Glenda
R.
Taylor
is
an
American
scholar,
writer,
poet,
and
cultural
historian.
In
the
midst
of
a
career
as
a
formidable
executive
in
the
nonprofit
sector
who
was
able
to
raise
$
50
million
through
her
administrative
and
proposal
writing
skills,
Taylor
had
a
life
altering
experience.
She
lost
95%
of
her
eyesight.
At
forty-five
years
old,
she
was
blind.
Taylor,
a
creative
thinker,
did
not
fall
into
the
depths
of
depression
and
despair.
No
longer
able
to
drive,
feed
her
passion
for
photography
or
fully
engage
in
what
she
terms
her
only
addiction,
reading
a
book,
she
sought
higher
ground
by
intensifying
her
study
of
how
her
ancestors
rose
above
the
depths
of
despair
and
overcame
the
immense
obstacles
which
they
faced
in
the
Jim
Crow
south.
She
has
often
said,
“If
Berry
Gordy
could
do
what
he
did
when
he
did
it;
if
Susan
Smith
McKinney
Steward
could
do
what
she
did
when
she
did
it;
If
Oprah
Winfrey
,
a
“little
colored
girl”
from
the
dust
roads
of
Mississippi
can
cast
off
the
mental
fetters
of
growing
up
in
the
Jim
Crow
South,
becoming
the
most
powerful
voice
in
the
global
community;
if
Harriet
Tubman
in
the
face
of
death
could
accomplish
her
agenda,
navigating
through
the
woods
in
the
1800
s,
guided
only
by
creative
thinking
and
the
sheer
strength
of
her
will
and
spirit,
then blindness is no obstacle.”
Blind Light
Taylor
authored
two
motivational
books
before
her
crisis
and
acknowledges
that
“It
is
easy
to
motivate
and
spread
positive
thoughts
when
one
has
not
walked
through
fire.
I
was
faced
with
fire
and
had
to
be
cremated
or
walk
out
of
the
furnace.
I
had
to
ask
myself:
What
do
I
believe?”
Her
stance
resulted
in
the
pursuit
of
a
M.A.
degree
in
History
and
Culture
and
a
Ph.D.
in
Interdisciplinary Studies.
Exiting The Cave
Distinguished
Professor
and
author,
Elizabeth
Nunez,
after
reading
a
New
York
Times
article
written
about
Glenda’s
work,
asked,
“Why
don’t
you
go
back
to
school
and
get
a
doctorate?”
Days
later
Addie
Hampton
from
New
York
State
Commission
for
the
Blind
posed
a
similar
question.
Taylor
began
to
believe
that
the
universe
may
have
been
sending
her
a
message.
With
encouragement
from
her
mother
(Mary
J.
Taylor),
Addie
Hampton,
Robin
Dinerstein,
and
Horace
Smith,
Taylor
learned
how
to
type
and
use
the
computer,
both
necessary
for
the
pursuit
of
an
advanced
degree.
She
always
held
that
if
she
were
to
research,
study,
and
share
the
secrets
of
how
the
most
harried
Americans
overcame
their
obstacles
to
achieve
greatness,
all
citizens
would
gain
immensely
and
have
access
to
the
knowledge
they
need
to
overcome
their
personal
hurdles.
When
she
asked
Derrick
Skeete,
who
was
in
the
process
of
completing
the
rigorous
journey
of
obtaining
a
doctorate,
his
thoughts
on
the
road
ahead,
he
said,
“Those
who
can,
should.
Most
cannot.
You
can.”
After
much
contemplation,
combined
with
the
laser-like
focus
for
which
she
had
a
reputation,
undaunted by the road ahead, she counted her blessings and redefined her goals.
The Jalimuso’s Drum
Taylor
credits
educator,
certified
appraiser,
and
author
Dr.
Elvin
Montgomery,
whom
she
met
in
the
mid-
1990
s
and
with
whom
she
has
taken
courses
in
appraisal,
as
the
person
who
recognized
that
she
had
an
extensive
knowledge
of
entertainment
history.
