Practical Virtues: Everyday Values and Devotions for African American Families.

by the Reverend Floyd Flake and the Reverend M. Elaine McCollins Flake Amistad, September 2003 $24.95, ISBN 0-060-09060-X

With excerpts from such notables as Langston Hughes, W.E.B. Du Bois, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Booker T. Washington and Maya Angelou, Practical Virtues bears all the earmarks of an anthology. But the Reverend Flakes are quick to advise that such is not the case. "This is not an anthology of black writers but rather a handbook of virtues," they say in their Introduction.

Nor is the book a 12-step, self-help primer, though they have drawn 12 virtues from their ministry and teaching to delineate: courage, diligence, faith, forbearance, forgiveness, honesty, love, loyalty, prudence, responsibility, service, and trustworthiness. Wisely, "Courage" opens this devotional book, and the format established here is followed almost without exception. First, the virtue is discussed in a general way, then some examples are offered, and the section concludes with exercises that can be used to practice or to elicit the particular virtue.

"Courage is a spirit within that compels us to face dangerous and difficult situations rather than withdrawing into ourselves," the authors explain. Exemplary of this virtue is the life of Arthur Ashe, and how courageously he faced death. They also cite the audacious act of Ellen and William Craft and the ingenuity they exercised to escape from slavery.

Each of the 12 virtues is given about 30 pages of discussion, and it's surprising to see the repentant slaver James Newton and the less-than-righteous author William Faulkner among a veritable pantheon of black icons, but, as they insist, "virtues are without color."

As you might expect, the Bible is a valuable resource in this endeavor, though they are careful to limit its use, relying mostly on the inexhaustible reservoir of black literature. The Flakes hope to create a legacy of virtue with this book, and it a powerful first step in that direction. They believe they will succeed in this mission because they have "soul on our side." Make that Double-O soul.