Red's Magic Comb

Lawanda Howard

Description

No pity parties are allowed. Get up, wipe the tears from your face, comb your hair, put your lipstick on and get on with life!
"Red's Magic Comb, Pressing Through the Kinks of Life" is an inspirational story that chronicles Henrietta "Red" Howard's journey from a childhood of extreme poverty in the restricted South and personal challenges to becoming the First Black Female Salon Owner in the town of Talbotton, Georgia.
The book relies on the recollection of "Red," who is currently 90 years old as of January 16, 2023, to give accounts of her everyday life as a child, a teenager, and an adult. It tells how she always sought positivity and overcame some of life's most devastating blows to stay on course to achieve what she believed she deserved. Because of her own experiences early in her life, she had a vision of what she wanted and did not want for herself and her family. She once proclaimed about her then-unborn children, "My children will NEVER work in no white man's field!"
Red's views on love, relationships, and life served as the wind beneath her wings to realizing her dreams, being a beacon of hope for others, and making history in the world of hair and beauty.
"Red's Magic Comb, Pressing Though the Kinks of Life" will take the reader through emotional highs and lows but serve as inspiration in the end.

Sujets

• Magic: el encuentro
• Biography
• Memoir
• Autobiography
• Howard
• Magic

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 15 janvier 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781728377209
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

RED’S MAGIC COMB
Pressing Through the Kinks of Life





Lawanda Howard











AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
Phone: [phone]





© 2023 Lawanda Howard. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/12/2023

ISBN: 978-1-7283-7721-6 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-7283-7720-9 (e)





Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.



Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.


Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version. (Public Domain)

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.



CONTENTS
Introduction

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23



INTRODUCTION
O ne should consider themselves lucky, or even blessed, to be within arm’s reach of a role model who can provide direction and guidance about what to do when faced with life’s circumstances. At various points in our lives, we allow something or someone to influence our views or behaviors. We all need something our someone to look up to. Many of us turn to Bible scriptures and inspirational quotes, while others look to the people around them or the people they read about, hear about, or follow on social platforms. We can only hope to allow credible sources to impact our lives and choices.
When choosing our role models, we often choose them based on simple factors such as how famous they are, how much money they have, or the material things they possess. Never mind how the individual obtained either of these statuses. But what if we had the opportunity to look beneath the covers? Would we still value their opinions and stances on issues that matter to us? Would they still be inspirational figures in our lives?
Some people are seemingly blessed and effortlessly land on mountaintops throughout their life journey. However, most people must traverse merciless valleys and weather violent storms to reach their desired pinnacles. Not all people survive the tests; being derailed can be the most dejecting part of any trek to one’s destiny. Uniqueness in character is built and demonstrated by those who successfully navigate life’s unavoidable trials and tribulations. What do they do when they are confronted with adversity or dealt a hand that may be considered flawed or unfair? Do they give up, or do they pick themselves up, dust themselves off and keep going? What is their overall temperament while going through the process?

Growing up in a household with my mother and father was overall a solid experience. My siblings and I saw them as fantastic role models. We adopted this feeling based on how they conducted themselves in front of us and around others. It determined the levels of influence they had on us and how we discerned what was proper. And how people treated them contributed to our respect for them and how we would follow their lead. They talked the talk and walked the walk. Our household was stable and loving. We were encouraged to love God, count our blessings, and thank God for what we already had, as we were often compelled, like many others, to ask for more. We were encouraged to love our family and to respect the community of people around us.
At an early age, I recall people frequently saying, “Y’all’s family is rich.” I didn’t readily comprehend that assessment because I didn’t make the connection; we didn’t live like the white people I saw on television. They looked rich. Our house was small and not fancy, and my parents didn’t drive fancy cars. The things white people possessed or had access to always seemed to look better or be better than what most black people were allowed to have. We were fully aware that we were not wealthy. We were Black and proud of it.
I would later begin to understand why some people would come to their conclusions about my family’s financial status. They associated my family’s presence and how we were perceived and treated in the community with monetary wealth. My mother ensured her children were always clean, displayed good manners, and had a grasp on proper “home training.”; You’d better not even think about embarrassing her in public! She also knew how to sew. When my sister and I were younger, she purchased fabric and sewing patterns from the local store and made all our school clothes. She would dress us alike, which generated the constant asking of the question, “Are they twins?” Our hair was always tidy, with hair accessories to match the outfits. Her sons were also well-dressed and kept nice haircuts. While my family didn’t have a lot of money, we were, however, rich with pride.
I could see that my parents worked hard, provided services to the community, and were well respected. I observed them being honest people who the community embraced in the town we lived in, Talbotton, Georgia. My father owned a residential building business, Jasper Howard & Sons. He took my two brothers to work with him when they were very young so that they observe him working and managing people and would learn the skill of carpentry. Before that, Daddy was the first black police officer in the town.
My paternal grandfather, Leonard Howard, was a businessman. As part of his business portfolio, he owned over a thousand acres of land. People didn’t know he owned that amount of real estate, but while driving along the county road between two highways, they could see his home, while not palatial, and another house at the top of the hill, a beautiful lake, and sprawling open pastures with cows grazing on the land. He was the first black man to own a school bus. He was also the owner of The Café, which was the place where you could buy pig ears sandwiches (amongst other food items), soda pops, cookies, chips, and candy. You could also purchase chalk or what some people refer to as white dirt. People would actually eat that stuff. If you weren’t up for eating food, snacks, or white dirt, you could drop a dime in the jukebox, which we called the piccolo.
The Café wasn’t a nightclub, but it was a popular spot where people loved to visit to listen to music or dance. The piccolo had all the latest hits as musical selections. You could select songs to do the basic two-step or more up-tempo music for more expressive dancing or cut a rug, so to speak. Or you could even opt to slow drag to a lovely ballad. However, no one could do any of this until Granddaddy would open up the doors of the Cafe each morning only after he had played all of the Gospel songs on the piccolo. It was his ritual.

Mr. Leonard “Len” Howard
Granddaddy owned Howard’s Beauty Shop, where my mother initially worked as one of the hairdressers. Howard’s Beauty Shop was located next door to The Café as part of the same building structure. The ladies could get their hair done while listening to an audible groove through the walls. The Beauty Shop was not limited to women; there was a barber shop area for men. But women were the predominant customers. Howard’s Beauty Shop would serve as a significant backdrop for the journey of Henrietta Howard accomplishing her lifelong dream of becoming a beautician and a business owner.

I decided to write this book with my mother, Henrietta Howard, providing the footsteps of her life journey over the past 90 years to celebrate the incredible person I and countless others believe her to be. To her best recollection, she shared her account of life events that I, my family, and others feel have molded her into an inspirational, extraordinary woman, influencer, and icon to be treasured. She had a dream and rose to the occasion. From extreme poverty to entrepreneurship, Red overcame each obstacle in her path and made history, becoming the First Black Female Owner and operator of a beauty salon in Talbotton, Georgia!
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28. KJV
“Hope works in these ways: it looks for the good in people instead of harping on the worst; it discovers what can be done instead of grumbling about what cannot; it regards problems, large or small, as opportunities; it pushes ahead when it would be easy to quit; “lights the candle” instead of “cursing the darkness.” Tony Robbins
Please allow me to introduce you to Henrietta Howard. She was born Henrietta Callier in 1933 as the second child of eleven children to her parents, Hawkins and Carrie Bell Callier. At the time of this publ