4 books by Black Philadelphia women that depict struggle and joy in the City of Sisterly Love

By Louis Parascandola, Long Island University, Brooklyn

The four works described below, all written by Black Philadelphia women, appear in my new anthology, “A Black Philadelphia Reader: African American Writings about the City of Brotherly Love.” I’m a professor of English at Long Island University, and I’ve edited several anthologies of African American and Afro Caribbean authors as well as a collection of writings about Coney Island. My latest book features fiction, nonfiction and poetry written by Philadelphia-based writers from the city’s founding to the present day.

Despite the daunting challenges Black Philadelphians have faced throughout history – including racial prejudice and gender inequality in housing, public transportation, education, public health and criminal justice – these four writers convey an enduring faith in family and community, and a hope that Philadelphia will fulfill its promises of equality to its Black citizens.

While the stories here are centered on Black Philadelphians, I believe their messages and lessons are universal.

‘Sweet Summer: Growing Up With and Without My Dad’ (1989)

In this bittersweet memoir, Bebe Moore Campbell, a bestselling novelist who died in 2006, tells a poignant coming-of-age story of growing up in the 1960s in a family separated by both divorce and geographic distance.

During the school year, young Bebe lives in North Philadelphia, trying to meet the high expectations of her mother, grandmother, aunts and female teachers. Although she knows she is deeply loved by them, she longs for the more relaxing summers spent in North Carolina with her father, who does not let his confinement in a wheelchair limit his dreams.

In these two worlds, Bebe realizes that there is no one way to show love, and that families can exist in many forms. Though she longs for a united home, the young girl grows up with a strong sense of family and self, and of learning the lesson that no distance can truly separate people if they love one another.

Read Full Story https://theconversation.com/4-books-by-black-philadelphia-women-that-depict-struggle-and-joy-in-the-city-of-sisterly-love-232892