New book emerges from longtime promise

Dr. Harriette Bias-Insignares always wanted to write a book about her father, the late Caleb Harvey Bias, who for many years was Chairman of the Scholarship Committee of First African Baptist Church in Savannah, Ga., the oldest Black church on the North American continent.

“My father was a strong advocate for education,” Bias-Insignares recalled. “He never turned down anyone who applied, and there were many times over the years when he would go into his pocket and put money into the fund, while never having it presented in any manner other than a church scholarship. Yet the things he did on behalf of others in the community never got any publicity or recognition.

He didn’t get his papers together in time for me to do a book about him, but his example and that of many others like him inspired me to eventually write a book using their contributions for inspiration.”

The result is the new poetry book Power of Glory: Brothers on the Journey (Cold Tree Press) which features works dedicated to African-American men both famous and obscure (at least in terms of mainstream press attention).

The foreword was written by Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, while motivational speaker and area author Dr. Michael Grant penned the introduction.

The collection of invigorating, moving and anthemic poetry reflects the skill of Bias-Insignares, who has served since 1977 as Official State Poet and Arts Advocate under the title Tennessee’s Ambassador of Letter as well as the First Poet Laureate of Nashville since March of 2007. She’s also a longtime professor at Tennessee State University in the Department of Communications.

“Contrary to the popular image, there are many men in the black community who are hard-working, dedicated to raising their children and concerned about being proper role models for youth,” she said. “One problem that has happened is that unfortunately we have lost some young men to the jails and the prisons. I wanted this book to be a celebration for all those in our community who’ve dedicated themselves and their lives to preventing that from happening to others, but often don’t get the same type of exposure as the athletes and the entertainers.”

The poems cover every area from commemorating greats to simply acknowledging and recognizing the unique characters and figures in various communities. Some like the works “Father” and “A Man Called John” are extremely personal, while others tend to be reflective, analytical, celebratory or autobiographical.

Each poem contains explanations and/or commentary about the subject, and why that person was highlighted with a particular poem. The book cover features photos of numerous black males in various occupations, age ranges, locales and importance.

Bias-Insignares’ concerns extend beyond advocacy. As the mother of two sons and an educator for more than three decades, she’s witnessed first-hand the empowering and positive impact of education and also seen the withering effects of poverty, despair and hopelessness on young black males in some parts of the community.

“We want to say to the media that if you’re going to keep putting on the front pages the negative exploits of celebrities, give some space and room to those who are doing positive things within our community,” Bias-Insignares said. “We’re saying that it’s time to stop throwing your hands up in the air and saying nothing can change. If we all take action, pull ourselves away from the television set, Internet and video games and begin an inter-generational dialog, then we can turn things around.

“Young people need to hear the stories from the elders and the elders can definitely help turn some lives around,” she said.