How does a young sistah from So. Central L.A. come to fall in love with martial arts? Just like everybody else, watching karate movies! Saturday mornings with Black Belt and Kung Fu Theater on channel 11 and 13 followed by re-enactments with my neighborhood buddies on the front lawn, or trips Downtown to see the latest Bruce Lee joints were the early signs of a desire that would not soon fade. Remember Enter the Dragon?
After a significant amount of begging (and fundraising) my mom agreed to let me take my first class at the Baldwin Hills YMCA, I still smile every time I pass by there -and heaven help you if you're in the car with me 'cause you're gonna hear the stories. That was in the late '70's and the times they were a'changing. Fertile soil for the seeds of Liberation, Knowledge, Wisdom and Power that filled the garden of my youth and became the roots of my Culture orchard. The love of my people and martial arts led me to the place where these two things joined together in ways I could never imagine. In my mind I was invincible and growing to learn the way of the warrior, the BKF Warrior to be exact. I trained with my BKF family until I graduated High School and left for the Air Force, gifted with my senior brother's copy of Championship Kenpo and a stern reminder to study and keep training because he'd be there when I returned and he'd 'check' to see if I had. So I did, and I have. That was over 35 years ago and I have studied various forms and styles since then, however I still stand on Black Karate Federation foundations and will always be a BKF Warrior at heart.
