Grandma's Bones - Resilience - The Sequel: A Collection of Short Stories

By Sylvia R. Moore

About the Book
Failure to remember our past mistakes may lead us to repeat them as history repeats itself over time. Resilience attempts to capture today’s most striking events and contrast them with historical events that may not have been recorded in our history books. By recounting challenges of history and of her own past, author Sylvia R. Moore hopes to inspire her immediate circle of loved ones in years to come.
Resilience is the second in a series of planned novels to be created around personal testimonies, reflections, and the author’s life experiences as well as the lives characterized in the original Grandma's Bones novel. A firm believer in God, the author also includes faith-based and inspirational insights for encouragement throughout the novel.

About the Author
Sylvia R. Moore is a certified artist and enjoys writing as a professional hobby. She earned a diploma of completion in the Fundamentals of Art curriculum from the Art Instruction School of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sylvia is also a graduate with honors and a Degree in Business Administration from Strayer University. Within her immediate family of siblings, Sylvia is the first-ever published author. She is also a small business owner and president of her own company, The Carmen N. White Self-Help and Empowerment Organization LLC.
After thirty-two years with USAID, Sylvia retired from Federal service in 2013 and began work on the Grandma’s Bones series. In retirement, her primary focus has been her family. Losing so many of her close relationships in recent years has given Sylvia an inward posture as Sylvia celebrates life with her beloved, immediate circle of family including her daughter, granddaughters and grandsons, her great granddaughter, siblings, sisters-daughters-and sons-in-law, as well as a host of stepsons, stepdaughters, and other extended family members and friends who are described in the book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Company
• Release date: Jan 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9781639379606

Book preview

Grandma’s Bones

Resilience — The Sequel

A Collection of Short Stories

by

Sylvia R. Moore

Table of Contents

Chapter Titles Chapter Numbers

Preface vii

Introduction – What Is Resilience? ix

Pandemonium 1

A Blueprint for Success 25

Wanderer 41

Stay the Course Forward! 69

My Hair My Life 87

It Must Take Place 93

DNA Revealed 109

Body Rhythm 145

Grassroots 151

Remember the Saturday Sabbath 157

Woods Way 163

The Gift 171

Les’ Twilight 191

Bibliography Research Sources & Credits 201

Preface

The Grandma’s Bones original, first-ever book series entitled, Grandma’s Bones, The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of, A Collection of Reflective Life Stories, was published in 2015.

This sequel to the first book was five years in the making. This time around, I had qualitative content contributions from my daughter, my granddaughters, and several sisters and brothers. I began scripting the first sequel chapter in 2016 and completed the last chapter in early-2021. I prayed for wisdom and a vision for naming this next chapter in our lives and settled on Resilience. This term seems to embody all that we have gone through and have persevered over the last two decades. By coincidence, I learned four years later of Elon Musk’s launching of his SpaceX spacecraft Resilience in 2020. But it was my first thought and prayer with the first draft of the sequel in 2016.

At times I thought about stopping the writing, but I remained committed to the cause. The sequel had to be published. And now I am left with these words:

Fight the good fight, praying and hoping that we will continue to

walk by Faith and not by sight. Be strong and of good courage.

Don’t operate in a spirit of fear. Keep moving forward.

I hope some of this resonates with you.

Introduction

What Is Resilience?

Loosely defined, it is a psychological quality that allows some people to:

• Be knocked down by adversities of life and come back stronger than before;

• Find ways to deal with unexpected events and crises;

• Identify sustainable ways to live within boundaries; and

• Adapt well through adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, family and personal relationships, serious health problems, and workplace and financial stressors.

My testimony is that I have felt some if not all of the above seasons, which have prompted me to develop the sequel to share with my current and future generations. We all have a story, but many choose to keep it hidden away from the light. I was tempted to abandon this effort as I began to write the first draft in 2016. The final draft was completed in early-2021. This journey demanded focus and concentration to the point of my isolation from family and close ones to remain on target for publication by any means necessary. I also made a commitment to God to publish the book followed by a third rendition in the new decade, if God is willing.

