S7 | E10: Don't Give Up on Your Dreams

Darlene Wilkins shares with Tony and Toni, the incredible journey that took her from a Pulitzer Prize team-winning photojournalist to a world-renowned master quilter.  She shares how listening to God gave her a life beyond her wildest dreams.

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Transcript

Podcast: Black Family Table Talk

Title: Geraldine Wilkins' Faith-Filled Journey: From the Boogie Down to Quilting the World

Shownotes:

Geraldine Wilkins is a master quilter and award-winning photojournalist who has traveled the world documenting mission work for a Christian magazine. She is passionate about empowering women through teaching them machine care and maintenance.

Here's what I cover with Geraldine Wilkins in this episode:

1. How Geraldine Wilkins went from being an accountant major to a professional photographer and photojournalist.

2. How Geraldine Wilkins won a Pulitzer Prize for her coverage of the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake.

3. How Geraldine Wilkins eventually transitioned from photography to quilting and how she uses it to help women around the world.

Connect with Geraldine Wilkins

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LivingWaterQuilterLLC/

Website: https://livingwaterquilter.com/

TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Geraldine: So that was the beginning of him saying that I have more for you. And once I made that commitment and accepted Christ in my life, I determined that going forward, the things that I did work for the kingdom were for him, not for myself. And so now, of course, we get tested along the way. We're not going to see everything clearly, but are we willing by faith to walk forward, to tip our toe in the Jordan even when it's flowing?

[00:00:41] Tony: Welcome to season seven of Black Family Table Talk. We are your hosts, Tony and Toni. Join us on our journey to discover ways to build a strong Black family. 

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[00:01:31] Toni: Geraldine Wilkins. Wilkins. Welcome to Black Family Table Talk.

[00:01:35] Tony: Yes. Welcome to black family table talk.

[00:01:39] Geraldine: Thank you. Pleasure to be here.

[00:01:41] Toni: Now, we met at an event at the podcast, right? We met at the podcast convention.

[00:01:49 Tony: Okay.

[00:01:50] Toni: Yes. I remember. I was intrigued because I think that a part of life is an important part of African-American culture, is storytelling. And your profession, what your expertise is to me, ties into another method that is not necessarily mainstream, but I wanted to illuminate it and bring it more to life and to let people know about what you do and your journey to what you do. So I don't want to share it, but I want you to explain how you got where you are and just take us on that ride that brought you to doing what you do now.

[00:02:42] Geraldine: Well, Toni, it's really a pleasure to be here and share with you and your audience the amazing privilege that I've had to travel the world and meet all sorts of people. But it started in the Bronx, in New York.

[00:03:02] Toni: All right. The boogie down.

[00:03:05] Geraldine: The boogie down. Yes. I'm the middle child of five. I had a mom who worked really hard. She always held two jobs. She worked for the school system as a school nurse and did private duty. She also continued her education while she did that. She would take us to school with her. We would sit in the cafeteria, and she would be in her college classes at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She studied Black studies with her major, and so she ended up getting her Masters with five kids still and working two jobs. Amazing woman. 

[00:03:51] Geraldine: She was such an example to me and my siblings that if we worked hard, we could pursue any type of career. Now, don't get me wrong. My mom was a traditional person. She did want us to venture out into safe, what she called safe careers. But I had to be the rebel. And I started off as an Accountant Major, went to college for that, but soon fell in love with photography. And that led me to an amazing opportunity. My sister's then husband was working as a New York City police officer in Harlem.

[00:04:34] Tony: Wow.

[00:04:35] Geraldine: And his police station was right next to the famed photographer Austin Hansen, whose collection is at the Schaumburg Library of Social Research in Harlem. He was a naval photographer, and once he left the Navy, he spent the rest of his career documenting life in Harlem. So when you think of any actor, Sydney Poitier, when Queen Elizabeth came to New York, anything that happened in Harlem, he recorded. And so all that is now in the library. 

