BMW | Straightspeak

Luxury to die for – and in!

By DHughes|2016-12-10T00:41:11-05:00September 4th, 2012|Categories: business, social|Tags: Apple, Audi, BMW, Insurance Institute for Safety, luxury brands, Mercedes, Volvo|

Just when you thought it was safe to slip back into that ego-soothing leather MercedesCclass - all that money, so little safety. See that 3 pointed star, you may be wearing it soon. Aaah the quality of luxury brands: Your safety is optional and brand damage protection is not included Most of us know a quality brand when Read more...

Text message: “Hey Mom, I’ll be right home … maybe.”

By DHughes|2016-12-10T00:41:27-05:00February 7th, 2012|Categories: business, politics, social|Tags: BMW, car accidents, cell phones, children, Costa Concordia, death, motorists, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Safety Council, safety, smart phones, texting, US Transportation Department|

Dumb people using smart phones – it's killing them. But only about 5500 each year, so who cares? When your number is up, it's up. And it may be your next call. The U.S. Department of Transportation says nearly 5500 people died in crashes in 2009 involving a distracted driver (most on the phone) and the National Safety Read more...

My personal history is the stuff they write books about. And that's what I am doing. The working title "Five Generations to Freedom."

It's historical fiction because, unfortunately, I can not find enough records to substantiate all facets of the story. I've combed the genealogy, traveled to my father and grandmothers' birthplace, walked the graveyards, searched the churches and ... well, the facts just aren't there. I have written three books based on other families and their genealogy but my ancestors emerged from a journey that left few records – slavery.

My great grandmother, on my father's side, was a "freed slave." My grandmother, Amelia, was born to a white, French plantation owner in Grenada and a black slave named Mary, who worked on the Count de Poulain's plantation. Amelia was raised in her father's home and in adulthood, in an attempt to escape her black heritage, she "disowned" her mother Mary. Once, when Mary visited her daughter, Amelia told her, "Get out and never come back." And Amelia, as a mother herself (twelve children), told all of them, "Marry white." And many did, including my father. My mother was white Anglo-Saxon protestant born in England. They met in Canada where dad became a doctor.

It has taken five generations for the descendants of Mary (we do not know her last name) to free themselves from the bondage and stigma of their black heritage. But today, my children embrace it and are damn proud of it. Unfortunately, the 150 years in between has been a wasteland of bigotry, racism and bullying, Filled with anger, rejection, shame, fear, violence, murder and ... love, romance, kindness, perseverance and pride.