Tell us what inspired Ma Dear's Aprons?

The aprons I inherited from my grandmother and great-grandmother, a photo of my great-grandmother, Leanna, dressed in an apron, and an old painting I found at an antique store.  The painting (artist unknown) was of a mother with three children looking at a picture of a soldier, most likely the father, who had been killed in the Civil War.  I wondered what it would be like to have three children to raise without a husband.  I didn't need to look far for an example, for my own relatives had done just that.  For centuries, women have been raising children alone.

What elements from your own family history are woven into the story of Ma Dear's Aprons?

My grandmothers were at various times in their lives widowed, working as domestics to make a living.  They worked long, hard hours for low pay and no benefits.  Even though they were tired after a long day's work they managed to share time with their children, teaching them songs, games, and family stories.  I grew up listening and learning those same songs and old saying from my mother.  Even to this day, I hum "inch along, inch along like a po' inchworm" when I am busy doing something.  I wanted to write something to honor my grandmothers' labor and parenting skills.

What meaning does Ma Dear's Aprons have for readers today?

For many, the apron has become a symbol of women's oppression, a negative stereotype of womanhood.  The women in my family were strong, independent people who worked hard to provide fro their families at a time when the social, political, and economic conditions in the United STates were harsh and unjust for African Americans.  By all accounts these women provided leadership at home and in the community and maintained parenting skills that are enviable by today's standards.  I don't believe in "going back to the good 'ol days."  When you examine what was really going on, those times weren't so great.  But I do think that we should know our past and treasure that which is worthy of being remembered and apply it to our lives today.  In my own way, I tried to redefine the apron as a symbol of strength and courage.

From: Celebration Song, The African American Literary Journal of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, Jan. 1998