A POETIC TRIBUTE TO THE LEGENDS WHO LUNCHED WITH OPRAH is a cultural tour. It is a rhythmic exploration of some of the most enriching women of our time. To know them is to know inward and outer beauty. To know them is to know endurance, determination, survival, longevity, courage, resistance and tolerance. Through poetic verse you will glide along the once rugged paths that now represent their history.
The concept of this book was inspired by Oprah’s Legends Luncheon which was held in 2005. Oprah designated 25 of her invited guests as “Legends” because of their contributions to family, community, education, civil rights, religion, literature, and politics. According to Oprah these women have been “a Bridge to Now” for her. The list included women such as Cicely Tyson, Coretta Scott King, Alice Walker, Tina Turner, Maya Angelou, Ruby Dee, and Leontyne Price. We have honored each of the 25 women with a poem that reflects their history – the who, the what, the when, the where and the why. Prepare to be enlightened. Prepare to be reminded. Prepare to be thankful. For, we are…where we are…because of them.
These sisters and co-authors grew up in Yazoo City, Mississippi. After graduating from Yazoo City High School, they both enrolled in college where they expounded their sisterhood even further by respectively pledging the sorority
Sigma Gamma Rho. Cassandra obtained a BA in Psychology from Tougaloo College and Revonne obtained a BS in Computer Science from Jackson State University. Revonne continued her education and later obtained a Masters of Science in Business from Johns Hopkins University.
Upon completion of their undergraduate degrees, they both ventured off to different sectors of the country. Cassandra relocated to Texas in 1983 where she continues to be a resident. She has worked 23 years in the field of law-enforcement. She set a milestone of her own in 1989 by becoming the first Black female Detective in the history of the Harris County Sheriff’s Department in Houston, Texas. This agency is the fourth largest of its type in the country. Cassandra is the mother of two, Dominique and Madison.
Revonne relocated to Maryland in 1985. She has worked in the Information Technology field for 21 years and for 15 years she ran her own business as a mobile Disc Jockey. She is also a wife and mother of two, Marcus and Laila. She loves her family, music, and writing.
Poetry has been a natural hobby of both authors. It has been of great service to them when they wanted to present a special joy, surprise or gift to someone. They share the belief that a poem whose content is dedicated solely to a specific individual is the greatest gift that one could give.