Speak to the Mountain:
The Tommie Waites Story
As told to Dr. Bessie W. Blake
ISBN:
1-929355-29-7
Price: $26 (casebound),
$18 (trade paperback) * 248 pages
“Tommie’s
journey of endurance and ultimate victory over poverty, sickness, racism, sexism
and the abusive relationship of an alcoholic husband, coupled with her stamina
to sustain a vital ministry into the new millennium, is a testament to the
resilience of the human spirit. Her
story inspires the hopeless and strengthens the faithful as she reminds us to
rise above our circumstances…. I
am happy to endorse Speak to the Mountain …
Read this book. Your spirit will soar and you too will be encouraged to stand
against the odds.” - Gordon Parks
About this book: Speak
to the Mountain: The Tommie Waites Story is a special book about a unique
woman, Tommie Waites, who started from dire poverty in the Ark-La-Tex region of
the country and overcame one powerful force after another until she emerged as a
leading Christian evangelist. The book, written by Tommie’s daughter Bessie,
clearly documents in words and photos just what kind of life a poor black family
could expect in the
Deep South
before, during, and after the Depression. Dr. Blake chronicles her
mother’s determination to overcome mountains of poverty, illness, spousal
abuse and racism, as well as gender bias in the country as a whole and in the
ministry. Reading about the struggles of Tommie Waites, one can’t help but
recognize that the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow has been horror and
deprivation but that it has also been a strengthening of spirit and
determination for those who fought and survived. Tommie Waites didn’t just
survive, however; she thrived. She struggled and she won. This is the story of
one of America’s many unsung and humble heroes, a story which will not only
teach its reader about American history but also move a reader to tears and,
ultimately, to passion and action.
About
the author: Dr. Bessie W. Blake, a widely known and respected educator, is
an adjunct professor of English at
LaGuardia
Community College
in
Queens
,
New York
, and a recognized expert on adult learning. Her lecture tours have carried her
to every corner of the
United States
and abroad to countries like
England
,
Scotland
and
Senegal
. Until two years ago, she served as the Academic Dean of the
College
of
New Rochelle
’s
School
of
New Resources
. During her tenure as Dean, she established the Rosa Parks Campus in Harlem and
the Gordon Parks Gallery in the
South Bronx
. In addition, Dr. Blake has done extensive work with historically Black
colleges. Her service on Boards of Directors include the Council for Adult and
Experiential Learning, the National League of Nursing Board of baccalaureate and
Higher Degree Programs, and The Rosa and Raymond Institute for Self-Development.
Dr.
Blake’s formal education began in a one-room schoolhouse in east
Texas
and continued with her graduation from Booker T. Washington High School in
Shreveport
,
Louisiana
. She received her foundation in literature from two historically Black
colleges: a BA in English Literature from Southern University and an MA in
American Literature from
North Carolina
Central
University
. Her Doctorate of Education focused on writing and the composing process from
Columbia
University
’s Teachers College and was followed by a postdoctoral Certificate of Lifelong
Learning from
Harvard
University
. She emphasizes, however, that “more powerful than the educational influences
in my life was the impact of my mother, Tommie Waites. Her resilience in the
face of adversity was a road map for my success.” Dr. Blake resides in Queens,
NY, with her husband, Prof. James Blake. They are the proud parents of four
children and six grandchildren.