Friday October 8, 2021

“Press Play”

—with an excerpt from audio recorded interview of Mr. John Bishop Gooch (1901-1988), circa 1983

In early 2020, like many, I was facing circumstances that seemed insurmountable. I felt as if my life was falling apart. While trying to find balance I was fortunate to hear an audio interview recorded 1983 of my great grandfather.

This forty three minute interview was done before the days of podcasting and video recording. This interview was conducted by recording the interviewee’s voice into a microphone affixed to a cassette player and the sound is recorded on a cassette tape. This interview details African American life in the early 1900s. It describes a family’s struggles from the institution of slavery and sharecropping in Mississippi to living in discrimination in Missouri.

This recording came at a critical time and will always have a lasting impact on my life. I am not claiming it was the sole contributor to my healing and renewal. Healing is a process and many factors are involved. But those words offered me insight and will forever be a building block for renewed strength and perseverance. We Rising, One Day At A Time.

L. D. Bland
We Rise Media Group