Recollections About Race: Getting to the Roots and Healing

By Janis Evans

Recollections About Race invites the reader to tell their stories to themselves and to others and no longer remain in a state of suffering silence. In a time such as this, as our country is engaging in the reckoning of racial injustices and police brutality, African Americans have evocative stories to tell that are surfacing daily to the America

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jahmerican Press
• Release date: Nov 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9798985155921

Janis Evans

Janis Leslie Evans, M.Ed., N.C.C., L.P.C., is a nationally certified counselor, who has been delivering mental health services for over 30 years in the District of Columbia, where she is licensed and the owner of Evans Counseling & Consultation, PLLC. In addition, she writes articles and poetry on a number of topics including relationships, grief, loss, spirituality and racial trauma. Evans received her bachelor's degree from State University of New York at Buffalo and her master's degree in counseling psychology from Howard University.This is her first book.

Book preview

Dedication

My father would always ask me, Why don’t you write a book? I would feel puzzled every time and say to myself, About what? I don’t have anything interesting to share about my life.

I dedicate this book to Edeston V. Leslie, an avid reader and lover of books, who saw more potential in me to author my own book than I saw in myself. Thank you for believing in me, Daddy.

Acknowledgments

I started this book wondering if anyone would find it interesting. After all, I’ve led a pretty uneventful and boring life as a mental health therapist, primarily operating behind the scenes of other people’s lives. I’ve labeled myself an expert in Black girl insecurity, so I’m not quite as confident as people think if I’m venturing into something totally new. I’ve been writing articles online for many years on topics like relationships, parenting, and spirituality, including poetry on grief and loss. Writing a book seemed a bit intimidating, but my gut told me I had something important to say about the African American experience through relatable stories worth sharing at this moment in time. So I had to get the opinions of friends and associates, Black women, who might see the potential my father saw in me when he would say, You should write a book!

I would like to first thank the award-winning author and publishing consultant, Tracy Chiles McGhee, who graciously took the time to look at my initial drafts less than a month after I began writing. She agreed to meet with me and offered pointers to incorporate, encouraging me to fill the pages of the book. I met with Tracy a year later to formulate next steps and goals toward publishing. I will be forever grateful for her expertise and mentorship.

Next, I give thanks to experienced author/editor Reneé D. Campbell who was generous enough to read chapters at the five-month point of my writing and give me feedback on my needing to add more. She encouraged me to search my memories and pull forth more of my story, challenging me with questions and angles I hadn’t considered as a debut author.

The following three women I extend acknowledgment to are part of my sisters in Christ support team from Saint George’s Episcopal Church. Nicole Gill is a copy editor for a major national newspaper; Karen May, a retired historian, and Renita Lake, a literature major, carry a wealth of knowledge and experience from their previous work at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). I admire these women for their expertise and felt honored when they agreed to critique the chapters of my book. They gave me useful feedback and affirmed that I was on the right track.

What validated me most about the feedback I received from these generous Black women was that they said reading my story made them want more. I needed to expand on my recollections, develop the chapter on healing, consider the reader’s process, and challenge myself to think about what happens next. These sisters collectively gave me the framework, guidance, and confidence I needed to complete the journey. Thank you, phenomenal women, for your friendship and support.

Special thanks to my spouse, Gregory H. Evans who supports me in all that I do and to my parents, Edeston V. Leslie and the late Viola A. Leslie for the foundation they provided and for the many times they said, Why don’t you cut off the T.V. and read a book!

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Part I: Early Identity Formation

Recollection One:

Recollection Two: The Ambush

Recollection Three: Beauty Pageant Contestant

Part II: Waking Up to Black Identity

Recollection Four: Remedial English Track

Recollection Five: The Deli

Recollection Six: Labeled a Failure

Part III: As Seen Through the Lens of Others

Recollection Seven: The Elevator

Recollection Eight: Educated Black People

Recollection Nine: Stopped but Not Frisked

Recollection Ten: Video Suspect

Recollection Eleven: Black Avatar

Recollection Twelve: Black Hair Care

Part IV: Our Experiences Have Validity

Defining the Racist Recollections

Assumptions about Intelligence

Part V: Healing and Re-Writing the Narratives

My Healing Journey

Creating a Path