New book shows strength, resilience of family

By Safiyyah Muhammad -Final Call Staffer- | Last updated: Dec 4, 2013 - 3:52:00 PM

We’ve all heard the saying that a family, who prays together, stays together. From chapter to chapter, this proverb was illustrated in Matriarch, a novel written by Wajeedah Mohammad. The book highlights family unity and faith and reminds readers as they journey through life, one must not forget the power of praise.

The heart of the story is based on the life of Matri and her family, who lived in a South Carolina town during the Jim Crow era. Each of Matri’s siblings is faced with life-changing events, but because of their spiritual upbringing and belief in God, each member is able to persevere and overcome the trials that they are confronted with.

“Matriarch arrived in a timely fashion to help combat popular culture’s spread of family disengagement, violence and individual identity that is threatening the very grain of social stability,” Ms. Mohammad shared.

The author paints a colorful picture of the southern town of Hicksville, a fictitious location where the story takes place. The book has its humorous spots and is filled with Southern banter of the rural poor; a people whose lives were muted through the iron fists of poverty and racism.

Ms. Mohammad’s use of metaphor came across quite noticeably as she compared women to the beauty of steel magnolias. She wrote, “It is said that women … are like steel magnolias. Magnolias remind us of a woman’s strength and beautiful adornment. No matter how much they have to endure, no matter how hard they have to work, you can still see their adornment,” Ms. Mohammad wrote in her introduction as she lifted up the power of women.

A matriarch is a female who stands out as one who is highly regarded in the family. She instills family values, takes care of the family, loves her husband mightily and fights against social injustices when family members are persecuted. The queen-mother-matriarch listens to the troubles of loved ones, and prays unceasingly when trouble arise. Throughout history, the Black female, had to assume the role as queen-mother-matriarch because in many instances, it was the Black woman who had to carry many heavy responsibilities by herself. As we look back into our history, Harriett Tubman and Sojourner Truth served as powerful matriarchal figures.

Ms. Mohammed’s novel is categorized in the Black Southern literature genre that is a must read. Black Southern literature celebrates the strengths and struggles of Blacks in America, who in many cases, lived and died in the South for the liberation of Black people. Black Southern literature is an important component to our liberation as a people; for it is a part of our heritage that must never perish.

(Wajeedah Mohammad is a member of the community of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed and her book, Matriarch can be found on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. Other contemporary literature about the South includes Patricia Neely Dorsey’s books, Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia: A Life of Poems and My Magnolia Memories also on Amazon.com.)

The Final Call