Barbara and Peggy with Serengeti owner Wisson West
The Serengeti Gallery is located in a rather unimposing strip mall in Capitol Heights, MD. But, once you open the door and enter the Gallery you are transported to another world. The walls of this stunning gallery are festooned with beautifully framed works of art by African and African-American artists. Its ceilings are draped with mud cloth and throughout there is statuary that reminds us of the greatness of Africa and the creativity of humankind. Further, owner Wisson West and his staff extend welcoming and warm greetings to visitors that compliment the physical setting and create an atmosphere of serenity, intimacy, harmony and community. What a wonderful venue to talk about Go, Tell Michelle and for a book signing.
The audience, no doubt, felt as we did about the Serengeti as many of them are long-time supporters. We continue to be encouraged as we have been finding, on this book tour, that the women and men who attend these lectures are interested in what we have to say, appreciative of the work and eager to join us in promoting this book. They tell us of being inspired by the words of the contributors and being able to relate, emotionally and intellectually, to the various themes expressed in their letters. They want to share our book with family members and friends and express an interest in having us address other groups they belong to.
A special thanks to contributor, Miriam Guichard, for introducing us to Wisson West and the Serengeti Gallery and for her involvement in setting up this lecture/signing. Miriam also shared the story of her motivation to write to Michelle and how she had encouraged a number of African women to send their letters for inclusion in the book. The entire presentation, including Miriam’s remarks have been videotaped (again, thanks to the Serengeti staff) and will be available on our blog and Facebook in the next few weeks.
Barbara
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