I sincerely hope this energy, effort, and resources serve a greater purpose beyond living for today. More challenging days lay ahead, but we have to rebound or at least try to be strong and of good courage.

Pandemonium

I. Residual Crises Carried Forward

Aaaghhh! A reaction from watching the scenes on national TV of angry mobs of White vigilantes storming Washington, D.C.’s (DC) United States (US) Capitol. I had to turn the channel, opting to avoid further exposure to the violence. I could only feel empathy in remembrance of our African American predecessors who faced similar mobs alone, without protection and hope of survival, living through the 1921 Black Wallstreet massacre in Oklahoma.

I suggest that while many of us today may feel anxious with a warning or a premonition that something’s coming of horrible and epic proportion in our lifetime, there was no way anyone could have foreseen the premeditated, organized takeover of the US Capitol by domestic terrorists on January 6, 2021.

The takeover is commonly referred to as "the Insurrection at the Capitol" and is compared to the War of 1812, which was the last invasion of the US Capitol by foreign insurrectionists.¹ This war is characterized as America’s second Civil War, or America’s second war of independence from the United Kingdom (the UK) and its dependent colonies.

America’s newly elected President, Joe Biden, promised during his inauguration speech on January 20, 2021, that such terrorism will not be tolerated. President Biden also proclaimed that America has been tested and remains strong, but a diversified, united front will be necessary going forward. Many people in public fora today say that unity without accountability for the violent uprising would push America back into the throes of Jim Crowism and anti-Americanism that parallels the post-Civil War and Reconstruction era. A whitewashing of events the world is watching.

With the election of President Biden and Vice President Harris, our nation can now have a sigh of relief and a feeling of calm in anticipation of many strategic, positive new efforts envisioned by the new Administration in the Twenty-First Century.

II. Celebrate Heroes in Our Midst

The heroic achievement of Black US Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, will be forever etched in history and in the minds and hearts of people who knew him personally and at a distance. His televised acts of courage and bravery were in full view of the world on January 6, 2021, as he single-handedly led angry White mobs away from fearful Congressional Representatives huddled away in a nearby Senate Chamber.²

In stark contrast was national news reporting on the views of many people who questioned, Where were the rest of the US Capitol Police, local police, and National Guard reinforcements to fight the mobs? As the rioting died down later in the day, we saw images of a few outnumbered guards who were mostly Metropolitan Police Officers. Thirty days later, major news networks reported that two officers lost their lives and more than 100 were badly injured.

Eugene and my daughter, Michelle (Shel), were classmates during her Prince George’s (PG) County Walker Mill Middle School years. Shel actually remembers Eugene as a Kind, good, young man. For several days following the news of Eugene’s courageous acts, former Walker Mill school classmates who are part of the old Central Avenue neighborhood crew rallied around Eugene’s extraordinary diversionary tactic.

Like a Rock Star from around the way, Facebook echoed memories of Eugene’s school years. Gossip and neighborhood pride blossomed amid the story of Eugene’s unique success, owing Eugene’s exceptional character to be from Among us and just like us; a shining example of This is how we roll with capability, loyalty, and commitment.

Surely his nomination for the highest Congressional Gold Medal of Honor was duly earned as well as his promotion to Deputy Sergeant of Arms on January 20, 2021. Officer Goodman will also be remembered for the powerful moment in time when he escorted Vice President Harris to the inaugural ceremony.

History will also capture the images of the 25,000 National Guard troops who were ultimately deployed after January 6th to patrol the city and to protect the inauguration of Kamala Harris as America’s first woman Vice President and person of color and President Joe Biden.

People of color everywhere can now look on with pride and amazement at seeing the distinctive prominence of the Obamas, who are numbered among the infamous on this day in history with Former Presidents Clinton and Bush families.

