For the first time, Pershing Middle School hosts 'Black History & Culture Celebration' - News-Leader

For the first time, Pershing Middle School hosts 'Black History & Culture Celebration' - News-Leader
Morrill Memorial Library News - Wicked Local Norwood
Alice Ruth Moore: Love, Art, and Black Political Thought - Wear Your Voice

Posted: 25 Feb 2020 02:34 PM PST

Idella Richardson said she was more than satisfied that Pershing Middle School hosted its first-ever Black History & Culture Celebration Monday night.

"I thought it was absolutely wonderful," the Pershing parent and lifelong Springfield-dweller told the News-Leader shortly after the Black History Month event wrapped up.

Richardson was among more than 80 people who turned out for the public event inside Pershing's student library. Attendees (mostly white, reflecting a city deemed 88.4 percent Caucasian by the U.S. Census) heard oral histories and motivational talks from several prominent Springfield African American women.

They also listened to Pershing students who sang, danced, read poetry and shared their own experiences as members of an upcoming age group that's "diverse and on track to be the most well-educated generation yet," in the words of a 2019 Pew Research Center study.

Richardson said her daughter, Heaven Walker, is a seventh-grader at Pershing. Heaven contributed to the festival Monday night as part of the Pershing String Sensations. They played their violins and cellos in a performance of "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing," by American composer, pianist and jazz orchestra leader Duke Ellington.

Richardson acknowledged that her daughter had made it through kindergarten plus seven grades without experiencing a black culture festival at school — until Monday night.

"It's not as big a thing in this area, unless you're in the (African American) community," Richardson told the News-Leader.

But, Richardson said, she ensured her daughter connected with her roots through history education held at their church and with the Black History Summer Academy. (This summer's theme is to be "Hidden Gems of Springfield: The Undefeated." More information is available by searching Facebook for the public group called "2020 Black History Summer Academy." The classes are free and open to grades K-12 and adults, according to a brochure distributed at the event.)

"I think it's right on time," Richardson said of Pershing's festival night. "Times are changing. You see a lot of biracial children. It's time to come to the forefront. It's not going anywhere."

Music, poetry, dance and identities

Along with the Duke Ellington instrumental music, the Pershing Choir gave its rendition of "Dream Keeper," a song inspired by the poetry of Harlem Renaissance icon Langston Hughes, a Joplin native.

Two Pershing girls did a pop dance routine inspired by TikTok, a short-form video app for smartphones that middle-schoolers and teens propelled to the heights of popularity over the past year.

"If you were looking around in the audience, you saw some of the kids dancing along in their seats," said Heather Freeman, a Pershing seventh-grade social studies teacher who serves as equity and access champion for the school.

Freeman said the festival happened because two Pershing students took the initiative and asked to create it, a fact that festival speakers and school officials repeatedly praised Monday night.

Freeman said that as a teacher, she sees the Black History & Culture Celebration night "through the lens of learning," as a way to strengthen the whole school community by raising cultural consciousness.

"At Pershing, we want all our students to feel safe, seen and empowered to tell their stories," Freeman said.

A brief documentary video featuring Pershing students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades provided a chance for students to tell their own stories. Titled "I Am," it included a variety of middle-schoolers portraying themselves with dozens of one-word descriptions:

"I am an athlete."
"I am a Christian."
"I am a daughter."
"I am a friend."
"I am Jamaican."
"I am a leader."
"I am a Pershing General."

'Ready for school'

Gwen Marshall, equity and access coordinator for Springfield Public Schools, talked about her own student experience.

She arrived in Springfield in 1967 after living in Jackson, Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee, traveling on the Frisco passenger train to attend what is now Missouri State University. The first African American students had been admitted only 13 years before.

Marshall showed a crowd a photograph of the four young women who were the first black folks to attend the public college. The memory of Mary Jean Price Walls, denied admission to the college in 1950 because of her race, still lingered strongly at that time, Marshall said.

"There those ladies are," she said, expressing pride and happiness. "They're ready for school."

Marshall said a lot had changed by the time she arrived in 1967, and a lot has changed since.

Marshall mentioned the role of the 1906 lynching of three young black men on Park Central Square in Springfield history, but also happy memories such as annual Juneteenth celebrations and the establishment, in 1993, of the Black History Summer Academy.

A key point of Marshall's talk was the experience of former Springfield city councilman Denny Whayne. Having served from 2001 to 2009, Whayne was the first African American on Springfield's City Council in a century.

'History keepers' remember

Norma Bland Duncan and Betty Ransom, described as "history keepers" by keynote speaker Christine Peoples with Timmons Hall, also shared their viewpoints on Springfield black history, bringing a light-hearted, laughter-filled approach to the task.

