Black Sapphire

By V. L. Harris

This book makes an analogy of a black sapphire gemstone with stereotypical treatment of Americans against African American Women, the effects of an army of American women being ignored, devalued and hidden in plain sight! An ordinary, naturally formed rock begins deep inside the caverns of the earth. Unnoticed, uncut, and unpolished, it has no brilliance and no luster.

When outside pressure is placed upon, underneath and around it, it rises to bring out and up to the surface something unique, authentic, beautiful, and valuable. These are natural treasures, hidden in plain sight-a resource, at a glance, just under the surface. A missed treasure hidden deep in the earth, just waiting to be discovered. So to the people, and in the case of this memoir, a Black woman who represent millions of Black women can be hidden, prejudged, ignored, marginalized, cajoled, and abused because of society's decision to see them as a caricature, a joke, a buffoon, a nag, and in a negative connotation a "black sapphire."

This story is of a Black woman coming of age in the United States of America over several decades. She stumbles into her discovery that she is viewed through a different lens than her white counterparts. She is judged, contrary to the adage, "Don't judge a book by its cover. She is judged by the cover of her book-the color of her skin and not by the content of her skills, talent or character. Likewise, the adage, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," words can be abusive and inflict lifelong hurt, like ghost in your memory and minds, hanging around to haunt and hurt you again.

Treated as a "third-class" citizen or as no citizen at all by fellow Americans is the story of millions who happen to be Black and female. Seen, yet not seen except as surface, superficial, and annoying outsiders, locked out of the mainstream of society, intentionally excluded so that their voices, dreams, needs, potential and desires are ignored, unrealized and unfulfilled. The effect is a national pool of talent, skills and human resources wasted. This book is a tribute to African American women as a natural valuable treasure, unrecognized, unvalued, hidden in plain sight.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098077778

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Black Sapphire

V. L. Harris

Copyright © 2020 by V. L. Harris

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 1

The awareness and the awakening did not come quickly; it took time, events, fond memories in part, close watching, trials, triumphs, setbacks, recollections of personal losses, emotional sorrows, and inward tears—before the days of growth, learning, and the light dawning.

In the light of the color black and the crystal reflections of a black sapphire, I realized the attributes of the black sapphire were symbolic of my life’s journey. The signs of a real sapphire is that it is speckled with blemishes—not perfect, yet still it is one of the most precious and valuable gemstones. It is hidden in some of the deepest crevices of the earth, but when found, it is the most beautiful to behold. Black sapphires are valuable because of their unique color, hardness, durability, luster, and they are transparent; they are natural. If you blow hard on a black sapphire, it will fog up, but clears in about two seconds. It is hard to scratch and afflict permanent damage to a black sapphire, and when light hits it, it will only reflect the same true color, black. In reflection, I see some of the same character traits and resilience in my life’s journey I see a life worth sharing and remembering—my life, not a dress rehearsal!

My life is an American story of complexities, irony, perseverance, and restraint—a life that is seemingly contradictory, yet is meaningful and truer, a life lived as a double-edged sword, capable of living mostly sane, in a two world-culture, having the opposite effects. As an African American, I have been referred to as a colored, Negro, black, and as an African American, born and raised in these United States of America. To date, my life spans from the mid-1900s to early 2000s. It has been a roller coaster life filled to overflow with ups and downs, twists and turns, triumphs and failures, and advances forward and devastating steps backwards with setbacks, yet in the midst and in the words of Maya Angelou, Still I rise.

My story is not only mine but represents symbolically the story of millions of African Americans, women and men, striving and surviving in America. We, who have to code switch, every day, have to live in two worlds schizophrenically, changing in a telephone booth, like Superman. We have to situationally adapt to a Black culture within a larger American white society and simultaneously teetering on borderline insanity. We who are an enigma!

My story is one that chronicles the awakening from a childish innocent dream to the awareness to a coming-of-age nightmarish reality. It is a replay of early impressions and thoughts, multidimensional events and people surrounded by an energy that permeates me, over decades of a lifetime. This story is an accumulation that culminates in a series of emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects that produced a rare, unique, me—a black sapphire in the raw and in the rough.

A black sapphire—a black African, female, a precious gem, unknown, unrecognized, and unappreciated by some, yet valued by many; a hidden figure, thriving and surviving in the shadows of America.

What is a black sapphire? What is the meaning and connection between a crystal stone of many colors and a black African female, surviving to live a qualitative, meaningful, productive life in America?

While a black sapphire is a natural oxide-mineral stone, formed in a prismatic crystal that ranges in color from translucent to opaque and has the effect of asterism, these increases its rarity and value. A star black sapphire as a finished gem can weigh over 735 carats. It has many uses and purposes.

The black sapphire has been known to stimulate the mind into wisdom; its hardness is used in industrial applications as in watch movement bearings, scientific instruments and insulation substances. Black sapphires have been used for healing therapies and provides physical, emotional, spiritual and balancing energies and for meditations.

