(Author of the Book of Awesome Women Writers) Becca Anderson introduces us to a new wave of civil activists.
The daughters of two very different civil rights warriors, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, have recently paired up to represent the next generation of activism. Although Yolanda King and Attallah (Arabic for gift of god) Shabazz were raised in different faiths and from different philosophical points of view, the commonalities override the dissimilarities. Both lost their fathers to assassins as children under the public eye, and both desired to escape the attention and live their own lives. Yolanda and Attallah grew into two creative spirits for whom the arts provide release, solace, and strength. They were wary of each other upon meeting in New York City where they were both trying to start acting careers. It wasn’t long, however, before a bond was forged and they started working on a play together, “Stepping into Tomorrow,” a musical dramedy with a powerful message of empowerment for youth. The play began a career of collaboration and activism in which both Yolanda and Attallah travel extensively lecturing on civil rights, the importance of the arts, and the legacy of their fathers. In Yolanda King’s words, “I see these responsibilities not as a burden, but as an extension of who I am.”
This excerpt is from The Book of Awesome Women by Becca Anderson, which is available now through Amazon and Mango Media.
The Book of awesome women writers
Medieval Mystics, Pioneering Poets, Fierce Feminists and First Ladies of Literature (Feminist Book, Gift for Women, Gift for Writers)
This one-of-a-kind tome takes a tour with Sylvia Beach and other booksellers as well as librarians, editors, writers, bibliophiles, and celebrated book clubs. Join women’s studies scholar Anders as she takes you on a ribald ride through the pages of history. Chapter titles include “Prolific Pens” (including Joyce Carol Oates, author of over 100 books), “Mystics, Memoirists and Madwomen”, “Salons and Neosalons”, “Ink in Their Veins” (literary dynasties), and the titillating “Banned, Blacklisted, and Arrested.”