[00:05:19] Geraldine: So when I fell in love with photography, my sister's husband said, "Hey, I know this photographer, Austin Hansen. Why don't you come to his studio and meet him?" And so I became his apprentice. Amazing, isn't it?

[00:05:36] Toni: Yeah.

[00:05:37] Tony: Now, I was just curious to know, how did that conversation go for you to become his apprentice?

[00:05:43] Geraldine:  Well, I'm going to date myself because he was still doing black and white photography. He taught me how to process film, how to develop photos in a dark room. He took me on photo shoots. He was still doing portrait photography in the community. He, by this time was in his middle '70s, but still actively taking photos in Harlem community based photography. So he invited me to go to the school that he went to, and that was a Germaine School of Photography. And so I told my mom, the traditional mom, that I was leaving accounting and I was going to pursue photography full time.

[00:06:28] Toni: That's the conversation?

[00:06:31] Geraldine: Yes. She wasn't too thrilled, but I went forward and graduated. It’s an accelerated program that he went to. Then I left the accounting school and went to a neighboring school called the School of Visual Arts. And during that time, I end up getting an internship a few years later at New York Newsday. That was during the Democratic Convention in '92. That was when the first digital camera was introduced at the Democratic Convention. And I was an intern carrying the processor. It was so big. They needed two people to handle that first digital camera for. I say that and I sound very old, but I was thankful to be a part of that history. And I met some key people there during that time at Newsday that summer internship. And one was Kenny Irby. He was a pioneer in journalism and inclusion in reporting accurately and fair stories across the board, especially for people of color. And I was taken under his wing, and he mentored me. 

[00:07:56] Geraldine: And I ended up getting another internship with the Los Angeles Times. And he was part of that process. Him and another gentleman who I met at Newsday both saw something in me. You don't always know what's in you. It's others who see it and want to nurture it. And that's why we really never do anything on our own. We always have people that are beside us, helping us, to nurture us, to help point us in the right direction. And these two were certainly a part of that journey. So I end up becoming a storyteller through photos. 

[00:08:39] Geraldine: When I first met Kenny Irby, he asked me a question. He said, "If I sent you into the community to go and do a story, how would you find that story? What would you do?" So I said, "Well, I think I'd just walk around and I just start talking to people and see what was happening, and I would start to record, and I believe the story would eventually unfold." And I think it was that response that opened the door for the internship there at the Newsday because I did not have a journalism portfolio. I had portraits and nature photography.

[00:09:21] Geraldine: Again, he was someone that saw something. So I end up now going to the Los Angeles Times as an intern. They had a program back in the day when it was owned by the conglomerate Times Mirror called METPRO. Minority Editorial Training Program. It was their response to trying to bring equity in the newsroom. They believed that if there were more people of color, that the stories that were reported and how they were reported would begin to change. So they wanted to accelerate that process and bring in more people of color into big newspapers. And they owned ten newspapers throughout the country.

[00:10:12] Toni: And now what decade was this? The 19. What?

[00:10:14] Geraldine: This was 1993, when I became an LA Times intern. 

[00:10:24] Toni: Okay. 

[00:10:25] Geraldine: It was the year after the '92 intern at the New York Newsday. So what ended up happening is that I tried out. There was one spot, one photographer spot, and I was flown to Los Angeles to compete for that one spot with ten other people. And it was four days. We had an assignment to shoot. We had a panel of journalists that interviewed us, and we had to tell a story. And I was selected at the end of that competition.

[00:11:03] Toni: Wow.

[00:11:04] Tony: Okay.

[00:11:05] Geraldine: So eventually, I worked so hard, I was determined, and again, another photographer said something to me, and it just has stuck with me, and I think I still apply it to this day in other ways. He said, "You must learn to take a photo with your camera. Your camera must become an extension of your hand. You don't even want to think about the camera. It's your tool for storytelling. It has to become like a pen." The words just come out of the writer's mouth. They don't really think about writing, they just write. And so he wanted me to be so aware of the photos I was taking, that the instrument wasn't a hindrance. 