Taking
that
into
consideration
before
she
attended
graduate
school
and
listening
to
her
mother’s
advice
“Study
what
you
love,”
Taylor
decided
to
focus
her
research
on
African
American
entertainers
who
were
born
in
the
early
to
mid-twentieth
century.
She
questioned
how
they
were
able
to
hone
their
creative
skills
and
talents,
excelling
amidst
insane,
life-threatening
obstacles.
Her
research
focused
on
how
African
American
female
entertainers
use
their
autobiographies
to
act
as
cultural
historian/griottes/
jalimusos
and
record
American
history.
She
demonstrates
how
their
autobiographies
preserve
perspectives
that
have
been
discarded
and/or
minimalized.
Artists
such
as
Lena
Horne
,
Marion
Anderson
,
Nina
Simone
,
Katherine
Dunham
,
Aretha
Franklin
,
Diana
Ross
,
Eartha
Kitt
,
Cissy
Houston
,
and
Josephine
Baker
were
a
part
of
her
research.
Taylor
establishes
that
their
autobiographies
are
an
archive
of
significant
data
on
early
20
th
century
American
history.
She
completed
her
research
for
her
M.A.
in
March
of
2010
and
decided
that
she
wanted
to
obtain
a
Ph.D.
and
expand
upon
her
findings,
using
an
interdisciplinary
approach to researching the creative processes of these artists.
Doctoral Research
After
much
contemplation,
Taylor
made
the
decision
to
use
the
data
she
had
obtained
from
the
autobiographies
of
African
American
female
artists
as
a
foundation
to
understanding
African
American
cultural
traditions
and
how
African
American
artists
had
a
tradition
of
using
their
voice,
their
platform,
and
their
art
forms
to
promote
societal
change.
While
Taylor
was
working
on
her
thesis,
Michael
Jackson
shocked
the
international
community
when
he
died,
unexpectedly,
on
June
25,
2009.
Three
years
later,
as
she
was
steadily
engaged
in
the
coursework
of
her
Ph.D.
program,
Whitney
Houston
,
only
48
years
old,
also
stunned
the
international
community
when
she
ascended
on
February
11,
2012
.
Taylor
was
haunted
by
the
death
of
these
great
artists
who
rose
to
fame
during
her
generation.
As
a
scholar,
she
was
disturbed
that
while
lauding
their
excellence,
academicians
and
historians
knew
little
of
their
creative
processes.
She
was
saddened
that
at
a
time
when
creativity
is
on
the
decline
in
America
(
1)
,
the
public
knew
more
about
the
personal
challenges
of
these
artists
than
they
knew
about
the
techniques
that
they
used
to
achieve
excellence,
nurture
their
creativity,
and
polish
their
creative
geniuses.
As
a
cultural
historian,
she
held
that
it
was
imperative that the unique knowledge of master artists be placed into the historical record before their deaths.
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
Taylor’s
book,
Wanna
Be
Startin’
Somethin’
which
she
calls
the
appetizer,
the
prelude
to
her
dissertation
on
how
Michael
Jackson
in the African American cultural tradition consciously used his art forms to promote social justice, explains:
My
journey
towards
seriously
studying
Michael
Jackson’s
artistry
began
while
I
was
pursuing
my
doctorate.
In
the
Fall
of
2012,
I
took
a
course
in
visual
culture.
This
was
three
years
after
the
death
of
Michael
Jackson
and
only
four
months
after
the
passing
of
songstress,
actress,
and
film
producer,
Whitney
Houston.
Their
voices
filled
the
airwaves,
bringing
forth
memories
of
a
not
too
distant
past.
Their
early
and
unexpected
deaths
made
those
in
my
generation
realize
their
own
mortality;
for
Michael
Jackson
and
Whitney
Houston
were
dead.
Films,
videos,
and
recordings were the only method of accessing them. There would be no more incredible live performances.
Michael
Jackson
was
an
American
master.
His
contribution
to
American
and
world
culture
will
be
studied
in
the
future.
I
became
transfixed
by
his
voice
and
the
images
of
his
performances
which
flooded
the
airwaves;
and
as
a
humanities
scholar
trained
to
assess
art
and
artists,
I
deduced
Jackson
may
have
been
using
his
art
forms
to
make
a
difference
by
promoting
social
justice
and
a
global
community
in
which
all
beings
called
human
worked
together
for
as
John
Stuart
Mill
would
say,
“the
greater
good.”
