1929: WHITE HOUSE TEA AND NO SYMPATHY: THE DePRIEST INCIDENT: THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN INVITED TO TEA AT THE WHITE HOUSE

In the early summer of 1929, citizens in the nation’s capital enjoyed reading about the White
House activities of President Herbert Hoover and his wife, Lou Hoover, in their local newspaper.
They learned that a “talking movie” was shown at the White House , that the president’s
pets had acquired silver-plated nametags, and that a policy had been implemented to reduce
the number of handshakes the president had to endure during public receptions. By July, the
Hoovers no doubt sorely missed such whimsical coverage, when it was replaced by reports criticizing
Mrs. Hoover for inviting an African-American woman to attend a White House tea.
Ordinarily, the First Lady’s activities would have been covered in the society news; in this
case, however, Lou Hoover made front page headlines in newspapers across the country. Early
in her husband’s administration, Mrs. Hoover planned to invite the wives of U.S. Congressmen
to the White House, but she faced a dilemma. For the first time in decades, and for the first time
ever outside the South, an African-American man had been elected to the U.S. Congress. Should
she invite his wife, Mrs. Oscar DePriest, to tea at the White House along with the wives of the
other Congressmen? She decided to do so, and Mrs. DePriest accepted the invitation and did
indeed visit the White House, igniting a firestorm that demonstrated the sensitive and symbolic
nature of the White House, as well as the delicate state of race relations in America on the cusp
of the Depression.
The Incident
Oscar DePriest was the first African-American elected as a U.S. Congressman since Reconstruction,
and he was the first African-American ever elected to serve in the U.S. Congress from
outside the South. A Republican from Chicago, DePriest began his term in March 1929, at the
same time President Hoover started his term as president. It quickly became clear that a decision
had to be made about what to do about Mrs. DePriest. While President and Mrs. Hoover
tried to minimize political fallout, there does not seem to be any doubt that they would include
Mrs. DePriest. It would be difficult to ignore White House traditions, so canceling the event was
not really an option. Nor would the Hoovers snub Mrs. DePriest by excluding her.

(I WONDER WHAT "THEY" WOULD SAY TODAY,... THEM DRY BONES MUST BE JUMPING ALL OVER CREATION RIGHT ABOUT NOW)

CERAMIST: SANA MUSASAMA TRAVELS TO CAMBODIA TO DO CULTURAL REHAB & SOCIAL REINTEGRATION ACTIVITIES WITH THE YOUNG GIRLS VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

MY AMAZING HUMANITARIAN ARTIST FRIEND, SANA MUSASAMA JUST LEFT NEW YORK THE OTHER DAY, TO TRAVEL TO VIETNAM TO DO VOLUNTARY WORK WITH THE GIRLS OF SAMOLY MAM FOUNDATION IN CAMBODIA.

THE SAMOLY MAM FOUNDATION IS AN AMAZING RESCUE FOUNDATION, SHE RECUES, REHABILITATES AND REINTERGRATE YOUNG GIRLS IN CAMBODIA BACK INTO SOCIETY AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN RESCUED FROM BEING VICTION OF HUMAN TRAFFICING IN THE SEX SLAVE TRADE.

SAMOLY MAM WAS KIDNAPPED AND SOLD TO A BROTHAL AS A SEX SLAVE AT THE YOUNG AGE OF 12 IN CAMBODIA, SHE EXSCAPE THIS LIFE OF HORROR AND HAS FOUNDED THE FOUNDATION THAT HAS RESCUED OVER 4,000 YOUNG GIRLS.

SAMOLY MAM HAS WRITTEN A BOOK TITLED "THE ROAD OF LOST INNOCENCE" THAT YOU CAN READ ABOUT HER LIFE, I PLAN TO GET THE CD AND LISTEN TO IT WHILE I CROCHET.

SANA MUSASAMA IS IN VIETNAM RIGHT NOW, SHE WILL BE TRAVELING TO CAMBODIA IN A FEW DAYS TO WORK WITH THE YOUNG GIRLS. I WILL BE POSTING HER E-MAILS OF HER JOURNEY AND WORK.

SANA IS AN AMAZING TRAVELER, SHE HAS WONDERFUL TRAVELING STORIES TO TELL, SHE IS A FIRE SPIRIT, SO THERE ARE ALWAY INTERESTING ENCOUNTERS.