[00:11:58] Geraldine: The camera became a part of me. So I've always remembered that another amazing photographer who took time to share some important things with me about my career as a photojournalist. I ended up staying there eleven years. I got hired after a two year internship.

[00:12:18] Tony: Let me ask you, so your time. I read somewhere you won the Pulitzer Prize.

[00:12:24] Geraldine: Yes. Now, another interesting story behind that is I went to Los Angeles in '93. The earthquake was in '94, January. Just six months. Not even six months that I had just moved from New York to Los Angeles. And my mother, of course, said, "You're going all the way across the country. You're going to a place that has earthquakes." And I said, "Well, they don't have earthquakes every day." It's not in less than six months, a major earthquake hits Los Angeles within miles of the epicenter.

[00:13:09] Toni: Oh, my gosh.

[00:13:11] Geraldine:  And I became part of the reporting team that won the Pulitzer for the coverage of the earthquake.

[00:13:20] Toni: Wow.

[00:13:23] Geraldine: So I documented with photos some of the things, the tragic things that happened during that major earthquake in Los Angeles.

[00:13:33] Toni: Fast forward. So you're a storyteller, and you establish yourself as a storyteller in the profession of photography and journalism. Fast forward. How do we get to master quilting?

[00:13:54] Geraldine: All right, you ready? So while I was in Los Angeles working hard to become a proficient professional photographer and storytelling photojournalist, I had the pleasure of staying with many families in Los Angeles for extended periods of time, documenting parts of their life. So I was being prepared. I didn't know at the time, but eventually, I learned that I was being prepared to do a very similar thing around the world. 

[00:14:34] Geraldine: So what happened is that I was hired. And then I felt like, "Wow. I made this major accomplishment, one of the top papers in the world I'm a photographer for." I've been on presidential motorcades, I've documented sports, all kinds of things, but there has to be more. And so in searching and talking to people I admired, they realized and helped me realize it was spiritual that at some point along the way, I did not bring God along with me.

[00:15:14] Tony: Wow.

[00:15;16] Geraldine:  And so I returned to my faith. And in doing so, I started visiting a lot of different churches in the area. And of course, God never leaves us. He's always with us, right? So he was directing me behind the scenes. I didn't see it, but he was there. So I end up going to a church not far from the office that I worked in, in South Orange County. And when I went there, they had a magazine. I said, 'Oh, let me pick this up." And I had just prayed, "God, you've given me this talent as a photographer, and it's really not for me, it's for you. What do you want me to do with this talent?" I opened the magazine, and it says photographer needed.

[00:16:09] Tony: Wow.

[00:16:09] Geraldine: So I contacted the editor and said, "I'm available for anything you need." And then I just waited. I did the things that God told me to do, and one was to renew my passport. I did that, and then I just waited. And so eventually, what ended up happening is that I ended up going to different countries, Haiti, Albania, Kenya, for this magazine, for the church magazine. And then eventually, I felt like it would be full time. And so I started to pray. My prayer partner and I, we prayed. And I was waiting for God to open the door to leave the Los Angeles Times to work full time with a Christian publication. And that door opened when they had a buyout. The Times Mirror was purchased by the Tribune Company. And whenever another big conglomerate buys another, there's always layoffs or some kind of reduction, and they offered a buyout. My prayer partner said this is it. This is God's door.

[00:17:21] Toni: Wow.

[00:17:20] Geraldine: So I said, 'Okay, let's pray and see what he does." And that's what happened. He confirmed it over and over again that that's what he wanted me to do. And one of the most dramatic ways he confirmed it was when I submitted my application for that buy out, because they weren't going to select everyone who wanted it. They only had a certain amount of money that they were going to buy people out with, right?

[00:17:48] Tony: Right.

