Mama Tabulah's 65th Earthday!

Sandra Pretlow and Mama Tabulah

 I recently attended the 65th "Earthday" celebration of Mama Vivian "Tabulah" Adigun. The high energy of the elders in attendance was contagious! At 65, 75, 85, & yes, even 95 years of age-they still exhibited a wonderful zest for living! 

Taulah dances while Baba Omawalie and guests look on.

The lively celebration was held at the Memorial Garden Senior Apts. in Bolton Hill. Mama Tabulah is an esteemed African Dance instructor who lived in "Cali" for many years and studied under Eartha Kitt. The spirit of her internationally reknowned mentor clearly lives on in Mama Taulah. The gorgeous, fabulously fit, sister lit up the room with her constant flow of sexy, Afro-centric movements. Mama Tabulah has the high energy of a 20 year old, combined with decades of experience! Wow! She was stunning in a white lace tunic spangled with silver paillettes, over a long white dress with a thigh high slit. At her request, most of the attendees also wore white, which elevated the affair to a high spiritual level.

Seniors enjoyed good food, fellowshipping and hand dancing to old school doo wop which was the order of the evening, until the reggae beat began to reverberate through the room. Then it was on! The energy went right through the roof when brother Kaki (well known local artist, Robert Mcqueen), his sister Inora McQueen (poet, musician & cultural historian), Tabulah's close friend, Sandra Pretlow, and Mocko Jumbi (or stilt walker), Brother Bilal, began drumming as if their lives depended on it!

It was clear that the primal rhythms were intensely felt by all. Talk about therapeutic! One 95 year old brother stayed on the dance floor and amazingly kept up with every move thrown on him by Sister Sandra. Elders and youngsters-those of us below 60-took to the floor and danced with the abandon of children that don't care who's watching! Check out the pix below!

95 year old elder keeps up with Sandra's every move

Tabulah and her aunt

85 year old elder pose with Sandra after "shaking a leg" in 3 inch heels!

Chalene Johnson, Sandra Pretlow, Tabulah Adigun, Abiola Olabasi & Inora McQueen

Welcome to Divine Reflections!

Paula Brooks

The creation of this blog has been on my heart for years.  One thing that  I KNOW for sure, is "Everything is in DIVINE ORDER"! Everything I've done-or not done, has led up to this moment.  For years I have been dismayed by the amount of negativity portrayed by the news media-especially as it relates to people of color. I feel compelled to document our POSITVE experiences-those things no matter how small, that add richness and meaning to our lives.  Hence, the birth of "Divine Reflections".  This blog is about the spark of Divinity that resides in each of us, and the positive, creative ways we choose to manifest our God given talents, and express our life's purpose. 

So this space is about my perspectives, but more importantly, it's about my encounters with you!  I now know that I am a story-teller by birth.  I love using words to paint pictures, and this space is devoted to telling your stories. I look forward to hearing from you! If you have an event that you'd like to have documented, or if you have a story that will uplift and inspire, I'd love to let our community know about it!

Pauline Brooks

Two things inspired me to finally begin this blog.  The first was my take on the movie "The Help".  I left the theater feeling so encouraged!  I reflected on how far we've come as a people, and especially as African-American  women.  I remembered hearing my own mother, Pauline Brooks, describe the years she spent working as a domestic. Yet she courageously followed her dream of owning a women's retail clothing store.  At that time it was unheard of for a black woman to knock on showroom doors in New York.  Despite blatant and covert racism, she opened her store in 1953 and managed to keep it open for 35 years.                                                                                                             

Then I thought about how Aibileen, the lead character in the movie, must have felt as she walked down that long, dark road at the end.  Although she had been fired, she knew she had out-grown her dead end job.   Her heart must have fluttered at the knowledge that God had greater works in store for her.  She had already broken down a huge barrier by giving a voice to "the help"-poor, uneducated women who had never even been asked what they thought, or how they felt about anything.   I'm sure she was fearful and anxious, but her spirit must have soared at the prospect of taking another step into uncharted territory.  She knew it was time to pursue her dream of becoming a writer.

Hope to hear from you soon!  Namaste' (I behold the light in you)!