The black sapphire holds unique metaphysical properties and vibrations that make it rare and beautiful.

The ancients called the black sapphire the stone of wisdom and strength. It was believed to foster higher mind, intuition, and self-mastery, as well as protection, good fortune, spiritual insight, kindness, good judgment, centering and grounding, and a stone of great body and energy forces.

The black sapphire stones have been known to deflect negativity from others—calms and strengthens in times of high stress and shields and protects from mediumistic clairvoyants.

One important attribute of the black sapphire is the positive vibrations it gives—it sends positivity and excitement for life; good health vibes; feelings of strength and abundance; generates kind, pleasant flows, and happy, joyful motivations to act and look your best.

As one Black female, living in America among many, I see and have experienced some of the same attributes, qualities, characteristics, and circumstances as found in the properties of the black sapphire.

As the black sapphire is mystical, valuable, and largely unknown, so has been my life experiences as I reflect on my early childhood memories. I go back to as early as three years old and recall some mystically strange events and occurrences.

At three years old, I was keenly aware of my own personal energy—an unseen but felt energy that surrounded me and permeated my entire body. I felt somehow different and special in a spiritual way. There seemed to be some inner guide, two-way personal conversation, of intuitive reflections of pre-ordained choices of words, feelings, and beliefs. It was if I had a direct connection to God. I had an awareness of the divine and could discern the divine in others. My early life was nourished by the Spirit of God and my recollection of early life experiences were of vibrancy, health, security, love, and a life that automatically flowed with relative ease and grace.

I felt like one of the chosen ones. People around me began to react to me in strange, unexpected, yet favorable ways—spontaneous smiles, making strong, unsolicited comments and predications of destiny and something greater, copious compliments and selecting me out for talent performances in the church and community. I enjoyed warm love and divine favor. As a result, I felt empowered and a sense of freedom and self-confidence to set out on my own path. It felt like I was being catapulted to great things and consequences in my life.

Unexplainably, I attracted attention of family and strangers, alike, by an innate wisdom and surprisingly stirring words that popped out and seemed to roll out of my mouth. People would stare and whisper when I came into the room. A prime example is an incident in Houston, Texas, the first day I entered a kindergarten class. As I walked in, students automatically moved to both sides of the room, making a center aisle and lane for me to walk through. It was as if they were expecting me to arrive and unconsciously made a way for my entrance. I had the weirdest feeling as this happened, and many years later as I reflected on this occurrence, I still feel mystified.

Another early childhood recollection was that I seem to be able to see things supernaturally. There would be times when I could perceive things that were not there, such as we would be driving down the street, and as we passed houses, some houses would appear dark and haunted by bad spirits, while other houses would appear light and cheerful—all discernable by the windows of the houses. Other times, as we walked or rode in cars, I would catch fleeting glimpses of angels, sitting in the passenger seat or walking stealthy in front of the car, appearing and disappearing alternately.

As I grew older, I would pick up on subtle cues and the accumulation of these mystical occurrences as not common to others. The most personal was my realization that I had been chosen by my maternal grandfather, Virgil Harris, or more affectionately called Pop-pe, the patriarch of the Harris family, as the favorite grandchild. There were sets of two and three grandchildren born before me, but for some reason, unbeknownst to me, I was shown exceptional attention, time and gifts above the other grandchildren. He would summon me and demand his older children take a bus or ride a bicycle to pick me up to bring me to his house, any time of day or night, and sit me on his knee, while sitting on the screened porch of his house, in Sunnyside, Houston, Texas, and have me sing, When the Saints Go Marching In, and, I’ll Fly Away, to the top of his and my lungs.

Every holiday, he would make the trip to Third Ward (Houston) by bus to personally deliver dresses, handmade Easter baskets, and fruit and candy to our house.

I was even given his name—his given name was Virgil Harris. My given name was Virgie Lee (Green), Lee from my biological father (Elbert Lee), and my married name was Harris (Virgie Harris).

Chapter 2

Early Family Influences

Child development experts say the emotional, social, and physical influences of children have a direct effect on the overall development of adults and what they will become.

I see my early family influences as investments into my life. As a professional educator and now a grandmother of three—two toddlers and one teenager. We understand that babies and toddlers learn because of a laser-sharp, super focus on all stimuli in their environments. They learn from exposures and experiences in their worlds at a very early age.

The sum of all of their experiences create a serious path in the brain and in relationships. They absorb like osmosis from spiritual, physical, cognitive, emotional, and social influences in their immediate environments. These bombard the brain and deeply affect their futures. That is what happened to me in my early childhood.

My parents, Elbert and Oleatha Green, were formally educated at the high school levels, with some college attendance. What they lacked in formal book learning, they excelled in what my mother called mother wit. She knew psychology better than the greatest professional psychologist. She repeatedly pushed for the use of common sense with wise quotes, Aesop fables, old cultural sayings, and parables. Some that I remember to this day are:

What I can’t teach you, the world will.

Get educated, but don’t become an educated fool.