[00:17:49] Geraldine: So I went to an assignment. The way assignments happen, our schedules were always changing every four weeks. You never knew what assignment you were going to get for the day. But this day, God knew what he wanted to give me. He sent me to a gym to photograph an Ultimate Fighter. Now, at the time, I thought, "Oh my, an ultimate fighter in a gym. It's going to be a smelly gym. It's going to be these men. And it was just going to be a trying and difficult assignment," so I thought. When I get there, and he's in the gym with his handlers, his coach and trainer and all these other people, I'm taking his picture. And as I've done and I'm packing up, God says, "Ask him to pray for you." I was like, “Really? Okay." So I go back, and one of the men had a T-shirt on. And the T-shirt said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

[00:18:53] Toni: Wow.

[00:18:54] Geraldine: So I said, "Okay. I'll open the door by commenting on the T-shirt." So I say something to him about the T-shirt. Long story short, it turns out that several of the people in his company attended the same church affiliation I did. He told me that while I was taking his photo, God told him to pray for me.

[00:19:20] Tony: Wow.

[00:19:21] Geraldine: And several people in the group all were leaving their job to go into full time ministry.

[00:19:29] Toni: Wow.

[00:19:30] Geraldine: And so we all, after the photo shoot was over, prayed together in a circle for one another.

[00:19:37] Toni: Wow.

[00:19:38] Geraldine: Amazing, right?

[00:19:40] Tony: Yes.

[00:19:43] Geraldine: It is him. I am so privileged to be able to share that. I'm so thankful for that testimony. So I left the LA Times. Joined the magazine, moved to Virginia where I am now. Then I started traveling the world, documenting mission work for the Christian magazine, meeting all sorts of people from Egypt to Kenya to South Africa, Indonesia, Iraq, many, many places. Canada, so many places. And when I was in these places, I would meet women. Women who had challenges on so many different levels. But one thing I learned, and God was showing me, was that if many of the women would learn how to sew, it could change their life. I was like, "Oh, do you want me to sew after photography?" Now, I was not sewing. 

[00:20:49] Geraldine: But what ended up happening is that when I moved to Virginia, no family in Virginia, but I was traveling so much, I wasn't home often. When I would return to the church, they would say, "Are you new?" And I'd say, "No, I'm not new. I've just been away." So I thought, "Well, God, how am I going to get to know some of the people in this new community?" I opened the bulletin and it said, "Quilting Group." I said, "Okay, women do that. I'm going to join this group. I have a machine. I don't know how to quilt, but I'll learn." So they had an open house. I went to that open house and that's how it started.

[00:22:41] Geraldine: Well, here's what God has allowed me to do so far. Now, I was new, remember, to quilting. So I had to not only learn how to quilt, I had to learn how to teach others. So I began to teach in my church and then start to teach in the community in different groups. Then doors open for me to teach at local quilt shops. As I became more proficient and got better, people would notice and would ask, "Well, would you teach?" So I was learning how to do that and then praying what country did he want me to return to, to do the same thing so there was a time of preparation. And in many ways, I think that Joseph is an example for me in that he was learning how to manage Potiphar's home, manage people. He was learning how to do the same thing when he was in prison before he became a leader and managed the people of a country, right?

[00:21:33] Tony: Wow. Look at God.

[00:21:35] Geraldine: I started quilting, and then I started seeing the different things around the world. And then I started to pray, "What is next?" And he told me, learn everything that I can. One thing I did learn was that you need to help not only women to know how to sew, but how to maintain their machines. So I took an extensive class on machine care and maintenance from a repairman perspective. So I learned how to dismantle the machine, how to put it back together so that I could teach women to do the same. Because if they got the machine and then they couldn't use it because there were no repair men, we take a lot of things for granted here in the US. We have access to so much.

[00:22:29] Tony: So true.

[00:22:30] Toni: Wow.

[00:22:32] Tony: So now the quilting started in the church. Now are you doing this in your travels internationally as well?

