Motherhood Voices Rise Up And Sing (continued)



Penny Powell: Briefly tell potential readers about the meaning of each section that makes up Rise Up Singing.

Cecelie Berry: Section I, Aria of the Matriarch, explores the spirit of female leadership in the family. In opera, the aria is sung by a female soloist, and the contributors to the section either emulate or pay tribute to the mothers and grandmothers whose courage and spirit has sustained the family in times of hardship.

Section II, Dream Song: A Mother's Interior World, explores a mother's inner life, her dreams and hopes for the future, her children's and her own. It is also a tribute to the creativity of motherhood.

Section III, Torch Song for Mother and Child, plumbs the "dark side" of our experiences as mothers, the rage, disappointment and heartache.

Section IV, The Round, Rowing Gently Down the Stream, concerns how we are always changing as mothers, growing and adjusting as our children are doing the same. It is about how we take the journey together, challenging each other to reach further into the world and more deeply into our spiritual selves.

Penny Powell: What have some of the reactions been thus far to your book from those around you -- particularly that of your sons? And your mother?

Cecelie Berry: Generally, people's reactions have been extremely favorable. I am grateful that people understand here that I did not attempt to pander to the lowest common denominator. The book is accessible, inspiring and informative, and, most importantly, the quality of the writing is impressive.

My sons are thrilled. They are taking copies to their principals and teachers and telling all their friends. They are the best publicity people I know.

My mother is also proud of the book, but she is from a generation where you simply did not talk about family problems publicly. At all! Ever! I think this is particularly strong in black families who felt, understandably, that the world already judged us too harshly, so why contribute to the hostility by airing dirty laundry? So this tendency to openness that I have makes her uncomfortable at times.

Penny Powell: What, in your opinion, is most common -- and most different -- between the 29 mothering stories told in Rise Up Singing?

Cecelie Berry: I think that what the writers have in common is a sense of hope that the journey of motherhood will lead them to higher ground and a better future for them and their children. But what varies is the context. I think writers like Faith Ringgold, June Jordan and Maya Angelou, who became mothers in the Fifties and Sixties, see themselves more in a political and historical context. Their experience and understanding of motherhood is shaped by social movements, feminism, civil rights and integration. Baby-boom and Generation-X writers like Dawn Turner Trice, the Chicago Tribune columnist, and Bethany Allen of Africana.com, meditate more on their personal experience, with the social climate informing their experience, but not shaping it nearly as much. A generational difference and, in some ways, a sign that African-Americans are freer now to make personal choices.

Penny Powell: Which story in your book made you smile the most? Which one made you cry or feel a degree of sadness?

Cecelie Berry: One story that stands out in the "smile" category is Evelyn Coleman's essay "When Wild Southern Women Raise Daughters." She talks about going out to do the "bump" at night in discos and leaving her daughters with relatives. That made me laugh because I remember doing the bump myself!

There are many touching stories in the book, with elements of sadness, but beauty and grace, too. Section III, Torch Song for Mother and Child is replete with such moments, and Tananarive Due's story of her miscarriages, Carolyn Ferrell's short story "Linda Devine's Daughters" and, of course, the observations of the late June Jordan on her mother's suicide are all unforgettable. They are sad, but they challenge us to be better mothers and women, and to appreciate all that we have.

Penny Powell: What are the ages of the youngest and oldest mothers who contributed to Rise Up Singing?

Cecelie Berry: I believe that Marian Wright Edelman, Jewelle Taylor Gibbs, Faith Ringgold and Maxine Clair offer the wisdom of experience. Bethany Allen, Dawn Turner Trice and Tananarive Due, give us the benefit of youthful exuberance. If I told anyone's age, I wouldn't last long!

Penny Powell: How long did the project take from start to finish? And, how challenging was it to tackle this task being a stay-at-home mother? How did you strike a balance?

Cecelie Berry: The project took four years from start to finish. At first, I thought I would include interviews in the book and later decided that that wouldn't work. Also, production of the book takes a year from handing in the manuscript to the publisher.

It was difficult to tackle this while being a stay-at-home mother, but I was lucky -- when I started my children were in school full-time. I do not recommend that stay-at-home moms try to edit books while their children are pre-school age. Any free time you get should be devoted to rest, exercise and contemplation.

I also think the book took as long as it did because I did exercise regularly and took time off when the children needed me or when I felt my enthusiasm waning.

Penny Powell: What is the most pertinent piece of information that you feel every African-American mother should know?

Cecelie Berry: You are not alone.

Penny Powell: What constitutes a good mother according to your mothering standards? What thoughts/advice do you have for stay-at-home mothers and working mothers?

Cecelie Berry: I'll tell you what isn't a good mother: Someone who is a martyr to her children -- or a woman who hides behind her children. Being a good mother requires a sense of purpose in your own life besides being a mother. I believe that it's good for your children to see you striving to be a whole, balanced individual who takes care of herself, as well as others. I believe that it is good for your children to see you pursuing a dream of your own while encouraging and supporting them, your husband and extended family. I believe it is important for them to have a joyful mother, who is learning and growing and embracing life, who takes on challenges, follows through, but knows when and how to say no.

Stay-at-home mothers and working mothers both need help. We need the support of extended family and household support. Stay-at-home mothers should remember to take time for themselves. I know some women who, the minute their children are in school, sign up for everything: the PTA, the Links or Junior League, they are on every board in town and they are too exhausted to take care of themselves or, really, their kids. All mothers must teach their children by example to value themselves. Rest, read, exercise, and take time to enjoy life.

Working mothers need to follow that advice, too. I know it must be hard to cut back on your hours or career for a time, especially if you have invested a great deal in your working life. But working mothers also need to find strategies for de-stressing and spending relaxed, not frantic and over-scheduled time with their kids and themselves. For mothers who work, I think it would be wise not to feel pressured into doing too many community activities. Outside of your job, your children should come first before networking or social activities.




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