Looks like you are going up fool’s hill; I’ll be here when you come down.

A hard head makes a soft bottom.

A whistling woman and a cackling hen comes to no good end.

When you know something and you argue with a fool, you make two fools.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Your arms are too short to box with God.

Two women cannot live in the same house.

Curiosity killed the cat; knowledge brought him back.

Birds of a feather flock together.

Don’t take any wooden nickels.

Early bird catches the worm.

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

The Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

A stitch in time saves nine.

Pretty is as pretty does.

A rolling stone gathers no moss.

Don’t count chicken before they hatch.

Many hands make light work.

A new broom sweeps clean; an old broom knows the corners.

All’s well that ends well.

Common sense is genius dressed in working clothes.

Everything in moderation.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and he’ll eat forever.

Health is better than wealth.

Life is a journey, not a destination.

Live and let live.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Still waters run deep.

A watched pot never boils.

Too many cooks spoil the broth.

A penny saved is a penny earned.

Don’t put the cart before the horse.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.

Make hay while the sun shines.

Beggars can’t be choosey.

Never look a gift horse in the mouth.

Home is where the heart is.

Early to bed, early to rise makes you healthy, wealthy and wise.

You’re a day late and a dollar short.

There’s more than one way to skin a cat.

What’s done in the dark, comes out in the light.

Cleanliness is next to godliness.

All these wise saying, cumulatively provided early childhood education, which influenced and formed my values and character. These sayings did not come from formal education or a PhD’s study in psychology. They came from the trial-and-error experiences and the survival culture of Black Americans. Cleanliness is a primary tenet and trait held by most Black Americans; innately, as American black slaves were relegated to cleaning every nook and cranny of the big house of white plantation owners, automatically by instinct, they took precautions to clean to keep their dirt-floored shacks immaculate—even sweeping dirt floor in the shack and sweeping the yard, in front of the shacks.

In my early years, cleanliness was a serious issue. In the heat of Southern sun, we took baths mornings and night in a number 10 tub, filled with boiling water from atop a stove and our clothes were washed with lye, mixed with several other strong disinfect chemicals.

As a child, you learned when to speak and when to listen and when to leave the room because grown folks were talking. You spoke only when you were spoken to, and when called, you knew which tone to use in your answer. You learned how to respect elders, at all cost. Never would you strike, sass or not speak or fail to acknowledge their presence. These were some of the unwritten cardinal rules you knew, as a child, you could not violate and live!

Growing up in the Protestant church was also a significant childhood experience for me and for most African Americans and served to instill values, stability, order, and character building.

The church was an extended family, a community of role models. Proverbs 22:6, which says, Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it, was taken seriously. African American children everywhere was required to go to church to Sunday school at 9:00 a.m., then church at 11:00 a.m., BYTU (Baptist Youth Training Union), and evening services at 7:00 p.m. Most children sang in the youth choir or served on the Youth Usher Board and went Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. to rehearsals. There were church programs where children were expected to memorize twelve to twenty-four-line poems, sing duets or solos, and/or play instruments. As public school attendance was required for Black children; and church services, church extracurricular attendance, and activities were required on the same level.

Church and gospel music were also an important childhood influence and requirement. Through the week, in the homes, you could hear on the radios or on the record players 78 rpm ‘earworm’ songs of Shirley Caesar, Reverend James Cleveland, The Clark Sisters, Aretha Franklin, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, The Blind Brothers, Daryl Coley, Richard Smallwood, and several other little-known gospel artists, wafting from open windows and screen doors of African American homes. On Sundays, eleven o’clock services, you would hear the gospel choirs loudly singing one or more of the traditional, We’ve Come This Far By Faith, God Has Smiled on Me, Standing on the Banks of Jordon, Near the Cross, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, and it wouldn’t be church without some of the old Dr. Watts call and response hymns. The gospel sound was a mixed version of blues, jazz, and gospel; likewise, jazz and blues had overtones of gospel, blues, and jazz. There was melody, strong lyrics and a definitive rhythmic beat.

Secular music also had an influence on my childhood. On the fringe throughout the week, you may hear Sam Cook, ZZ Hill, Bobby Blue Bland, Johnnie Taylor, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, and in later years, Al Green, Little Richard, and James Brown. The combination of music sounds was called rhythm and blues or just soul music.

Dance as a childhood influence—as a child, we were not encouraged to do much dancing, but I remember seeing adults doing the Huck-a-buck, the Hokie Pokie, the swing, and the slow dance.

There were favorite games in my childhood everyone played hop-scotch, go-in-and-out-the-window, London bridge is falling down, little Sally Walker, jump rope (single and double-dutch), tag, and hide-and-seek.

Food staples growing up reflect recipes and cooking from American slavery days. African foods brought across the Atlantic still surface on African American tables such as okra, succotash, yams, and varieties of beans. American slaves were ingenuous for taking crumbs and the leftovers from the plantation big house" and creating meals on the gourmet level. Some items of Southern cuisine recipes and