ARCHIVED SPECIALS
Soul Food to Go (Inspirational)
News Articles
Black History Facts
January 14
1940: Julian Bond, civil rights leader and Georgia State senator, is born.
January 17
1942: Muhammad Ali, heavyweight boxing champion, is born in Louisville, KY.
January 18
1858: Daniel Hale Williams, first physician to perform open-heart surgery and founder of Provident Hospital in Chicago, is born.
January 19
1918: John H. Johnson, editor and publisher of
Ebony and Jet magazines, is born in Arkansas
City, AR.
A Write Away Cafe' Favorite
Teryn's Side Dishes
Free to Fly, edited by Penda L. James, is a collection of poetry and prose which reflects on the strength, beauty, wisdom, and perseverance of women. The book will be available on Amazon.com for $14.95 in late August. At 10 years old,Teryn Barker, is the youngest contributor to the book with her poem, Lonely.
Purchase your copy of Free to Fly!
Commentaries
Special Tribute
"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say: I used everything you gave me."
-- Erma Bombeck
Quote of the Week
Remembering Erika
That was also the summer I got there before school was over and had the chance to go to class with Erika on her last day of seventh grade. She was so happy to introduce me to people as her “cousin T.T. from Ohio,” and it made me pretty happy too.
As we grew from silly little girls to mature women, our visits to each other became less frequent. Our grandmothers were aging and no longer taking us with them to visit each other. Times changed. People changed. Erika and I graduated from high school and college. Got jobs. Got married. Had children. Life’s responsibilities kept us too busy and too obligated to spend carefree summers together, eating Krystal burgers and slurping homemade icees, but we always stayed in touch… talking on the phone like the giggly little girls we were growing up. I would say goofy things just so I could hear her laugh.
Erika was my closest cousin. Our mothers are first cousins and our grandmothers were sisters. There were only three months between us, and I was the oldest. Just a couple of weeks ago, we were reminiscing and discussing our childhoods. We took a nostalgic trip down memory lane, talking about how we missed the good ol’ days.
As far back as I can remember, during the summers, my grandmother, Estelle, would take me on a long Greyhound ride to visit her sister and brother-in-law, Rebecca and Buddy, and their three granddaughters, Ingrid, Erika, and Kelly. That vacation was much anticipated as it was the highlight of my summer. Their grandfather, my Uncle Buddy, would pick Grandma and me up from the bus station, and I would have him take me to Krystal’s. Eating those little Krystal burgers was always a special treat for me because we didn’t (and still don’t) have a Krystal’s in Dayton. For some reason, southern food always seemed to taste better to me. I loved eating Aunt Rebecca’s hot breakfasts in the morning and listening to her and my grandmother talk about their good ol’ days. I also loved eating cherries from the tree in their backyard, and I looked forward to walking to the neighborhood candy lady’s house to buy penny candies and homemade icees.
At night, it was a little hot and crowded with us four girls doubling up in bunk beds in one tiny room, but we never complained because we enjoyed just spending time together – listening to music and talking about cute boys until we fell asleep. Erika and I loved singing Frankie Smith’s “The Double Dutch Bus.” There’s a double dutch bus comin’ down the street, movin’ pretty fast so kinda shuffle your feet. That was our song in the summer of 1981.
March 30, 1968 - February 4, 2011
Erika Chandler and Teri Miller Barker (2000)
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Erika was a beautiful person – inside and out. A good person - taken from us much too soon, but her warm personality and bright smile will not be forgotten. She will be sorely missed.
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My tribute to my dear cousin, Erika:
I love you with all my heart and I hope you’re in a better place.
Love, T.T.
Erika's Wedding, 1992
Teri's Wedding, 1991
