Africa And My New Beginning

About the Book

My trip to Ghana, Africa was more than I expected. This is a good time to remember the trip that saved my life and gave me my freedom. It all started when I put my feet on African soul for the first time in my life. The soil felt good under my feet and the smell of the elements overwhelmed me. I began to cry, but I knew in my heart I was home at last. The day came for me to visit the slave castles after many days of touring Ghana. The weather was hot, and my body felt numb and chilled. The blood was draining from my body; my hands began to tingle and my feet felt heavy as I walked into this rock-like cave. The cave featured a small hole for air and gave off a dim light. It was musky inside and I felt as if I was going to faint.

I listened silently as the tour guide described the people who once lived in this dungeon. The people were small in size and tortured daily in every way possible. A feeling of sadness overwhelmed my body, and I lost my sense of understanding. I was standing in the sewage of my history and the worst thing life could ever offer me. I could feel their blood running through my veins as death was near. Just before I lost consciousness I heard a voice. For a moment I thought, "am I going crazy"? The voice said, "don't be sad, be happy we have survived this journey and you are here to tell our story". These words of wisdom gave me the understanding that the journey my forefathers and mothers took were in God's plans.

Suddenly, a cool breeze circled my body, and a warm gentle force lifted me out of the slave castle. I was floating in mid-air while my spirit was being renewed. I cried many tears because of the ill treatment I suffered in the United States as an African-American. But this day my soul was free and the African drums were beating for joy once again. I was home at last. This was truly a time to remember. I found that the lives of Black people in the United States are a profound contrast between the lives of Black People in Africa. My pilgrimage to the West African nations of Ghana and the Ivory Coast ultimately fulfilled a lifelong desire full of excitement, discovery and to an extent closure.

About the Author

Clyde Ann Nelson was born in Panama City, Florida. Mrs. Nelson lived during a time period in America when the South was plagued with blatant racism and prejudice. Her challenging life in Panama City eventually sparked a flame that ignited into a burning desire to leave the South behind. Mrs. Nelson moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1959. She graduated high school three years prior to her move. Soon after her graduation, she married an enlisted man that enabled her to leave the South and travel abroad. They spent two years in London, England with their young family. She eventually decided to reside in the State of Massachusetts. While in Boston, Mrs. Nelson became a skilled beautician and took advantage of opportunities in the North. She beat the odds in Black Capitalism and built a beauty and wig salon in Roxbury; a historic section of Boston. She worked for another salon prior to starting her own. Throughout her entrepreneurial quest she received financial advice from consultants and business management education from a local university in Boston. Sole-Proprietorship wasn't easy by any means. Her business was still "under construction" requiring much needed improvements. She was fortunate to obtain a small business loan to purchase various equipment such as portable sinks and chairs. Over 30 years "Michelle's Beauty Salon" (named after her oldest daughter) became a successful business. She's a prime example of one who can "pull herself up by their boot straps". Now retired, she lived in the South and struggled to realize her entrepreneurial dream in the North while achieving the "American Dream".