HOLIDAY GIFTS BY XENOBIA BAILEY: "FUNKY CHIC BEADED CROCHET SKULLCAPS" @ ETSY.COM

MY IMAGES ARE BACK!!!. I'M ON ANOTHER COMPUTER,.. BUT AT LEAST I CAN POST IMAGES....
..
SO... HERE IS MY "SONG AND DANCE" ABOUT MY HATS SELLING ON ETSY.COM AGAIN.

JUST GO TO ETSY.COM, TYPE IN "FUNKY CHIC, CROCHET, BEADED, SKULLCAPS" AND THE RED SKULLCAP THAT IS POSTED HERE WILL APPEAR.

NO TELLING WHEN I WILL STOP CROCHETING THESE HATS COMPLETELY,

SO... IF YOU WANT TO BE AS CUTE AS A BUTTON THIS WINTER, MAKE YOU ORDER WHILE THE OFFER LASTS...

DO'NT SAY I DID'NT GIVE YOU A HEADS-UP ON THIS ALMOST LAST CALL.

HOLIDAY GIFTS BY XENOBIA BAILEY: "FUNKY CHIC BEADED CROCHET SKULLCAPS" @ ETSY.COM

OK GOOD PEOPLE,... I HAVE TO TAKE A BIG, DEEP BREATH RIGHT ABOUT NOW, AS I MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS JACKED-UP IMAGE ON MY BLOG.

IT LOOKS AS IF, I WILL HAVE TO WORK ON THIS BLOG WITH NO IMAGES OR A JACKED-UP IMAGE FOR A WHILE... IT REMINDS ME OF "BACK IN THE DAY" WHEN THE ELECTRICITY WOULD BE TURN OFF, AND WE WOULD ACT LIKE WE WERE IN THE WILDERNESS WITH ONLY CANDLE LIGHTS.

SO UNTIL I HAVE THE TIME TO REALLY HAVE THIS PROBLEM CORRECTED, WE WILL JUST HAVE TO USE OUR IMAGINATION AND EVERYTHING ELSE.

BY THE WAY... THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR ALL OF THE SUGGESTIONS. I TRIED THEM ALL.

BUT.... ANYWAY...

I AM CROCHETING MY FUNKY, CHIC, BEADED, SKULLCAPS, AND I AM SELLING THEM @ ETSY.COM.

CHECK THEM OUT... WHEN YOU GO TO THE ETSY.COM WEBSITE, GO TO "HANDMADE ITEMS: TAGS, TITLES" THEN COPY & PASTE "FUNKY, CHIC, BEADED CROCHET SKULLCAPS" CLICK ON "SEARCH" AND A IMAGE OF A MODEL WITH A RED FUNKY CHIC, BEADED CROCHET SKULLCAP, WILL APPEAR.

IF YOU DO NOT SEE A COLOR COMBINATION THAT TICKLES YOUR FANCY, JUST WRITE ME A NOTE THROUGH MY ETSY ACCOUNT AND I WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO GIVE YOU WHAT YOU WANT.

ALL THE HATS ARE HAND CROCHET BY ME, NO ONE ELSE AND THEY ALL COME WITH MY PERSONAL LABEL. SO... I DO'NT KNOW HOW LONG I WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE THESE HATS. BUT MARK MY WORK, THE END OF ME MAKING THESE Proxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age

OK... THAT'S IT.... I'M TAKING THIS #@^&*@!& COMPUTER TO THE MAC STORE TO SEE WHAT THE HECK IS NOT GOING ON!!!!

NOW THE BLOG HAS GONE HAYWIRE,.. I CAN ONLY PUBLISH IN THE TITLE BLOCK IN A ROUND ABOUT WAY!!

I AM TRYING TO SEE WAHT WORKS AND HOW.... OK... I CAN SOMETIMES GET SOME TEXT POSTED, BUT NO IMAGES.

WHAT I NEED IS FOR EVERYONE TO LAY YOUR HANDS ON YOUR COMPUTER AND SEND MY BLOG AND ME SOME GOOD VIBES.... THIS BLOG NEEDS A GOOD OLD FASHION GLOBAL CYBER HEALING.

