1. Bio: 121 words
Lori J. Cole was born in Battle Creek, Michigan. She moved to Union City, MI, at the age of
eighteen and owns a home with her husband, Delbert of twenty-five years. Lori graduated from
Argubright Business College, Kellogg Community College, Western Michigan University, and
Southern New Hampshire University. She has a Secretarial Certificate, Bachelor degree and a
Master’s Degree in Arts, Creative Nonfiction Writing. Lori studied abroad in Durban, South
Africa, graduating with a Certificate in Culture and Diversity in the Rainbow Nation. Also, she is
a member of both The National Society of Leadership and Success, and the Modern Language
Association. Lori relishes critters of every kind in their natural surroundings, but she has an
extraordinary appreciation for African Elephants.
Blurp: 126 words
An innocent white girl was eight years old when Martin Luther King, Jr. died, and the first
African American boy, James enrolled in her elementary school. His rejection by white people
caused her significant confusion and distress propelling her toward a lifelong goal of lightening
the color line. But Lori made decisions as a young adult, which created an unexpected turn in the
road. It would be years later before she would pursue the education necessary to grasp each
aspect involved in the color line. Then, as an eccentric, half a century old nontraditional white
female student she travels abroad alone to Durban, South Africa seeking real life experiences
that magnified the depth of racism that still exist. What she finds there changes her life forever.