Date: Fri 26-Jun-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: SUZANN

Quick Words:

Jennifer-Staple-Black-history

Full Text:

Local Essayist Cited

(with cut)

BY SUZANNA NYBERG

Jennifer Staple, the daughter of Art and Caryn Staple, recently took first

place in the Hartford Black History Project Essay Contest for her essay, "The

Heart and Soul of Africa Survives in America," a piece dealing with the

preservation of African culture on American soil.

Jennifer argued that African culture survived the arduous journey across the

Atlantic and is alive to this day in America. "We see evidence of African

heritage in music, culture, and kinships," she said. Many instruments used in

mainstream American music, including the banjo and drums, have their roots in

African culture. The word "okay" is actually a word of African descent. Noting

how families were separated upon arrival in America, Jennifer said friends

became families, taking the place of blood relations.

Jennifer's essay involved a fair amount of research. She found an April, 1997

article from the St Petersburg Times in Florida about an Afro-American woman

who traced a song her family sang back to a village in Africa. "I understand

better how the cultures of Africa influenced American life," she said.

Jennifer found the essay contest while surfing the Internet and entered the

contest independent of any class. She had been inspired to learn about other

cultures from an elective history course, American Ethnic Heritage, taught by

Gwendlyn Parks. "I knew Jennifer had become very serious about

African-American history," Mrs Parks said. "When a student takes the

initiative to do an essay on her own, one that is not part of a requirement,

it shows a very sincere interest."