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Author Mase Harrison hopes to keep youth out of jail with his new book

ROLLINGOUT.COM — Not unlike others who grew up in the streets, Mase Harrison has seen and been through a lot. The only difference is that he’s turned his tumultuous story into a message.

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By Angela Robinson

Not unlike others who grew up in the streets, Mase Harrison has seen and been through a lot. The only difference is that he’s turned his tumultuous story into a message. Read more to learn about his book The Unsigned Rapper: A Survivor’s Story.

Angela Robinson

Angela Robinson

What inspired you to write this book?

I thought it might’ve been more therapeutic. I talked to a lot of people at work. I work in the nightlife and clubs and a lot of people are always like, “Man, you got interesting stories. Like you [have] been through a lot.” That’s why I did it. and I try and give it as raw and as uncut as humanly possible.

Who or what motivates you and why?

The thing that motivates me right now is my daughter. The reason being, ’cause when I was growing up as you will read in the book, I used to get abused as a child. I never had love growing up. Everything that I should have been, I wasn’t because I had nobody there for me. I was selling cocaine, selling drugs, guns, all type of things. And when she was born, I was actually in jail fighting a 15-year sentence. I eventually beat my charges. She was born while I was in there. I didn’t want her to experience the same things I experienced.

What books have most impacted your life?

One of the books that I read when I was locked up, it’s called We Want Freedom by Mumia Abu-Jamal, and it’s pretty much talking about the struggles of the Black Panthers when they was coming up through the ranks and the things that they had to deal with as far as the discrimination. They going to jail because they trying to make sure that the future is better. Here I am tearing down everything that they built. And then like I said, combine that with the birth of my daughter. It’s kind of like, (snaps fingers), like a light switch that went off.

What was the hardest part of completing this project?

Reliving, reliving everything. A lot of things that I buried in thought, I cast it away. Having to relive all your stories, having to relive being locked in closets, having to relive seeing friends get murdered and raids. And my mom tells me that she hates me and all this type of stuff. Me having to relive all these things all over, [that] was probably the most traumatic thing about it.

What is the mission you set out to accomplish with your voice in this book?

Like I said earlier, I want to target high school kids. I am them. I could tell you, “Bro, like you’re doing this, but this is going to happen. You understand what I’m saying?” I’ve been down that road. I understand how it feels to not have food in the house, not have money in the house. I know how it feels to have to rob just to eat. Like but you don’t have to do that … there’s other ways.

This article originally appeared in Rollingout.com.

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Oakland Post: Week of November 13 – 19, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 13 – 19, 2024

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Oakland Post: Week of November 6 – 12, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 6 – 12, 2024

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Book Reviews

Book Review: Groundbreaking Magic: A Black Woman’s Journey Through the Happiest Place on Earth

Your dream job is still a job. You still must be there on time, look presentable and be ready to go. You can love the work and dislike your coworkers, embrace the challenge but hate the drudge, enjoy the process but dread the politics. The book, “Groundbreaking Magic” by Martha Blanding with Tim O’Day, shows us how we can relish our unique employment situations, downsides and all — and still represent.

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Cover of Groundbreaking Magic. Courtesy of Disney Editions
Cover of Groundbreaking Magic. Courtesy of Disney Editions

Authors: Martha Blanding with Tim O’Day

c.2024, Disney Editions

$25.99

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

Your dream job is still a job.

You still must be there on time, look presentable and be ready to go. You can love the work and dislike your coworkers, embrace the challenge but hate the drudge, enjoy the process but dread the politics.

The book, “Groundbreaking Magic” by Martha Blanding with Tim O’Day, shows us how we can relish our unique employment situations, downsides and all — and still represent.

On the day she retired from a job she’d had for half a century Martha Blanding took a tour of her workplace as she took stock of the years.

Her parents, who’d lived under Jim Crow in their younger days, wouldn’t have believed the changes Blanding helped make.

Born in 1950, she’d watched Disney programming on television; living in South Central Los Angeles, she had been aware of the construction of Disneyland nearby. She visited the park for the first time when she was seven years old.

Needing money for college in the early 1970s, Blanding applied for a job at Disneyland and was told that they had no employment available – even though she’d seen postings for job openings. Some weeks later, her roommate encouraged Blanding to re-apply.

Reluctantly, she did. And that time, she was hired to work in the kitchen but before her first day on the job, Blanding was tapped as a tour guide and given training at “Disney University.” Due to her stellar work ethic, she was later promoted to VIP guide; over the years, she moved up the ladder to a series of positions that made use of her managerial and promotional skills.

As time passed and the Civil Rights Movement made strides in America, so did Blanding at Disney. She became a gentle activist, so that other minority workers had opportunities to be Cast Members, office staff, and management.

Oftentimes, she said, “… I was the only Black girl there” and “there was no hiding.”

None, in fact; instead, she used it to everyone’s advantage.

When you first start “Groundbreaking Magic,” you know right away that you’re in for a sweet, charming story from a hidden-until-now trailblazer.

You may or may not continue to feel that way.

In this biography, Blanding (with Tim O’Day) writes about creating equality in one small corner of an iconic business, and the story’s told from a POV that’s unique, engaging, and interesting. Fans of Disney will truly enjoy backstage peeks and insider info that takes readers through the decades and to various Disney locales.

What’s not so interesting is that the authors seem to mention every-single-one they worked with, including everyday people who are long gone or that you’ll probably never meet. That isn’t initially the distraction it becomes later but as the number of names increase, your attention is like to lag.

If you’re business-minded, then, and want to read about a corporation changing with the times, you may eventually be disappointed in “Groundbreaking Magic.”

Read it for the personal parts though, especially if you’re a Disney fan. It’s a dream story.

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