WONDERS

J. Earl Ricks

Bio

J.Earl Ricks grew up in Tidewater, Virginia during the early 50's, lived in an average American family and attended Portsmouth's City Public Schools.  Following high school graduation, he moved to New York with his brother and in February 1965 returned to Virginia to attend Norfolk State College until ordered to active duty in the U.S. Navy.  During his military service, he traveled to thirteen foreign countries where he was exposed to and studied a diversity of cultures.  He returned to Norfolk State University majoring in psychology.  Earl ultimately moved to Richmond, Virginia, where he worked as a counselor at a community youth home for the Virginia Department of Corrections.  He later became involved in real estate sales and became a broker and owner of Ricks and Associates Inc., which he operated for 28 years.   Earl currently lives and writes in Richmond, Va.

Why Wonders Now?

I decided to write Wonders after years of trying to determine how to improve the Plight of Black people in America.  During the past 40 years of my life I realized that so many Black people were either unaware or insensitive to some of the serious problems facing Black America, or were avoiding dealing with the problems in order to maintain a sense of order in their individual lives.
 
After witnessing, a leading Black Political organization's unwillingness to take serious steps to keep a Black grocery store  (Only Black grocery store in Richmond, Va.) from going out of business, I realized that some serious discussions should take place within the Black community to sensitize and enlighten people towards involvement and action.  It was several years before I decided to write Wonders to initiate the conversations with Black and White Americans.   

J. Earl Ricks