STILL HAVING IMAGE UPLOADING PROBLEM,

SORRY FOR THE DELAY IN POSTING, I AM HAVING PROBLEMS POSTING AND UPLOADING INFORMATION TO MY BLOG. HOPEFULLY THE PROBLEM WILL BE RESOLVED SOON. THANKS

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE OF HARLEM: AISHA AL ALADAWIYA, THE LOVELY AND GRACIOUS HISTORICAL ARCHIVIST AT THE SCHOMBURG CENTER LIBRARY IN HARLEM

DECEMBER 1 2008, I HAD TO STOP BY ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES IN HARLEM TO MAKE A DROP-OFF, THE SCHOMBURG CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN BLACK CULTURE LIBRARY,

I WAS MET IN THE LOBBY BY THE BEAUTIFUL SISTAH AISHA AL ALADAWIYA, IT WAS REALLY GREAT SEEING HER, I LOVE HER PERONAL STYLE. SHE IS THE ONLY PERSON THAT I KNOW THAT HAS A BEAUTIFUL LAVENDER COLOR IN HER SKIN TONE, I RALLY LOVE HOW SHE WORKS WITH HER CULTURAL AESTHETIC.... "SHE BE WEARIN HER ADORNMENTS"

I WAS HOPEING TO GET ANOTHER SNEAK VIEW OF THE AARON DOUGLAS EXHIBIT THAT WAS ON VIEW AT THE SCHOMBURG LIBRARY. THE LAST DAY WAS SUNDAY. AARON DOUGLAS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE ARTIST. I LOVE HOW HE PAINTS AND WRITES ABOUT THE AFRICAN AMERICAN IN THE NEW INDUSTRIAL AGE IN AMERICA.. HIS USE OF SPACE, FORM AND COLOR IS SIMPLE YET POWERFUL. I THINK I AM GOING TO HAVE TO TRAVEL TO SEE THE LIBRARY AT FISK UNIVERSITY WHERE HE PAINTED A TIMELESS MURAL ON THE WALLS.

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM ANCESTORS GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER: A PAMPHLET "HELP FOR THE HARD TIMES" COMMISSIONED BY BOOKER T. WASHINGTON. 1916.

WHEN I WAS A CHILD, I REMEMBER ASKING MY MOTHER, WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE DURING THE DEPRESSION OF THE 1920'S. SHE TOLD ME HER PEOPLE WHERE NOT AFFECTED BY IT MUCH, BECAUSE THEY LIVED ON A FARM AND THEY ATE WELL EVERY DAY.

EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOT RAISE ON A FARM, I ALWAYS HAVE VALUED THE SOIL AND MAINTAINING THE RICH MINERALS IN IT TO GREW FOOD FOR A BALANCED LIFE ON THIS PLANET.

SO... WHILE DOING RESEARCH ON GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER AND HIS WORK AT THE TUSKEGE INSTITUTE, FOR THE EXHIBIT (RE) POSSESSED, I CAME ACROSS THIS PAMPHLET THAT BOOKER T. WASHINGTON COMMISSIONED GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER TO DEVELOPE AND WRITE. I THOUGHT THIS INFORMATION WOULD BE VALUABLE TO HOMEMAKERS AROUND THE WORLD TODAY, AS WE ALL GO THROUGH THIS TEMPORARY ECONOMIC "HARD TIME"

I PLAN TO FOLLOW THIS ADVICE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER BY GROWING VEGETABLE IN MY WINDOWS, (I THINK IT WILL BE BEAUTIFUL & HEALTHY) AND WHAT EVER ELSE I CAN DO IN THE CITY TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY DIET.

I WILL CONTINUE TO RESEARCH THE ART OF (RE) POSSESING A HUMANE LIFESTYLE FOR THE EXHIBIT AND WHAT EVER ELSE I CAN FIND ON THE SUBJECT OF THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SUPERNATURAL LIFESTYLE.... DO'NT WORRY... WHAT EVER I FIND, I WILL SHARE...

CERAMIST SANA MUSASAMA'S MEMORIAL PREPARATION FOR HER DEAR BELOVED FRIEND DIEDRA BIBBY

MY DEAR LONG-TIME FRIEND CERAMIST SANA MUSASAMA JUST LOST HER BEST FRIEND CURATOR DIEDRA BIBBY, A FEW MONTHS AGO.

SANA IS PLANNING TO DO A TEA MEMORIAL WITH DIEDRA'S FAMILY, FRIENDS AND COLLIEGES AT THE SCHOMBERG LIBRARY IN HARLEM WHERE DIEDRA ONCE WORKED AS A CURATOR IN THE FINE ART DEPARTMENT.

I KNOW THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY BEAUTIFUL EVENT, SANA IS CREATING ALL OF THE TEACUPS AND SAUCER FOR THE EVENT.

THIS IS A PASSIONATE MORNING EXERCISE FOR SANA, I WENT BY SANA'S STUDIO TO HELP HER PACK SOME TEACUPS & SAUCERS.

