Howard University and Divine Nine Sororities Inspire ‘TJ Crowley'
Vice President Kamala Harris, a Howard University alumna and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, underscores the powerful role HBCUs play in shaping leaders who drive social change.
The inspiration for my historical young adult novel, "The Real Education of TJ Crowley," came from my own real-life adult education.
Singing in a mostly Black gospel choir for the past decade gave me a rare glimpse into Black community life and the impact of HBCUs and Greek organizations on Black culture. This experience inspired my novel and its audio drama, “The Real Education of TJ Crowley: Coming of Age on the Redline.”
Mama Jo Brown and Sheila Brown Kinnard are proud members of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the country's oldest Black sorority and one of the Divine Nine, which boasts four million members. An amazing actress, Sheila plays the role inspired by her mother in the audio drama.
But before my wife, Claire, and I joined the acclaimed ARISE Ensemble in 2012, I knew little about the HBCU system, other than a few football teams like Grambling University.
My real education began when I met Howard alumna Sheila Brown Kinnard and her mom, Josephine (Mama Jo). They wore the pink and green colors of Alpha Kappa Alpha, and were always busy with sorority and community service activities, united by a common bond.
From Personal Experience to Literary Inspiration
While I am not TJ Crowley, my life mirrors the character in that a Black family moved across the redline and next door to my house, in 1968, one block away from the redline, the racial dividing line in Wichita, one of the most historically segregated cities in the nation.
Raised in a household with animus toward Black people, the impressionable teen, TJ, learns for himself what is true and what to believe. This journey from ignorance to knowledge is the crux of the story.
I wish I could say that my real education began when our new neighbors arrived, but sadly my parents planted a for sale sign soon after they moved in, and we moved to a house in a still-white neighborhood, without ever knowing their names.
In that void came the what-if question, "What if we had stayed? What might have happened had we’d stuck around to see who these new people really were?" I never met them. But I had met the late Dr. Val Brown Sr. and his wife, Mama Jo Brown. I had met their daughter, Sheila. I knew their story. The Browns could move in next door, as the fictional Washingtons, and that inspired the story.
Author Grant Overstake, far right, has been a member of ARISE for more than a decade. Founded by Mama Jo Brown, the multicultural choir has been promoting racial harmony through the preservation and performance of Negro spirituals for more than 30 years. Singing with the ARISE Ensemble was a transformative experience that deepened the authors’ understanding of the African American experience and the unifying power of music. Songs from ARISE are blended into the audio drama. earning praise from AudioFile magazine.
In researching the story, the Browns welcomed me into their home and shared their rich history. Dr. Val Brown Sr. was Wichita’s first Black doctor with hospital privileges, treating over 8,000 patients. His wife, Josephine (Mama Jo) Brown, was the first Black woman on Wichita's Board of Education and founded the ARISE Ensemble, a multicultural choir promoting racial harmony. She invited us to sing in the choir, profoundly affecting our lives.
"The Real Education of TJ Crowley" showcases the transformative influence of HBCUs on both my life and our nation's history. Set in the late 1960s, the story explores complex race relations through characters like Dr. Washington and his wife, Lorraine, and their activist daughter, Ivy. It’s a story about actual people, like the Browns, who lived on either side of the redline at pivotal a moment in history.
Acclaim for the Novel and Audio Drama
Released in June and distributed by Blackstone Publishing, “The Real Education of TJ Crowley: Coming of Age on the Redline” is co-authored, and produced, by May Wuthrich who brilliantly directs the 15 member cast. An amazing actress, Sheila Brown Kinnard plays the role inspired by her mother in the audio drama. The audio launched as #1 on Amazon and earned a coveted Earphones Award from AudioFile magazine. Reviewers praised the drama for its compelling storytelling and the soul-stirring songs of ARISE Ensemble. Get your download on Audible or wherever audiobooks are sold.
The audio drama earned an Earphones Award from AudioFile magazine