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by Betty Hart (Author)
In her memoir, a work of poignant reflection, Betty Hart invites readers into the experience of growing up in an all-black college town in West Virginia. As her mid-twentieth century world transitions from segregation to integration, she recounts the climate of the political and social upheavals of her generation that indelibly marks the lives of her generation. In the middle of these traumatic times, her family, like all families, struggles to find its way forward in an uncertain future. Finding peace and hope for the future comes from the love and support of her family. The day-to-day rhythms of the Powell household with five kids, sometimes subject to stringent discipline and always expected to do well in school, provide the backdrop for a childhood challenged by social restrictions and a growing resistance to racial discrimination. Despite the weight of social pressures, the family thrives within the walls of their home with a firm belief in Christ and a persistent refusal to buy into inequality. As Hart moves through her life experiences-some whimsically amusing, others wistfully sad-she finds herself growing in spiritual relation with God. She acknowledges a lesson that her parents had always stressed: to be thankful and to serve God. As an adult, reflecting on how the past brings her to the present, she sees clearly how that lesson has always been the fuel and passion for her life. Originally this book was written for her three children and nieces and nephews, after the last of her sisters and brothers had died. However, the story, which was supposed to be a simple family narrative, became much more. It is the story of a generation passing the torch on to the next-ever hopeful that they will move us closer to a better, more peaceful, more loving world. Betty Powell-Hart taught writing and cultural studies as a university professor for over 35 years before recently retiring and dedicating her time to serving God through the United Methodist Church. She co-authored Prayers in the Black Tradition (1986), an Upper Room publication, with Richard Bowyer and Charlotte Meade. Writing this memoir began as a tribute to the younger generation of her family who knew very little of the incredible events occurring in the lifetimes of their Baby Boomer parents. A West Virginia Appalachian by birth, she now lives in Mt. Vernon, Indiana, where she serves as a Lay Speaker and a leader for the INUMC's Initiative for Racial Dismantling.