I WAS SUPPOSE TO MAKE SOME TEACUPS SAUCERS MYSELF FOR THE EVENT, BUT I COULD NOT GET MY SCHEDULE TOGETHER.

SANA IS AN AMAZING TRAVELER, SHE HAS BEEN ALL OVER THE WORLD SEVERAL TIMES, STUDYING CERAMIST WITH INDIGENIST PEOPLE WHO WORK WITH THEIR HANDS AND CLAY.

SHE HAS SPENT TIME IN AFRICA, CHINA, INDIA, PERU, VIETNAM, NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE OF THE SOUTH WEST PART OF NORTH AMERICA. COSTA RICA, I AM SURE THERE A PLACES I HAVE NOT MENTIONED.

SHE IS CREATING AN AMAZING POP-UP CHILDRENS AND ADULT BOOK ABOUT HER ADVENTURIST AND COLORFUL TRAVELS.

THIS IS PAUL, THE CERAMIC STUDIO MANAGER AT HUNTER COLLEGE.

THIS IS ONE OF PAUL BRILLIANT TEACUPS THAT HE MADE FOR THE MEMORIAL, YOU CAN SEE A LITTLE HOLE ON THE RIGHT SIDE TO DRINK THE TEA OUT OF.

BACK TO THE POP-UP BOOK... I KNOW SANA WILL HAVE A VERY SUCCESSFUL BOOK BECAUSE OF HER UNIQUE AESTHETIC, AND THAT SHE IS A FABULOUS STORY TELLER.

I HAVE KNOWN SANA SINCE THE 70'S, AND HER STORIES OF HER TRAVEL STILL ENTERTAIN, THRILL, SCARE, SHOCK AND INSPIRE ME.

WATCHING HER WORK WITH CLAY IS LIKE WATCHING PREPERATIONS FOR A RITUAL.





SANA AND ONE OF HER TALENTED FORMER STUDENTS SALLY. .

THESE ARE UNFIRED TEACUPS, I THOUGHT THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL JUST LIKE THIS.

UNFIRED TALL TEACUP, I PLAN TO TRY AND MAKE A FEW OF THESE MYSELF, IT IS SO ELEGANTLY FUNKY. I LOVED THE SPLIT BOWL ON THE RIGHT, I WOULD LIKE TO TRY THAT SPLIT EFFECT MYSELF ONE DAY. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT AFTER IT IS FIRED.

MORE UNFIRED ELEGANT TALL TEACUPS. I REALLY LOVE THESE TEACUPS.

THIS IS THE CREATIVE FLOOR OF SANA'S STUDIO. AT LOT OF EXPERIMENTING & DISCOVERY GOES ON HERE.





SANA'S SINGLE GOLDEN SLIPPER.

I REALLY WISH I COULD ATTEND DIEDRA BIBBY'S MEMORIAL SANA IS PLANNING, I KNOW IT IS GOING TO BE WONDERFUL. DIEDRA WOULD BE VERY PLEASED. SANA IS GOING TO HAVE EVERYTHING THERE DIEDRA LOVED. FROM PEOPLE TO ART, MUSIC, FOOD, INCENSE, FLOWERS AND SANA.

VISIT WITH COLUMBUS OHIO LIVING TREASURE, MASTER FIBER ARTIST, ANIMATED JOURNALIST EXTRAORDINAIRE, AMINAH BRENDA LYNN ROBINSON

KING ARTS COMPLEX DR BARBARA NICHOLSON, WHO ARRANGED THIS VISIT, KNOCKS ON THE ANIMATED DOOR OF AMINAH ROBINSON WHILE MY MOUTH WAS HANGING WIDE OPEN.

FIBER ARTIST AMINAH BRENDA LYNN ROBINSONS INSTALLATION FRONT YARN. THIS AMAZING WOMAN PREPARES HER PATH BEFORE HER,

WE WERE GREETED BY AMINAH AND INVITED IN,... HAS WE ENTERED THIS LIVING STUDIO, WE FIRST APROACHED A VANITY TABLE THAT WAS CONVERTED TO A ALTAR OF SORTS, WITH A LARGE BOOK OPENED WITH AN AMAZING DRAWING OF THE HUMAN BODY.... I REALY APRECIATED THAT AMINAH AND DR NICHOLSON LET ME HAVE MY SILENCE, HAS I WALKED AROUND AND DRANK IN THE LIFE IN THE SURROUNDINGS ROOMS.

