Aug 1, 2020
Dr. Dorothy (Deeh) Israel has returned to ZLORD podcast! We welcome her reflections, memories, insights and just good old-fashioned darn good stories about a side of life we rarely hear firsthand:
What it's like growing up as a self-proclaimed "colored girl" in an achingly prejudiced America of the 40s, 50s, and 60s.
Deeh's experiences are worthy turning over our mic (hand-held by teZa for this and every podcast) for as many times as we can convince her to return and share with us and our listeners. This woman bravely shares her stalwart optimism and loving acceptance with us. She doesn't hold any truths back, especially when she had to face the terrible hardships and insults of hate and ignorance, the systemic racism we hear about in the News but Deeh so graphically describes here, with her two trustworthy and respected friends. Carter and I know Deeh from our sweet little Episcopal Church, St. Cyprian's, in St. Augustine, Florida.
Beginning in her childhood in the Great Depression and then as a teenager during the curfews of World War II, always living in Harlem after her parents met and married after immigrating from the Caribbean, Deeh poignantly describes her amazing life's highs and lows, sorrows and joys. This is an unedited oral history of a truly remarkable Black woman.
This episode is focused on her girlhood and young woman's memories. With prodding, she even tells us about the time she refused a dinner date from John Lewis, a much younger man than Deeh at that time. "He was a treasure," Deeh reminisces along with the entire nation; Lewis' funeral took place just the day before this recording.
With Deeh, laugh at her infallible achievements, cringe at how horribly she was treated by racists who were even her college professors in the 50s, as we celebrate our friend's eventful life. Her professional life was dedicated to helping others in the field of mental health and social work.
A natural storyteller, we know our listeners will want to share this special treat of Deeh's intimate retelling of personal revelations with all, to help spread the message, the same as John Lewis's, that she emulates: Love is the healing balm of all of humankind's ills. We hope Deeh will return as many times as she's able to continue her valuable life's story. In between, she walks two miles on our beautiful beach everyday, "the cure who what ails anybody," she laughs. Wouldn't the be nice if Covid-19 went away with everybody taking nice long walks. God Bless the world during this hard time we're all going through!