[00:23:52] Toni: Right.

[00:23:53] Geraldine: So he was showing me one. You have to learn how to sew, you have to learn how to take care of machines, you have to learn how to teach women, start small. And as I learned that skill, he was preparing me to leave the magazine publication. And he showed me very clearly that the country he wanted me to go teach women in Israel.

[00:24:17] Tony: Wow.

[00:24:18] Geraldine: So in 2017, I left the magazine and by that time I had been to Israel several times with one ministry, several times. And I knew that there were women in that ministry that not only wanted to learn to sew or craft, but also discipleship. I was also discipling at the time in my own church, I was teaching discipling and doing Bible teaching for women.

[00:25:57] Tony: Wow.

[00:24:58] Toni: Now, these women, they learn how to quilt and they are starting businesses in these different places that you're traveling to, is that correct?

[00:25:01] Geraldine: Right. My main focus has been Israel. However, he's given me a ministry here in the US. So I teach certainly more women here than I do abroad. Mission work, depending upon what country it's slow and steady wins type of thing. One, you have to learn the culture, you have to learn how to maneuver in a country. So there's that part of the acclimation of knowing, coming and being there for two weeks, a month, three months, two months. It's where you're going to stay, how are you going to navigate the community, what are the true needs? I can't force what I think they need. I have to find out who they are and what they're able to do and what resources are available. 

[00:25:55] Geraldine: So there was a lot of learning in the early years, 2017 and 18, but during that time I was very thankful that one young lady, she learned how to sew and quilt. We found a local quilt shop, very small comparison to here. One woman has a small sub basement quilt shop and she became her apprentice Israeli woman. And then she naturally gravitated to making head baskets with a sewing machine. She became so good at it, it took about, I don't know, a year and a half, two years to help her in her skill development for that. But I had the pleasure of going with her to the largest outdoor artist market in Tel Aviv, to the interview for her submission into that market. Very competitive. It was, again, a panel. They wanted to know that she hand made them, nothing could be manufactured, and she had to talk about her process. And I was able to be in on that interview. And one of the panelists was so impressed with her basket, she purchased it on the spot.

[00;27:26] Toni: Wow.

[00:27:27] Geraldine: Yes. And we got the word. They asked us to leave the room. And so we went outside. And then about 15 minutes later, they called us back in and they submitted her into the artist's market. So she's been selling her handmade baskets in the artist market for several years now.

[00:27:49] Toni: So this art form quilting, has it been a revival or is it something that you think is still been shadowed by this sounds creatives, digital creatives, digital storytellers.

[00:28:09] Geraldine: It's interesting that many people, I think, are misinformed about quilting. And I think that comes from, oh, I remember Grandma or Auntie So and So who would sit and quilt. And so that's their only association and therefore think that that's the only way it exists. But it is a multibillion dollar industry.

[00:28:40] Toni: Wow.

[00:28:41] Geraldine: Yes. And it comes in many forms. There are storyteller quilters, there are art quilters. There are quilters who make for their own enjoyment and for their family. There are some who make quilts for veterans. They make quilts for the hospitals, for NICU Hospital, for the babies. There's so many avenues in which women of all ages, mind you, are expressing

themselves artistically through quilt making. 

[00:29:14] Geraldine: And the pandemic kind of opened the door to people dusting off their sewing machines that were in the closet or the attic and started making masks and things. And some of them have decided to continue sewing. Now, I like to tell people that I don't race cars. I don't really watch sports that much. I'm not a golfer. But golf is still happening even though I don't watch it.

[00:29:42] Tony: Right.

[00:29:43] Geraldine: It's the same thing with quilting.

[00:29:46] Toni: That's true.

[00:29:48] Geraldine: So it's not a lost art, some will say. It is an amazing form of expression. Instead of paint, it's fabric.

[00:30:00] Tony & Toni: Wow.

[00:30:01] Toni: Yeah.

