John Samuel Dickson aka Rosebudd, was born in Fairfield, California, on November 21, 1952. Growing up in nearby Vallejo, he was influenced early in his life by his surroundings. Although Cou...показать больше John Samuel Dickson aka Rosebudd, was born in Fairfield, California, on November 21, 1952. Growing up in nearby Vallejo, he was influenced early in his life by his surroundings. Although Country Club Crest was a ghetto, he wasn’t aware of it. He has proud parents with 11 brothers and sisters, who all at one time, lived in a four bedroom/two bathroom home. His parents, an aunt and twelve kids, all lived in that small house. Life’s struggles for him started back then.
Many moments in his life were important for him, but what had the strongest influence in his youth was the Black Power Movement. From that movement, it was the Black Panthers who captured his sympathies. Many people, including his parents chose to ignore what the Panthers were initially about. Instead they chose to see them as radicals who caused harm to the black causes. In the early years the Panthers stressed education to overcome racism and prejudice, if that failed-‘Burn Baby Burn’ was their motto. He attended Sonoma St. College, during the height of the Movement.
It’s those college days that cemented his radical views of the unfair treatment blacks were receiving. In Jr. College he met Michael McGriff who encouraged him to continue in education and persuaded him to try Sonoma State. His enrolling in that segregated college in an integration program; and receiving a 3.75 g.p.a. only served to aggravate his views. Slowly but surely he grew more and more uninterested in what college had to offer. The Black Movement had started to show a lot of inconsistencies in history. Yet it was still taught as truth.
He started his writing career with activist poetry. His forum was the auditorium, the commons, or any other open forum during assemblies. It would take years, but the poems blossomed into full books. The views are his own, but shared by millions of people. Read his books and see what you think.показать меньше