"This is authentic history," Peoples said. "This is living history."

Duncan said she was born in Springfield in 1939 and never dreamed of going to school with white people. One of her brothers never attended a desegregated school, she said. But she was educated at Central High School, which had roughly 20 black students amid a much larger student body. Duncan said everyone got along.

"Because there were very few black people in Springfield, we were not a threat to the white people," Duncan said.

Duncan told the crowd what kids of her age group thought of Adah Fulbright, a teacher legendary for her stern approach to discipline. Fulbright taught generations of Springfield students before retiring in 1948, and a new public preschool will bear Fulbright's name when it opens in August, the News-Leader has reported.

"I never had Miss Fulbright, thank God," Duncan said. "She was mean as a junkyard dog."

The crowd's laughter filled the library.

The other speaker was Betty Ransom, whose testimony regarding Fulbright was key in getting the new preschool named, said Peoples, the keynote speaker.

"Even the teachers were afraid of her," Ransom said, prompting more laughs. "The principal would say, 'Tell Mrs. Fulbright to come to my office,' and Mrs. Fulbright would say, 'You tell the principal to come to me,' and he did, and everybody else did, too."

Fulbright's methods were effective. Ransom quipped, "If you were dumb when you went in, you weren't that dumb when you left."

Alberta Ellis's 'one-stop shop'

When Timmons Hall coordinator Peoples gave the keynote speech, she started by leading the crowd in a call-and-response song, "The greatest thing ... in all my life ... is loving you."

"I tell you, Springfield is changing, and I'm so excited about it," Peoples said. "I'm excited about the energy in this room. The more we get to know each other and be in spaces like this, the more we become community."

Peoples highlighted the role of Springfield entrepreneur Alberta Ellis, whose Alberta Hotel served as a "one-stop shop" for local residents and for African American travelers using the Green Book to safely traverse Route 66 in the mid-20th century, a period of time when "sundown towns" and segregation were everyday realities.

"She was way before her time," Peoples told the crowd, gesturing at a vintage photo on display that showed a smiling Ellis clad in an outfit including luxury furs, a chic hat and lots of jewelry.

"You see she's a — what do you call them? — a fashionista," Peoples said. "I mean, she's got it going on."

Peoples added: "In the time of segregation, no public accommodations, there was no safety for people of color for people to go to a hotel, to get something at a restaurant. The Jim Crow laws, they prohibited that. And so after World War II, Miss Alberta thought she was going to do something, and make a difference in her community."

Like many other Springfield women, Ellis started a small business, Peoples said.

"What was phenomenal about her was you just could not keep her down," Peoples said.

Peoples also worked in a reference to Madam C.J. Walker, considered the wealthiest black woman in America before her death in 1919, along with Afrocentric hair care ("grooming the hair, grooming the mind and grooming the body") and respectful etiquette toward black folks' hair.

"This is a subject that a lot of people stay away from because they don't know what to say or how to say or what to do," Peoples said.

The bottom line? It's not OK to touch someone's hair without consent simply "because it looks good to you," Peoples said.

Story continues below

She closed out her talk with a second call-and-response with the audience, again drawing on the way pastors and congregations communicate in many black churches.

Together with the audience, Peoples repeated, "We have to understand the greatest thing in all your life should be loving each other."

"We don't know what tomorrow holds, but we can make a difference today," they said.

Gregory Holman is a reporter for the News-Leader. Email news tips to gholman@gannett.com and consider supporting vital local journalism by subscribing. Learn more by visiting News-Leader.com/subscribe.

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Morrill Memorial Library News - Wicked Local Norwood

Posted: 26 Feb 2020 12:05 PM PST

To sign up for any or all of these programs or events, call 781-769-0200, ext. 110, email norprograms@minlib.net or stop by the library Reference or information Desk. For information: http://norwoodlibrary.org.

Great Courses collection: New additions to the Great Courses Collection are now available to Norwood students and residents. The additions bring the total number of courses available to 75. The new courses include Do-It-Yourself Engineering with Professor Stephen Ressler, United States Military Academy at West Point; Law School for Everyone, Torts, Professor Edward K. Cheng, Vanderbilt Law School; Criminal Law and Procedure, Professor Joseph L. Hoffman, Indiana University School of Law; Litigation & Legal Practice, Professor Molly Bishop Shadel, University of Virginia Law School; Civil Procedure, Professor Peter J. Smith, The George Washington University Law School; America's Founding Fathers with Professor Allen C. Guelzo, Gettysburg College and The Psychology of Performance: How to Be Your Best in Life with Dr. Eddie O'Connor, Clinical Sport Psychology.

