God Spare Life

Diversity Award: 2008 and Beyond

What an amazing week I had at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in San Francisco last week! In addition to receiving the AAOS 2008 Diversity Award, I had the opportunity to meet the future I've worked so long to help bring about.

You may recognize these two shining examples:

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That's Debi Thomas in the middle (yes, the former US and World Champion and Olympic medalist figure skater), who's now a practicing orthopaedic surgeon. She attended the Trilogy Breakfast where we bring together the African American, women's, and Latino societies of orthopaedic surgeons. 

And the third photo is Kalilah Allen-Harris (Miss Black USA 2007), who is in medical school studying toward becoming an orthopedic surgeon. Kalilah and I were on a panel presentation entitled "She Can Do It" and she expresses the spirit of passing on what we've been given on her own blog where she wrote, "Being able to encourage people is such a blessing."

Here's more about my whirlwind week from a conversation with Yvonne DiVita and Tom Collins last Friday (just click the Play ">" button to listen, or the link below to download the MP3):

MP3 File

Stop back soon for another segment from this conversation.

Adinkra Symbols - Akokonan

Guest Post - Tom Collins

As I mentioned in the last Adinkra post, Akokonan is one of my favorites among the symbols chosen for God Spare Life. My reason is not so much about its appearance or literal translation, but what it symbolizes: the parental love, nurturing, and protection that is so central to Claudia's life.

Akokonan was chosen to characterize the four chapters entitled "Daisy's Watch" that are written from the perspective of Claudia's mother, Daisy Mae Thomas.

Some insight into why can be found in the "Foreword" by Milfred C. Fierce, Ph.D., who's known Claudia and her family since her undergraduate days at Vassar. Dr. Fierce describes Daisy as protecting Claudia "with defiance, tenacity, and prayerful vigil" and finds a core theme of the book to be "a mother's love, faith, trust, and resolve."

(The Foreword and the first Daisy's Watch chapter can be read in the free sample pages from God Spare Life.)

And in the books's Dedications, Claudia herself described Daisy as "a woman who embodies the love, nurturing and sacrifice that is motherhood."

These descriptions from those who knew her well should help you understand why Akokonan was chosen for the "Daisy's Watch" chapters. But a bit more about why it bacame one of my personal favorites can be gleaned from this expanded explanation of the symbol at Jean MacDonald's site:

"The full name of this symbol translates to 'The hen treads on her chicks, but she does not kill them.' This represents the ideal nature of parents, being both protective and corrective. An exhortation to nurture children, but a warning not to pamper them."

Those who've read the book will appreciate how this applies so perfectly to both Daisy and to Claudia's father, Charles, as well.

Next time, God Spare Life, we'll take a look at Nea Onnim No Sua A, Ohu.