WITH EVERY STEP, AND EVERY TURN OF THE HEAD THERE IS INSPIRATION FROM DOOR NOBS, TO WALLS, BOOKS, ART, OPEN LETTER, NOTES, YOU NAME IT. WHAT EVER ENTERS THIS CREATIVE CHAMBERS IS ADDED TO THIS ARTIST CREATIVE PALETTE.

WHEN I SAW AMINAHS WORK IN PROGRESS I HEARD MY HEART BEATING IN MY EARS AND I FELT IT IN MY NECK,.... BUT... I WAS COOL!!... I WAS TOTALLY REVERENT IN THE PRESENCE OF THE RESTING NEEDLE & THREAD OF A MASTER.

I FELT LIKE I WAS WALKING BEHIND THE CURTAIN OF THE WIZARD, WHEN I SAW THE CONSTRUCTION OF ONE OF AMINAH'S QUILTS. DR NICHOLSON TOLD ME LATER THAT AMINAH IS TEACHING HERSELF ABOUT 3 OR MORE LANGUAGES.

BOOKS, BOOKS EVERY WHERE, THEN I SAW THE POST CARD ABOUT MY EXHIBIT (RE) POSSESSED AT THE KING ARTS COMPLEX ON HER WALL.

AMINAHS RESEARCH MATERIAL.

AMINAH HAS TURNED HER KITCHEN INTO ANOTHER STUDIO SPACE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF HER SCULPTURE, I WAS TOLD SHE DOES NOT COOK, SHE TURNED THE STOVE INTO A STAND FOR HER THIMBLE ASSEMBLAGE SCULPTURE.

I AM LOVING THE THIMBLE ASSEMBLAGE.

I WAS TOLD THAT AMINAH ONLY EATS FRUIT.

A ROW OF FRUIT RIPPENING IN THE WINDOW SUNLIGHT.

AMINAH HAS TWO DOGS, THEY ARE REAL CHARACTERS, SO ARE HER DOGGIE CERAMICS.

AND THEN I ENTERED THE MASTERS DRAWING ROOM!!!!!...

I ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE, TO BE IN A MASTERS STUDIO THAT HAS SUCH HISTORY AND ENERGY.

I LOVE HOW AMINAH HAS GIVEN SUCH SPIRIT TO HER ENVIRONMENT BY ANIMATING THE WALLS WITH HER PAINTINGS.

AS THE SIGN ABOVE SAYS,... THIS IS AMINAH SANCTUARY... I DID NOT ENTER... BUT, I REALLY WANTED TO.


AMINAH HAD THIS OTHER STUDIO BUILT IN HER BACK YARD.


I LOVE THIS ASSEMBLAGE ON THE WOODEN FENCE... YOU CAN'T HELP TO HAVE MEMORIES WHEN YOU SEE THESE MANUAL TOOLS FROM YESTERYEAR.

AMINAH INSIDE HER OUTDOOR STUDIO.... HER SCULPTURE FILLED THE SPACE FROM THE FLOOR TO THE CEILING.

AMINAH WAS "RIGHT ON TIME" WHEN SHE GAVE ME THREE ROCK FROM HER BACK YARD.... I LOVE ROCKS.... AND I LOVE THE ROCKS THAT PEOPLE GIVE ME... A CHOOSEN ROCK SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE GIVEN.


I SAW THIS SIGN AS WE WERE LEAVING. ALL HAND CARVED BY AMINAH.

TWO OF THE MANY MASSIVE QUILTS CREATED BY AMINAH.

THIS WAS THE HIGHPOINT TO THE EXHIBIT (RE) POSSESSED TRAVELING TO COLUMBUS OHIO, WAS MY VISIT TO THE WORK/LIVE/SANCTUARY SPACE OF THE "SUPER BEING OF ANOTHER ORDER" AMINA BRENDA LYNN ROBINSON. I REALLY THANK DR BARBARA NICHOLSON OF THE KING ARTS COMPLEX FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN.

THIS WAS A FULL VISIT FOR ME I MUST SAY. COLUMBUS OHIO IS SO VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE THIS LIVING TREASURE OF A ARTIST.

PLEASE VISIT COLUMBUS MUSEUM OF ARTS WEBSITE WERE A INSTALLATION FOR PORTIONS OF THE (RE) POSSESSED IS INSTALLED. THE MUSEUM HAS CREATED A WONDERFUL WEBSITE FOR AMINAH ROBINSON.

http://www.aminahsworld.org/

I HOPE TO BRING YOU MORE INFORMATION ON THIS DEDICATED PASSIONATE ARTIST.