Upcoming

Hidden Treasures of Boston: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 27. Come to the Morrill Memorial Library for an inside look at some of Boston's hidden treasures presented by Boston tour guide Jay Bazzinotti. A Corporal in the First NH Regiment of Revolutionary War re-enactors, Jay will appear in full uniform to talk about some of the little known landmarks and monuments in the Boston area. Much of the city's rich and fascinating history is invisible not just to the casual visitor but also to those who have lived here all their lives. To register for "Hidden Boston," please go to our events page at http://norwoodlibrary.org/morrillcalendar, call 781-769-0200, ext. 110, or stop by the library Reference or Information Desk.

Frank Sinatra Film Fest: Are you a fan of Ol' Blue Eyes, or simply feeling nostalgic for some great old-fashioned movies? The Morrill Memorial Library will show a total of four classic Frank Sinatra films on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in March. The series will begin with the landmark 1953 movie, "From Here to Eternity," also starring Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, and Donna Reed at 6:30 p.m. March 5. "On the Town" (1949), co-starring Gene Kelly and Betty Garrett, will be shown on March 10, followed by the original "Ocean's 11" (1960), with Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. on March 12. The film fest will conclude on March 24 with "High Society" (1956), featuring Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly. Popcorn will be served. To sign up for any or all of these movies, please visit our events page at http://norwoodlibrary.org/morrillcalendar, call 781-769-0200, ext.110, or stop by the library Reference or Information Desk.

Artisans, Coral Reefs, and…Hyperbolic Geometry?: 2 :30 p.m. March 1. What does crochet art have in common with coral reefs and hyperbolic geometry? Come to the Morrill Memorial Library to find out, as well as their connections to ecology and the future of the Earth. A brief Ted Talk and discussion will shed light on these matters, so no math required. This program introduces the installation of a coral reef display at the library, designed by textile artisan Marg Corjay. While smaller than the one recently installed at the Smithsonian Institute, it is nonetheless important. Crochet artisans worldwide are creating such displays in an effort to educate the public on our responsibility toward endangered coral reefs and highlight the crucial role of artisanship in society. To sign up for this event, sponsored by TogetherYes, call 781-769-0200 x110, visit our online events page at http://norwoodlibrary.org/morrillcalendar, or stop by the library Reference or Information Desk.

Paranormal Investigations of the Fairbanks House: 7 p.m. March 2. Did you know that the Fairbanks House in Dedham--the oldest wooden building in North America (c.1637) — may also be one of its most haunted? Learn more about the mysteries of this dwelling that housed eight generations of the Fairbanks family at the Morrill Memorial Library. Sufficient paranormal activity has been observed in the house, where many Fairbanks family members died, to have attracted the attention of ghost hunters far and wide. Join Curator Daniel Neff as he explains what ghost hunters actually do, and look at (and listen to) some of the most remarkable evidence of paranormal activity captured at the Fairbanks House. To register for this program, funded by the Friends of the Library, visit our online events page at http://norwoodlibrary.org/morrillcalendar, call 781-769-0200, ext. 110, or stop by the Reference or Information Desk.

Researching Norwood's History: 6:30 p.m. March 4. Are you interested in learning more about local history? Whether you're researching events from 1887 or 2017, the Morrill Memorial Library has you covered! Join Assistant Director Lydia Sampson and Information Technology Librarian Brian DeFelice for a demonstration and discussion on using library resources to dig into Norwood's rich history. Topics covered will include tutorials on: how to use our brand new microfilm reader, and how to search digitized local newspapers, Town Annual Reports, and TIOT yearbooks. The pair will also demonstrate how to find historical house information using the MACRIS database. Norwood's growing digitized collection of local newspapers has been made possible by a contribution by Patti Fanning of materials previously not available anywhere else, and by a generous donation by the Pazniokas Family in memory Nella Pazniokas. To sign up for this program, visit our online events page at http://norwoodlibrary.org/morrillcalendar, call 781-769-0200, ext. 110, or stop by the Reference or Information Desk.

Folk-rock duo to kick off Spring Musical Sundays series: 3 p.m. March 8. The Morrill Memorial Library's popular Musical Sundays series will resume this spring with a spirited performance by the duo Knock on Wood. Knock on Wood is a high-energy acoustic folk-rock pair featuring singer-songwriter Howie Newman on guitar and lead vocals and Joe Kessler on fiddle and mandolin. They perform original music suitable for all ages as well as classic rock covers. It promises to be a lively, entertaining show with great musicianship and plenty of audience participation. To register for this concert, made possible through the library Endowment Fund, visit our online events page at http://norwoodlibrary.org/morrillcalendar, call 781-769-0200, ext. 110, or stop by the Reference or Information Desk.