[00:30:03] Tony: You have certainly had a full life from accounting, photography to quilting, and God has been moving through your life throughout your life. Two part question. You're doing coaching and teaching now. Is that what you do full time now as a profession? And another part of that question is, I'm very interested because Toni and I are spiritual people as well. How did you make that connection with God? Because when you were telling us your story, I didn't hear anything about church attendance as a child or anything like that or what was it, that whisper you heard from God to say this is the direction, or is this just something that you normally have a relationship with God and you knew his voice in your life?

[00:31:04] Toni: Yeah, good question.

[00:31:06] Geraldine: Yeah, that is a really good question. Now, I grew up my mom was a Jehovah's Witness and she brought us to the Kingdom Hall and I did go as a young child. Once I started college, I stopped attending church or the Kingdom Hall, any kind of service. And then I was very focused on my career and that went from accounting to photography. And remember that once I was hired at the LA Times and I said, "Okay, I'm at the pinnacle of a career." Many photojournalists aspire to work at the Los Angeles Times. They start at small local papers, and then they might do a regional paper but the LA Times is the top. And here I am feeling empty. Why?

[00:32:03] Geraldine: And I believe the Holy Spirit comes alongside to convict us of sin, righteousness and judgment and he was convincing me that there's more for you. And God is so patient, kind, and we know that he has planned good works for us beforehand, right, so that we can walk in them. He had already planned this out. Now, of course, I didn't know, but he strategically put me in different places. I see now, I answered when the Holy Spirit said, "You need to come back to me." When I was given my negatives at the LA Times, every six months or so, they would give us back negative, saying, "Okay, these we don't think are important, so we're not going to hold onto these. However, if for some reason you sell any of these photos, you're going to let us know and we're going to get our cut." So I went through those photos and I looked at the different people that I interacted with and photographed, and some of them I thought, "Oh, I will never use these." And so I threw away like half the box. And as I was doing that, God was saying, "This is your life."

[00:33:35] Toni: Wow.

[00:33:37] Geraldine: This is your life. I was like, "Wow." So that was like the beginning of Him saying that I have more for you. And once I made that commitment and accepted Christ in my life, I determined that going forward, the things that I did work for the Kingdom were for Him, not for myself. And so, now, of course, we get tested along the way. We're not going to see everything clearly, but are we willing by faith, to walk forward, to tip our toe in the Jordan even when it's flowing? And he would give me little things like that to do. Even leaving the Los Angeles Times, many people thought, "Well, how could you do that? There's no promise on the other side." The ministry had no money and everything at the Los Angeles Times for eleven years, I didn't have to buy a car or phone. I had a phone, I had a pager, I didn't have to buy any camera equipment. All of that had to be returned when I left.

[00:34:56] Toni: Wow.

[00:34:57] Geraldine: So I was like, "Well, God's going to provide. He's told me to do it. So he will provide." And he did.

[00:35:08] Toni: You know, I think that God deposits in each of us a passion, and sometimes we discover that passion later in life. Sometimes we get it early, but sometimes we have to wait for it. And it sounds to me like your journey, you were able to pick up lessons throughout the way, along the way. So I wanted to just underscore that because that's what I heard. You did things that may not have seemingly been connected, but in fact they were, and how God was preparing you at each juncture for the next assignment. So with that said, what do you think your next assignment is coming up? Have you anticipated? Do you have a glimpse of what God has for your future?

[00:36:03] Geraldine: That's an excellent question, and honestly, I don't have an idea. I believe that he is always preparing me for the next stage, and I need to be faithful to where I am, what he has for me to do, no matter what the task is. And it's not easy. A lot of times it's hard and it's challenging, and I sometimes wish things were a little bit different, but I know and I trust Him. I know that all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to his purpose.

