Essay excerpt from Isaac Hayes

I eventually dropped out of school out of plain embarrassment. It was very difficult to do, because I really liked school and I loved to learn. I always liked reading and unlike the kids of today, it was anything but an interruption of what I wanted to do. It was what I wanted to do. But the shoes that I wore bore cardboard in their bottoms to cover up gaping holes. It wasn’t long before the girls noticed and my self-consciousness outgrew my desire to attend classes. I didn’t have any clothes and in an odd sort of way, I literally couldn’t afford to go to school. What saved me, ironically, was music. My music teachers took a special interest in me, as I’d taken a special interest in music. It was always my salvation. Even when I was picking cotton in Covington, music was an escape from the scorching sun and the laborious tasks I was up against. I’d sing a song or hum a tune and imagine myself in another place – maybe a juke joint – and all the pain would go away. It was a temporary fix, but it worked every time. But this time, the pain was too deep. It hurt too much. Read more…

OTHER ESSAY EXCERPTS
1. The Family Must Stand – The Honorable Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI)
22. Soul Survivor – Isaac Hayes
25. Bridging the Divide – Otis Moss
29. Love, Marriage, and Struggle (from With Ossie & Ruby: OTLT) – Ruby Dee
39. Actionable Pride – Cathy Hughes
53. Something Extraordinary, Something Unique: It’s Up to You – Thurbert Baker
54. The Psychology of Beauty – Beverly Johnson