You Count! Everything You Need to Know about the 2020 Census: 7 p.m. March 11. Curious about the census that comes around every ten years and why it's so important? Come to a short, illustrated presentation at the Morrill Memorial Library with Raymond Bennett from the US Census Bureau. He will talk about how to identify legitimate census activity vs. potential scams and why the census is safe, easy, and important, in addition to answering all your questions. The day after this timely event, the 2020 census will be live and invitations to complete the census will be mailed to all households. To sign up, visit our online events page at http://norwoodlibrary.org/morrillcalendar, call 781-769-0200, ext. 110, or stop by the Reference or Information Desk.

Making Warm Scarves for the Homeless: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. March 14. Everyone is invited to come to the Morrill Memorial Library any time between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to help make warm, water-resistant fleece scarves to be distributed to a local homeless shelter. The goal is to produce 100 scarves for this worthy cause, sponsored by Together Yes and Sewstainability. No sewing experience or registration is necessary; just drop by and join the work party. If you can't stay, a donation of snacks for the workers or any color fleece (1 ¼ to 3 ½ yards in length) would be welcome. This event is not appropriate for young children as there will be pins and scissors in use. Please contact Sewstainability at sustain@tgryes.org with questions. Any help you can offer is most appreciated!

ArtMatters presents Norman Rockwell: 7 p.m. March 16. Beth Knaus of ArtMatters will return to the Morrill Memorial Library to present another of her popular illustrated presentations. Norman Rockwell was a renowned 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad appeal in the U.S., where he is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life he created for the Saturday Evening Post for nearly five decades. Among the best-known of Rockwell's works are the Willie Gillis series, Rosie the Riveter, The Problem We All Live With, and the Four Freedoms series, which are on display at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass. His 1951 masterpiece Saying Grace, depicting a woman and a young boy saying grace in a crowded restaurant while onlookers gawked, sold for $46 million in 2013. To register for this event, funded by the Friends of the Library, visit our online events page at http://norwoodlibrary.org/morrillcalendar, call 781-769-0200, ext. 110, or stop by the Reference or Information Desk.

Climate Change Hits Home — What Should We Be Doing?: 6:30 p.m. March 19. The global climate change crisis is a frightening, scientifically proven reality, but how exactly does that affect us? On Thursday, March 19, at 6:30 pm at the Morrill Memorial Library, Ian Cooke from the Neponset River Watershed Association will talk about the challenges to our land and water resources right here at home, and what our communities should be doing now. To participate in this difficult but necessary discussion, sponsored by Together Yes and Progress Norwood, please visit our online events page at http://norwoodlibrary.org/morrillcalendar, call 781-769-0200, ext. 110, or stop by the Reference or Information Desk.

Children's Room

Toddler Time: 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays. Librarians Kate Tigue and Nicole Guerra-Coon will lead two sessions of Toddler Time, a story time for toddlers and their caregivers in the Simoni Room at the Morrill Memorial Library. These fun-filled story times feature short books, lots of singing and plenty of movement for busy little ones. The program is geared toward ages one to three but older and younger siblings are welcome! No registration necessary.

On My Own Pre-K Story Time: 10 a.m. Thursdays. Librarian Jane Bradley has begun her popular "On My Own Pre-K" Story Time for children ages three to five. Miss Jane will read funny, interactive stories perfect for the preschool set. This program requires registration so please call the library at 781-769-0200 x225 or email the Children's Room at norchild@minlib.net to sign up your child today!

Babes 'n' Books: 10:30 a.m. Fridays. Library Assistant Dina Delic welcomes caregivers and babies for Babes 'n' Books, the library's special story time for our youngest patrons in the Program Room, Dina will read short stories, introduce her favorite puppets and sing songs for pre-walking babies and their caregivers. No registration necessary.

Alice Ruth Moore: Love, Art, and Black Political Thought - Wear Your Voice

Posted: 26 Feb 2020 12:32 PM PST

Guest Writer x Feb 26, 2020

Alice Ruth Moore's history of life deserves filling. Her reputation as an eloquent speaker, writer, and activist all intertwine.

By Gayla Tillman

The Harlem Renaissance marks one of the most significant periods of Black art and Black political thought. History books all over the world hail the Harlem Renaissance as a beacon for Black cultural celebration and expression. However, similar to other ways that history books sanitize, erase, or skew the images and stories of people in other notable time periods, the Harlem Renaissance is no different. The most recognized artists from the period are mainly men, except perhaps for Zora Neale Hurston.

