not one of them.I've lost track of the number of summer days I've awakened to the drab color and dense feel of our thick, misty morning fog. Of course, we are aware that this thick, white blanket usually burns off as the day warms, but the absence of even a single ray of morning sunshine starts my day on a somber note. It seems to take more energy to put on a happy face and gear up for the day's challenges.

Connected by the Web

Submitted by admin on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 14:56

The Church for the Fellowship for All Peoples on Russian Hill lists itself as "an interfaith, interracial, intercultural community of seekers dedicated to personal empowerment and social transformation". Sunday's sermon concerned our relationship to one another as human beings. I believe that despite our superficial differences, we are all one people, reflecting each other in everything we do.

And that's the way it was...

Submitted by admin on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 14:52

Doggone it! I just know that picture of Walter Cronkite, with his wife Mary Elizabeth ("Betsy"), my husband Bill and me, our arms entwined around one anothers' shoulders, is somewhere around this house, but I can't find it anywhere. I value that photo, I treasure it, and yet at this moment when I need it most, I just can't put my hands on it.

I remember Mama: one evening with the young Michael Jackson

Submitted by admin on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 14:49

Sitting in my kitchen this week, I stared at the countertop television, gazing at the images of Katherine Jackson, and wondering if we really do resemble one another. Thirty-five years ago, her sons declared that we did. At the time, I didn't think we looked alike, but I do remember those five shy boys who performed at the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos during the summer of 1974.

What sustains us

Submitted by admin on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 14:47

As a woman who has largely made her living by broadcasting other people's bad news, I am still surprised at the resilience of the human spirit.Life's twists and turns dictate that we all must survive various ups and downs. I don't know anyone who has not faced some serious challenge in his or her lifetime. And each generation believes that its own era is the most difficult in history, just as I'm sure the current era will prove to be an historically great challenge for all of us living today.

Handling the meltdown

Submitted by admin on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 14:46

How are you handling the meltdown? I don't just mean the stories you see in the media. I mean: how are you handling it when yet another friend or relative calls or writes to say, "I just got laid off..."?