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Singing at a PTA meeting in the early 70s
My mother and I are working slowly but surely toward getting her 40 plus years of negatives organized, and a selection of them scanned. We got a big batch of scanned images back recently, and I finally had time to take a close look. Here’s a fun one. This was taken shortly after we moved to Mississippi, probably in 1973. My classmates and I are in the Richardson Primary School cafeteria, performing at a PTA meeting.
I happen also to be in the midst of helping plan a party celebrating the 30th anniversary of our graduation from Port Gibson High School. I have a feeling we’ll get some laughs from these old photographs. I see our class president Morise Duffin and Stephani Barnes, Tabatha Martin, Sheila Dorsey, Tamara Henderson, Joe Wilson, Patrick Mackey, Sonya Chapman. Other angles in other shots give me Pearl Smith and Dejuan Griffin. Help me with some of the other identifications, classmates.
Murrah Speech & Debate Makes Us Proud Again
The Murrah Speech and Debate Team had a strong showing at the Madison Central tournament this weekend. Since we were competing in the metro area, several of our competitors had gone home by the time I took this group photo. These students are (from left): Adria Walker, Emily Gill, Nathan Campbell, Viviek Patel, Donovan Barner, Samir Mamoon, Bryan Hicks, Zehari Nickelson, Grafton Sykes, Brenden Davis, and Coach Micah Everson. Besides more than half the team, also missing from the photo is Kelley Patin, our assistant coach.
Results:
Donovan won 1st place in Domestic Extemp and placed 2nd in Impromptu.
Alliyah placed 4th in International Extemp.
Emily and Zehari placed 3rd in Duo.
Grafton placed 4th in Storytelling.
Team Nathan and Alliyah were semi finalists in Policy Debate.
Team Judson and James and Team Grafton and Samir were quarter finalists in Public Forum Debate.
Murrah placed 5th in Congress. (Forest Hill, another JPS school, placed 6th in Congress.)
Crosbys Honored with For My People Award
My parents, Dave and Patty Crosby, were honored this year with a For My People Award, given annually by the Margaret Walker Center. The award is given for distinguished service in the public preservation of African-American history and culture. This year’s other recipients were: Charlayne Hunter-Gault, who delivered the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Convocation speech, and the African American Military History Museum.
I asked Roderick Red Jr., of Red Squared Productions, to photograph the event. In the above image, Patty and Dave are pictured with Robby Luckett, director of the Margaret Walker Center, and my sister Emilye, who introduced my parents for the award.
Charlayne Hunter-Gault gave a rousing speech.
The convocation ended with a rendition of We Shall Overcome, including the traditional hand-holding by the folks on stage and in the audience.
Several longtime friends and mentors were on hand for the event, including Worth Long.
And Roland Freeman.
Patty couldn’t help but take photos.
Emilye did the introduction with verve and flair.
Dave.
Patty.
Hunter-Gault conferring with Carlton Reeves, a federal judge, who delivered the closing remarks.
More friends.
More friends.
More friends.
And just a good comparison of our jawlines… Em.
…. And me.
I’ve said this on the blog before, but I’ll say it again because it never ceases to give me joy. Roderick Red Sr. and I learned photography side-by-side from Patty in the early 80s, and now I count his son among my friends and colleagues. Thanks for taking all the photos, Jr., you did a great job.
Murrah Speech and Debate Season Still Going Strong
I’m so busy doing things it’s hard to keep up with documenting them. One thing that’s kept me busy the last few weekends is Speech & Debate. We traveled to Pascagoula for their annual tournament, and then hosted the Catholic Forensic League Qualifying Tournament at Murrah. Lots of work putting it all together. Here are a few shots from the two events.
In the Pascagoula High School cafeteria preparing for the day.
Running lines.
Prepping for Extemporaneous Speech and Declamation.
Matthew S. doing his dramatic interp piece for Samir, Viviek, and Jamil — just because that’s what you do while you are sitting around waiting. I love what I come across in the hallways of Murrah High.
Murrah Defeats MRA in Brook Welch Tournament
Richard enjoyed taking these pictures of Murrah’s soccer team. It was Douglas’ first game back after medical leave.
Douglas
Simeon
Samir
Mark
Austin
Rahzizi
Rahzizi
Ben
Kanika Young and Robert Anderson Wed
This was a year of weddings for the Youngs. My childhood best friend Francene in April, and her sister Kanika (Niecy) last week. Niecy was born when Franny and I were in the ninth grade; she was our little baby doll. Not any more.
