Mississippi Born - California Bound: How Jim Crow and Racism Lost to a Family Legacy

I am a retired dentist, community activist, and philanthropist. I have spent the better part of my life providing an opportunity for my family and the wider African American communities to experience greater opportunities in life. I see the world through the prism of racism, segregation, and oppression resulting from the Jim Crow laws of the Deep South. I’ve been fortunate to learn to not lump all of one people into the same bucket any more than I want them to lump all African Americans into those same buckets. I have had the great fortune to live through social and economic times that changed the fabric of this country, before, during, and after my United States Air Force tours. Mississippi Born/ California Bound – How Jim Crow and Racism Lost To A Family Legacy is a journey through some of the most impactful events of this century, from the Civil Rights movement to the election of the first African American President of the United States. Perhaps my children and grandchildren will understand that the imprint of being treated as if my people were less than human, living under the fear of being murdered without cause or reason resulted in a life lived faithfully, lovingly, and fully. I was blessed to overcome insurmountable odds. We can only be better when we do better together. Read more