[00:36:42] Tony: Amen

[00:36:43] Geraldine: So I want to live in that as much as I can by his strength. And sometimes I think he gives me a glimpse, and then I get this sense from the Holy Spirit, "Don't count the horses. " You know what I mean when I say that, "Don't count the horses." He told the kings don't count your men. Don't rely on what you see. You don't know what's ahead.

[00:37:25] Toni: That's so true. Tony, do you have a question? Because I just want to get Ms. Wilkins takeaways that she put on her intake form. I don't know if you remember. That was quite some time ago that you filled this out. Did you have something to ask?

[00:37:42] Tony: No, I don't have any other questions.

[00:37:44] Toni: Okay, well, the takeaway, do you remember what you said in your takeaway question?

[00:37:53] Tony: No.

[00:37:52] Toni: Okay. The question is, name three takeaways that you feel most will benefit our audience. These are souls full of wisdom, and you said, one, living and thriving in your calling and passion. Two, the fruit of your life is for others. A tree does not eat its own fruit. Three, don't give up. A lifetime of skills are needed for a life of purpose. And you said biblical examples are Moses, Joseph, and Lydia. I just want to clap because that is so true. It is so true. When we look at the Bible stories, we can see so many examples of how people navigated their lives, went through good times and bad times and how God was always there. And we can understand and discover the character of God through these stories. That's why we do Black Family Table Talk and we love to have people like you who actually identify and see God moving through our life at every juncture, at every lesson and when things don't make sense. You said the third one was don't give up, I'm full. That was really good.

[00:39:28] Tony: Absolutely. So tell us how people can get in touch with you. And now the question, are any quilts for sale or anything like that?

[00:39:42] Geraldine: Well, I do commission work when someone is interested in having a quilt made, that's not something that's frequent but if someone says, "Yes, I'd love to have you make a quilt," Rick and I can always have a discussion. Most of my quilting is educational. I usually design quilts for publications, for fabric companies, and then I use quilts to help teach other quilters. So that's usually how my quilts are done. But yes, occasionally, I will sell, and I have sold some. Yes.

[00:40:18] Toni: But you can make a living. People can, women and men, if you're interested, they can make a living at quilting. It's a viable business. Is that correct? 

[00:40:31] Geraldine: Yes, that is correct. It's interesting that you ask that because often, I'm not saying all, but many are of the vein of my mom's traditional employment. It's rare that people in our community will look at the arts as a career path. Music, right? Or I mean, you might say a musician, a singer we know, a dancer, perhaps Broadway, but we don't think that that's something for everyone. It's for a special few. But that's not true, really, anyone can pursue that if you have an interest and passion for it, and God is directing you to do that, He will open the door. So just like quilting, they need people to design quilts to film magazines. There's a need to teach others how to quilt for various reasons. There's all types of skills associated with quilt making that people can. If you're an engineer, there are tools that need to be designed to help sewers be better at sewing. So there's so many different ways.

[00:41:54] Toni: And on top of that, it can take you around the world. The knowledge and the skill can take you around the world. Geraldine Wilkins. Black Family Table Talk. Thank you so much for being a part of today's or this week's discussion. I am so thrilled. Full of surprise winning photojournalist team. I don't think we've had that. I think you're the first one. I appreciate that. Congratulations on your career and again, tell people how they can get in touch with you.

[00:42:26] Geraldine: Well, I have a website. It's machinequilting.live. You can get information about my quilting classes where I'm teaching in person. And also I like to help other educators, especially those who want to teach virtually live and they need help with setting up their studio. I have a studio tour. People can watch and learn, and I want to help others. If you're thinking about a career in the quilting or fiber area and you want to get some help, please don't hesitate to contact me. machinequilting.live.

[00:43:10] Toni: And of course, those links will be available in the show notes. Thank you so much.

[00:43:15] Tony: Thank you. Thank you. Really enjoyed this.

[00:43:18] Geraldine: Thank you. What a pleasure. Thank you.

[00:42:23] Toni: That's Black Family Table Talk.

[00:43:24] Tony: That's what's up. 

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