I
began
to
ask
myself,
why
was
I
not
studying
this
exceptional
artist?
Why
do
we
wait
for
an
artist
to
die
and
attempt
to
understand
his
genius
posthumously?
When
I
did
a
search
of
peer-reviewed
articles,
dissertations
and
scholarly
books,
I
was
shocked
at
the
paucity
of
materials,
considering
his
artistry
and
a
career
which
spanned
over
four
decades;
there
were
few,
if
any,
who
debated
his
mastery
of
the
performing
arts.
He
was
remarkable.
Were
we
as
intellectuals
asleep
or
blinded
by
the
public
discourse
lead
by
the
media,
forfeiting
our
responsibility
to
our
culture?
Was
I
eagerly
studying
dead
European
artists
in
the
halls
of
academia
and
not
open
to
studying
the
artistry
of
a
“living”
legend,
an
American
master?
Why
were
so
few
of
the
erudite
probing
into
and
publishing
books
and
articles
about
his
work?
Was
it
not
worthy
of
an
ongoing
inquiry
and
discourse?
(
19-20
)
Tears From The Heart
Immersed
in
the
sounds
and
clouded
images
of
a
painful
televised
funeral
service
for
Whitney,
Taylor
remembered
that
Whitney
had
come
from
a
bloodline
of
talented
artists.
Her
mother
Cissy
Houston
was
a
master
artist
who
had
bred
and
skillfully
trained
Whitney,
one
of
the
greatest
American
masters
of
the
twentieth
century.
Taylor
believed
Cissy
Houston’s
ability
to
nurture
and
train
such
a
gifted
vocalist
as
Whitney,
lauded
by
the
international
community,
made
her
knowledge
invaluable
pearls
of
wisdom
to
be
analyzed
by
future
scholars
who
study
the
performing
arts.
She
knew
Houston’s
knowledge
would
add
insight
to
a
study
of
African
American
cultural
traditions
and
creativity
and
felt
fortunate
when
she
was
granted
an
opportunity
to
speak
with
Cissy
Houston, a distinguished elder.
Unearthing An American Past
Taylor
held
long
conversations
with
and
interviewed
many
artists
to
discuss
their
creative
processes;
she
read
dozens
of
autobiographies
and
memoirs
to
analyze
similarities
and
identify
cultural
traditions;
she
listened
to
hundreds
of
interviews
and
documentaries,
searching
for
patterns
and
if
and
how
African
American
artists
were
using
their
art
forms
purposefully;
and
she
had
the
opportunity
to
speak
to
patriarch
Joseph
Jackson
on
more
than
one
occasion
in
an
attempt
to
understand
the
roots
of
his
creative
mind
in
the
midst
of
the
obstacles
that
he
faced.
Taylor’s
dissertation
examines
creativity,
the
creative
process,
African
American
cultural
traditions,
and
how
African
American
artists—particularly
Michael
Jackson—have
used
their
art
forms,
their
voices, their platforms to promote social justice.
The Dissertation
Taylor’s
dissertation
takes
an
interdisciplinary
approach
to
examining
Jackson’s
consciousness,
his
artistic
statements,
his
worldview,
and
his
creative
process.
It
deconstructs
his
evolving
consciousness,
unveils
his
creative
process,
and
decodes
his
songs and short films based upon his unique perspective.
Taylor’s Creative Process
Taylor’s
research
forced
her
to
focus
on
studying
her
own
creative
process
and
the
processes
of
artists
whose
creativity
was
not
diminished
by
the
immeasurable
challenges
before
them.
As
she
completed
her
dissertation
and
obtained
her
Ph.D.,
she
simultaneously
realized
that
she,
in
the
African
American
cultural
tradition,
had
a
responsibility
to
use
her
voice
to
raise
consciousness and promote social justice. She determined that she was what she terms a “literary activist.”
Literary Activism
Taylor
defines
literary
activism
as
“the
act
of
using
the
written
word,
one’s
writing
or
written
published
works
to
challenge
societal
norms,
traditional
forms
of
perceiving
reality,
institutions
or
the
brokers
of
power.”
