Then There Was Nia

About the Book

The history of people must be told to their children. Each child who is born into a family has an oral and written history, which we should present to our children and not hide it under a bushel. This book is a sequel to Cultural Gumbo, Our Roots, Our Stories and A Diary of Lettie’s Daughter. I have used my family members to tell the stories because I can trace their footsteps through oral and documented tradition and history.

About the Author

Marian Heath Griffin lives in Baton Rouge with her husband, Bertrand Griffin. They have been married for almost fifty-six years. She served as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Student Personal Administrator at Southern University for thirty -six years, the last seven years as Director of International Student services. After retiring from Southern University, she decided to utilize her Masters degree in Mass Communication and Photography to write her family and her people’s history. Griffin graduated from Delaware State University with a bachelor of arts degree in sociology and psychology, a masters degree in Atlanta University school of social work, the Masters program at the Interdenominational Theological Seminary in Christian Education and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary where she completed a Masters degree in psychological Counseling. She received a Masters degree in Educational Supervision and Mass Communication and photography from Southern University. She did further studies at Louisiana State University – Baton Rouge and Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Griffin has worked with children, youth and adults most of her career. She has served as musician for Cherubim choirs and youth choirs since she was twelve years old and has organized children’s choirs for several churches. Griffin has enjoyed traveling in all fifty states and six of the seven continents with her husband, Bertrand Griffin, Sr, three children: Bertrand, Karen and Michael and their families, three in-law children, Kotosha, Keith Phenix and Tracie and eight grandchildren, Nia, Kiara, Christian-Paris, Michael II, Amelia-Grai, Victoria, Olivia and Sophia - all Griffins. Her sister and brother-in- law, Nancy and Albert Kellam, have always gone along for the ride or flight.