Author Archives: Richard Guzman

Leonidas Berry and the Strength of Black Families

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Richard Guzman

In 1981, after a successful career as an M.D. specializing in gastroenterology, Leonidas Berry wrote I Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now: Two Centuries of an Afro-American Minister’s Family.  The title echoes a famous black spiritual, a testament of … Continue reading →

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Radio Documentary: Diane Nilan – Homeless on the Road

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Richard Guzman

A couple of years ago NPR’s The Story did this documentary on Diane Nilan, the distinguished advocate for homeless people, and founder of Hear Us, her national organization giving voice and visibility to homeless children and youth. Called “Homeless on … Continue reading →

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Meeting Oprah

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Richard Guzman

Actually, though Oprah Winfrey makes a show-stopping appearance in this story, it’s really about meeting the person Oprah calls mother: poet-actress-activist MAYA ANGELOU.  I re-posted this by request on the occasion of Maya Angelou’s death in late May, 2014. In 1989 I, … Continue reading →

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