We can never forget the spectacular performances by Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez, who opened the historic inauguration ceremony. Former First Lady Michelle Obama notably dominated the fashion spotlight wearing a plum-colored pantsuit created by South Carolina designer Sergio Hudson. Of corresponding fashion- and -historic significance, news media sources reported in January 2023 that First Lady Jill Biden donated her 2021 inaugural dresses to the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. Fashion designers, Alexandra O’Neill and Gabriela Hearst, designed the First Lady’s outfits that now join the hosts of historic first ladies’ inaugural collections on display at the Smithsonian. "

It was also encouraging to witness during the inauguration America’s first young Black National Youth Poet Laureate of Harvard University’s Harvard College, Amanda Gorman, deliver her poem The Hill We Climb.³ Amanda’s poetic exhibition opened many new doors of opportunity for the rising star, including possible modeling opportunities and future book sales. She sets an exemplary example for others to follow.

III. Twelve Months Earlier

Ironically, I started a draft of this chapter twelve months earlier in January 2020 when our world was beginning to face the following three states of pandemonium at the start of a new year and a new decade:

• The global invasion of Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19)

• A global economic collapse and mass social shutdowns

• The killing of George Floyd, the outcry of racial injustice, and the global emergence and recognition of the Black Lives Matter Movement.

Uproar, crisis, confusion, and unprecedented devastation erupted in early-2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic collided with racism and police brutality in America. Global economies were shut down and collapsed in governmental efforts to try to contain the viral spread. Many people lost jobs. Food was scarce, if at all available.

Initial mainstream news reports highlighted the existence of COVID-19 in the US by January 2020, but some news outlets advised that the virus may have migrated undetected from Wuhan, China to New York as early as December 2019. Small numbers of older African Americans and Latino populations with pre-existing health conditions, such as diabetes or heart ailments, were disproportionally impacted by infections that spread like wildfire to the US West Coast.

By mid-year 2020, the epicenter of infections shifted from thousands of people of color in New York to hundreds of thousands of people in Washington State, Oregon, and California irrespective of race, age, and economic status. At the same time, California battled out-of-control wildfires.

By December 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration had approved for emergency use distributions of vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna Laboratories. By this time, COVID-19 had indiscriminately infected both young and old people, including healthy individuals without pre-existing conditions. The world is anxiously watching the more virulent mutations of the virus as it migrates from the UK, South Africa, and Brazil in the new decade.

In a phased approach, limited quantities of the vaccines were prioritized in the US for people sixty-five years of age or older, and for people on the frontlines, such as health care workers and nursing home patients. The US Centers for Disease Control and President Biden projected that more people would be vaccinated as more Pfizer and Moderna two-shot vaccines became available by mid-2021.

Major news networks also reported that new vaccines may ultimately be developed to vaccinate children twelve years of age and older at some point later in the year. By April 2021, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were made available to youths sixteen years of age or older. However, use of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine was halted nationwide due to government concerns over possible inappropriate manufacturing practices.

IV. But Black Lives Do Matter

The world is now aware that Black lives do matter. Founded in 2013 and described as a decentralized political and social movement that has international organizational linkages, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement has become a symbol of a voice for Black America and other people of color. BLM advocates non-violent protests and demonstrations against police brutality and racially-motivated violence against Black Americans in the US and overseas.

We should take a moment to acknowledge that we are a diverse people with equal importance who should not be judged by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character as promulgated by Dr. Martin Luther King. We deserve equal treatment and respect. This mission expands beyond James Brown’s I’m Black and I’m Proud movement promoted in his Number One soul hit of the 1970s.

Exhibit 1 displays DC’s BLM Plaza Mural memorialized in 2019 and endorsed by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. Similar murals have been painted in various cities in the US and a few countries overseas following BLM demonstrations, marches, and non-violent protests in 2019 and 2020. Despite the explosion of the virus, social media broadcasts showed thousands of people overseas and in America demonstrating in the streets. Some protestors chanted: Rise up, stand, and kneel for justice and equality for all people. Widescale demonstrations began on May 25, 2020, when George Floyd was killed by a White Minnesota police officer. Demonstrations continued through the winter of 2020 and early-2021.