She
is
the
author
of
eleven
books
of
prose
and
poetry.
Her
writing
activates
critical
thinking.
She
has
authored
over
one-hundred
proposals
and
developed
projects
that
offer
innovative
strategies
that
promote
the
education
of
young
people
and
adults,
so
that
they
can
actively
engage
in
uplifting
themselves
and
their
country,
therefrom
becoming
a
better
citizen.
In
addition,
she
writes
letters
to
political
leaders,
corporate
executives,
media
moguls,
university
presidents,
college
administrators,
and
public
intellectuals.
The
letters
chide,
praise,
advocate,
encourage,
and
distill
Wisdom
by
placing
current
issues
in
a
historical
context.
She
holds
that
words
have
power,
and
history
demonstrates
that
words
have
the
ability
to
heal,
alter
public
consciousness
and
create
a
better
America.
Taylor
is
a
member
of
Pen
America
,
and
organization
committed
to
protecting
human
rights,
promoting
diversity
in
literature,
and defending the freedom of expression through writing in the global community.
Museum: Background
The
Glenda
R.
Taylor
Museum
for
the
Preservation
of
African
American
Women’s
History
&
Culture
(a.k.a.
The
African
American
Women’s
History
Museum)
is
a
21
st
century
monument
(website)
documenting
the
history
and
culture
of
African
American
Women.
It
was
founded
in
2009
by
Glenda
R.
Taylor
and
Mary
J.
Taylor.
The
museum
provides
an
inclusive
perspective
of
American
history.
The
exhibits
allow
the
public
to
discover
the
enormous
contribution
African
American
women
have
made
to
our
nation.
First
published
online
on
August
28,
2016
,
it
is
the
first
museum
dedicated
to
the
preservation
of
African
American
Women’s History & Culture.
The
museum
was
a
project
conceived
by
Glenda
in
2009
,
as
a
part
of
her
research
in
graduate
school.
Glenda,
the
museum
curator,
created
the
project
under
the
tutelage
of
Dr.
Loree
Miltich
and
Dr.
Woden
Teachout.
She
read
Paula
Giddings
book
recommended
to
her
by
Dr.
Miltich
titled,
When
and
Where
I
Enter.
The
book
documents
the
history
of
African
American
women.
Taylor,
whose
mother
took
her
and
her
sister
to
museums
since
they
were
children,
had
included
a
study
of
museums
as
a
part
of
her
graduate
research.
She
became
curious
as
to
how
or
if
museums
were
archiving
and
exhibiting
any
of
the
African
American
women
noted
in
Giddings
book
who
had
made
significant
contributions
to
American
history
and
culture.
As
she
continued
her
research,
touring
museums
and
historical
sites
located
in
the
Northeastern
United
States,
she
noticed
that
there
were
few,
if
any,
exhibitions on these women.
Museum Mission
The
Mission
of
the
museum
is
to
use
21
st
century
technology
to
provide
access
to
educational
exhibits
and
data
which
document
the
history
and
culture
of
African
American
women.
The
museum
does
not
duplicate
what
is
currently
exhibited
in
other
museums.
It
contains
original
exhibits
which
are
held,
unseen,
in
private
collections.
The
collectors,
committed
to
preserving
American
history
and
culture,
have
permitted
their
items
to
be
photographed.
The
items
are
displayed
in
online
galleries.
The
galleries
combine
artifacts,
art,
rare
documents
and
ephemera.
New
exhibitions
are
added
to
the
galleries
on
a
regular
basis.
The
museum
is
supported
by
an
international
online
community
of
researchers,
historians,
collectors,
scholars
and
those
interested
in American history, specifically the history and culture of African American women.
Chronology
Works Cited:
Bronson, Po and Ashley Merryman. “The Creativity Crisis.” Education. Newsweek. Web. 10 Jul 2010, www.newsweek.com/creativity-crisis-74665. Accessed: 16
Jan 2014.
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’: Michael Jackson -A Social Activist? New York: Scholars of The African Diaspora Press, 2017.
Glenda R. Taylor Biography
Copyright 2010-Present