One woman I'd like to highlight is Alice Ruth Moore. She led the Delaware Anti-Lynching Crusaders to mobilize voters and help pass anti-lynching legislation. She was released from her position as head of the English department at Howard High School for "political activity". She wrote prose, poetry, and traveled all over the country to give speeches to HBCU students about equity and justice. But patriarchy still informs how people engaged and remember her. Newspapers would refer to her as "former wife of Paul Laurence Dunbar" first, and then mention her writing or speaking engagements.

Also among the more underreported slices of people's lives was their love lives, and how queer those love lives were. I understand queerness to mean deviant from socially acceptable intimacy and cis + heterosexual relations. Moore married three times. In her diaries, she speaks of her husbands like props in her life. However, she speaks of Fay Jackson Robinson as someone dear to her. From her diary, Give Us Each Day, she describes intimacy with Robinson that leads me to posing a significant question about Moore's sexuality. She called Robinson sentimental names like "my little blue dream of loveliness" and wrote sonnets about her when Robinson broke her heart. Some infer about her relationship with Helene Johnson, fellow Harlem Renaissance poet; however, Moore's diaries suggest more that Johnson's affections towards Moore were unrequited. Because of how long it took Moore to start writing in a journal (age 46), the line of same gender intimacy and love she may have indulged in remains lost in history.

Recommended: LANGSTON HUGHES DOESN'T OWE US MORE THAN WHAT HE LEFT US WITH

Moore worked as a journalist for a multitude of publications, with the famous The Crisis carrying her musings on race. As a very light-skinned Black woman, especially in this era, she often passed for white. She used this to her advantage when reporting on Jim Crow meetings. She gossiped and strategized with change-makers like Mary Mcleod Bethune and Nannie Burroughs. Her reputation as an eloquent speaker, writer, and activist all intertwine.

In 1917 she wrote the short story "Hope Deferred" for The Crisis. It predates "Harlem"/"A Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes, yet schools don't teach it across the nation. The story follows the life of a couple experiencing financial strain because the woman's partner, a Black man named Edward, is facing harsh discrimination under Jim Crow despite his training and education in civil engineering. Without access to a higher paying job, he takes up work at a restaurant. The language and setting of this story historicizes the Nadir period for Black people well. Moore captures some of the earlier expressions of Black rage in fiction. Black rage meaning anger seeped in unreconciled, unjust, and unacknowledged violence inflicted on Black people. Edward experiences Black rage when the white employer that denied him a job in his desired field appears in the restaurant he works at. The man makes a rude comment about Edward and it completely evaporates his assimilationist and respectable persona. "Something snapped in the darker man's head…Reason, intelligence, all was obscured, save a man hatred, and a desire to wreak his wrongs on the man, who, for the time being, represented the author of them." Edward's pent up trauma response reflects generations of Black rage. The story ends with him incarcerated and his partner visiting him while in jail. He's confused when he realizes that she hasn't left him. This story reminds readers that under the rage and after the trauma response, Black people are owed love.

Moore's respect and adoration for women begins as early as her first published work, "Violets and Other Tales". In "The Woman," she utters a major tenet of Black feminism, agency, and autonomy. The short story begins with the question of "Mr. — will you please tell us your opinion upon the question, whether woman's chances for matrimony are increased or decreased when she becomes man's equal as a wage earner?" Instead of reinforcing the traditional assumptions that women should yearn for a man, and her accomplishments in work or outside of romance do not compare to if she had a husband, she imagines the leisure and freedom of a woman without male worries. "To an independent spirit there is a certain sense of humiliation and wounded pride in asking for money, be it five cents or five hundred dollars. The working woman knows no such pang." Moore particularly names how patriarchy confines women's desires, finances, and sense of ability. She turns the question on its head. She presents many things women are forced to give up in the name of matrimony with little in return. This work was published in 1895, predating the first wave of feminism and Black feminism in the academy.

Recommended: NINA SIMONE ON INTENT AND THE MANY LIFETIMES OF IMPACT

Alice Ruth Moore's history of life deserves filling; it deserves inquiry. She wrote well, spoke eloquently, strategized, survived, loved men and women all at the same time. Black queer ancestors deserve better than sanitizing their histories into ill-fit understandings of Blackness and Black culture. When one assumes that Black excellence is only cis, straight, and/or male, it deflates the richness of Black being. It affirms standards set by colonizers to tell Black people what they should be and what they should look up to. This shows up the most in how we remember Black ancestors, and who people deem worthy of remembering. Abolishing the canon, lists of works that represent groups of people or subjects, that allow for certain identities to shine and receive praise while some lurk in the crevices of journals and diaries returns the essence of Black humanity.

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