Protests and demonstrations are not uncommon in America. American patriots formed the union of the United States through protests against religious oppression and persecution in England. America was built on the precept that all men are created equal as proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence. And how can we forget America’s March on Washington, the Million Man and Million Women Marches, and the Me Too women’s protest movement against sexual harassment that gained mainstream prominence in 2017.

But there was never a time in history when all three catastrophes of societal breakdown and shutdown of whole economies collided as we have witnessed in 2020. We faced devastation with millions of lives lost due to COVID-19 infections and deaths when, at the same time, everyone everywhere viewed on national news networks the killing of George Floyd. Do we care that many people are growing sick and tired of seeing and hearing about murders of Black men and women? In protest, some of us have shouted, Enough is enough! Look, we raise our hands, don’t shoot!

Some people question whether it could happen to our own sons and daughters, and our old and young mothers and fathers. Some people have asked, When and where are they going to stop us next? In our cars, our homes, or on the streets? Survival coping strategies are publicly broadcast for protection of the masses. We know that people of color are under a different standard.

COVID-19 viral attacks continued to spread globally killing millions by May 2020. By June, the COVID-19 death toll in America exceeded 120,000. US government health authorities predicted the number of deaths in America could exceed 500,000 from COVID-19 and its mutant strains by early-2021. Availability of supply and proper distribution of vaccines became problematic as the pandemic continued to spread out of control. Widespread infection was anticipated and manifested throughout the nation in 2021.

V. There is Hope with Social Reforms

Optimism remains in the air for creation and proper distribution of multiple vaccine brands going forward into the new year to combat the virus and avert future deaths. Social distancing practices, wearing face masks, and protocols requiring phased re-opening of cities are now a part of our new public normal for the foreseeable future. Our new social mantra encourages us to:

Keep those hands washed and surfaces cleaned and disinfected. Avoid touching your face. Wear a mask.

By June 2020, America found itself in the throes of dual battles against the viral threat against humanity amid highly visible civil protests and rallies denouncing racism and police brutality from social activist groups, including activists in the BLM Movement.

History will always remember George’s cries witnessed on social media as he pleaded, Take your knees off my neck. I can’t breathe! Protestors threw caution to the wind as they marched with battle cries heard in cities across the US and overseas.

Some protests had turned violent and deadly with looting and fires set by questionable activists and Right-Wing radical groups who can now be linked to domestic terrorist groups. Police killings of Black men and women continued long after George’s demise in May 2020 with new reports of lynching of several Black men. But there were ample National Guard troops and local police on hand to keep crowds under control during BLM demonstrations.

Many people expressed their exasperation and frustration over today’s inequality in the justice system towards people of color. African Americans raised their voices to decree, We are tired of the disproportionate number of police shootings and killing of hundreds of people of color every year. Oppression of minorities still exists.

Most demonstrations included people of all colors in support of equal rights and to protest police brutality. The US Congress and local governments in cities across the nation are now faced with the need to urgently establish reforms promoting police accountability and transparency to help improve police conduct.

Corrective measures under consideration in 2020 and 2021 include: 1) mental illness sensitivity training for police; 2) the addition of social workers in potential crime scenes to help de-escalate tense situations in the streets before they get out of hand; 3) new standards governing the police use of force; and 4) reporting mechanisms for tracking police officers with prior histories of violence and brutality. There is a growing list of other recommendations.

The public is equally charged with a recommendation for staying calm during intense situations. There is hope that new regulations and laws will be adopted as soon as possible to de-escalate tensions and conflict between police and people of color in America and overseas.

Strategies for calming heated interactions between the police and people of color are urgently needed to prevent further killings or mass incarcerations. We can say with confidence now that people are aware that Black lives and all lives matter and should be respected. Remember to remain calm.

African American slaves may have been freed on paper under the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, but the ugly truth remains that systemic racism is still alive today and dominates our lives despite COVID-19 dangers.

VI. Policing Reforms Advocated in June 2020 Forward

In June 2020, Former President Trump and the US Congress promoted reforms in the US justice system to improve policing practices and to provide greater accountability and transparency for police officers nationwide. Segments of the new reforms are described in Tables 1 through 3.⁴

Until new reforms are universally adopted