Special:  Remembering Dr. King

Martin Luther King, Jr (January 15, 1929 - April 4,1968) - "America’s Chief Moral Dilemma"
Jacqueline Smith's Quest to Fulfill the Dream

I was hysterical and just could not take it anymore.  My husband was drowning my spirit in emotional and verbal abuse.  I just had to get away.  So one day I finally grabbed my keys and began driving from Bowie, Maryland to my hometown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

As I made my way up I-95, I contemplated driving my car off an embankment to my death.  However, I realized that instead of dying from the crash I may just become severely injured.  So I turned my car around and wept.  When I returned to Bowie, I called New Life Clinic and reached out for professional help. 

It took a week for my insurance company to approve the Clinic enrollment and for my Mom to arrive to take care of my toddler daughter.  As I peeled back the layers of my emotional distress, my counselor at the Clinic advised me that my problem seemed to reside in my marriage and the church that I had recently helped establish.

I had centered my whole life around my marriage and church.  My husband was a deacon.  I sang in the choir, ran the book store, participated on the praise team, and even became a deaconess. With such a deep connection to the church, I could not accept my counselor’s advice.  So, rather than face the possibility of aborting my life as I knew it, I aborted treatment. 

My marriage continued along its rocky path and we soon began marriage counseling sessions.  Because of our active roles in the church, we felt comfortable seeking help from our pastor. However, those sporadic sessions turned into a scrimmage where it seemed that the pastor and my husband colluded to mar and discredit me.  I did not stand a chance.  My husband called me inflexible; yet, he never addressed how he was emotionally unavailable.

As tension mounted in our marriage, my health began to deteriorate.  I experienced arrhythmia, anxiety, and panic attacks.  I took medication just to quell my anxiety.  Having reached the point where my physical health was in jeopardy, I finally decided to take drastic action to change the course of my life: 

Bearstop presents "The Middle Passage: A Story of Survival" in every other print issue of Port of Harlem.  Click here if you have a story to tell.  Read Allison Miller’s full story only in the current print issue of Port of Harlem.  Click here to subscribe. 

After being closed for the winter, The Anacostia Art Gallery and Boutique has new hours: Saturday and Sunday noon to 6p.  The Gallery’s garden space is also available for rent for parties, weddings, and other important events.  The garden space includes a sculpture garden and colorful open-air bandstand.

The boutique and garden are at 2806 Bruce Place, SE, up the hill from the Smithsonian Anacostia Museum.  The Museum is currently exhibiting East of the River:  Continuity and Change.  There is plenty of free parking at the boutique and museum.  For additional information call 202-610-4188.




 

Bridget Johnson and Stephanie Banks have won copies of The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard.  Both simply replied with the correct answer to the question:
What is the name of the book reviewed in the current print issue of Port of Harlem?

The answer is:   No Safe Place: A Gen-X Childhood in Black.

Next Scheduled Contest: Free tickets to see gospel greats Dorothy Norwood and Albertina Walker at the Lincoln Theater in Washington, D.C. Saturday, May 10 at 7:30p.   Tickets are $40, $35 if purchased before Wednesday, April 30.  For tickets call Sterling Washington (202) 446-1100 x1123.  The performances are a part of Us Helping Us’ annual Mother’s Day Concert.  Read our exclusive interview  with Norwood in the upcoming May - July 2008 print issue.

Port of Harlem contributing photographer Jonathan French was voted Outstanding Emerging Artist at the Annual Mayor's Arts Awards at the Kennedy Center.

The Underground Free Press has released the March 2008 issue of the Underground Free Press.  Click here for a free viewing.