The wedding was at Rising Sun Missionary Baptist Church in Port Gibson.
Here’s the bride’s side. Can you tell the bride and her mother Katie are Deltas?
Here’s Robert (Maine) with some of his little groomsmen.
Katie’s brother, Jesse, and sister, Polly.
Katie was checking the program to make sure everything was on track. Her husband Monk at her side.
Here come the men.
Groom’s mother, and other family.
Matrons and maids.
Here comes Franny.
And the mini-groom. Rashad.
Tanyika and Franny.
Katie with Sandra Noble.
The groom spies his bride.
Navondyl Young walking his sister down the aisle.
A few tears for the tiger.
Fibonacci Folding Book App for iPad Knocked Out By New Operating System
I learned from a reader this week that the Fibonacci Folding Book Project app for the iPad is not working with Apple’s new operating system. I am very sorry for the inconvenience. My developer is working to re-create the app with coding that is compatible with ios 7.
Until we have a new version, we are removing the app from the app store.
Please take advantage of the materials on my website until we have a new app available. Click here for a pdf version of all the materials in the Fibonacci Folding Book Project app. Click here for blog posts related to the pilot project we did after developing the Fibonacci Folding Book Project.
Thank you for your patience. I am so grateful to all of you teachers, librarians, and literacy specialists who use my books with students.
Visit to Margaret Walker Alexander Center
My friend Carolyn Brown is writing a young adult biography of writer Margaret Walker Alexander, and I agreed to help her get some photographs. We met at the Margaret Walker Center, which is housed on the campus of Jackson State University, where Dr. Alexander taught for most of her career.
In this photograph, Carolyn and archivist Angela Stewart are looking through one of Alexander’s early journals, which are housed at the Center.
Though Carolyn had asked me to take photographs for her, I am very busy right now with other projects so I recommended Roderick Red. Regular readers of the blog will know he and I have been working together for about a year and a half. Here he is taking photographs of Alexander’s journals.
After the Center, we went to Gallery 1, where an exhibit of Elizabeth Catlett prints was just coming down. Here’s Rod, looking at a print by Catlett that was inspired by Alexander’s poem, For My People.
On the other wall at Gallery 1, I found these quilts by my quilting friends Gustina Atlas, Geraldine Nash, Hystercine Rankin, and Lorraine Harrington. I love coming across the work of Crossroads Quilters out in the wider world.
Stennis Novice Speech and Debate Tournament
Another weekend, another speech and debate tournament. I hit the road for Mississippi State University with Nathan, and nine of his teammates, all in their first year as competitors.
This year’s novices are (front from left): Nathan Campbell, Jamil Johnson, Rachel Hairston, and Erica and (second row from left): Brenden, Coach Kelley Patin, Camille Richardson, Viviek Patel, Olivia Hines, Brian Hicks, and Coach Micah Everson. Gabi is not pictured.
Brenden and Erika made it to finals in Lincoln-Douglas.
Gabi placed fourth in declamation.
Nathan placed second in extemporaneous speech.
Olivia placed 5th in dramatic performance. Brian and Viviek made it to quarter-finals in public forum. Overall, Murrah was named a “school of excellence in debate.”
Another good weekend for Murrah High School speech and debate.
New Season for Murrah Speech and Debate
Murrah High School’s Speech and Debate team started the year with a strong performance at the Petal High School Tournament. My middle son, Nathan, decided to debate this year, choosing to join his brother’s former debate partner, Alliyah Taylor, in policy debate and public forum debate.
Here are the 15 students who attended the year’s first tournament, with coaches, Micah Everson (left side) and Kelley Patin.
Our trophy and medal winners: Nathan Campbell, Alliyah Taylor, Donovan Barner, Taia McAfee, Shondrel Ortiz, and Krystal Jackson.
Within minutes of arriving, three debaters prepare: Charles Davis, Samir Mamoon, and Donovan Barner.
Team captain Alliyah Taylor giving notes to teammates Shondrel Ortiz and Taia McAfee.
Debaters Jamil Johnson and Rachel Hairston getting notes from Coach Micah Everson.
Coach Micah Everson in a pre-tournament discussion with Joseph Araujo and others.
Nathan using downtime.
Charles Davis, Rachel Hairston, and Jamil Johnson playing risk with some other school’s debaters, during downtime.