Hi all,
I told you all last time about the excitement at being asked to render a selection during Penn Center's 4th Annual 1862 Circle Gala. I did not realize that the beautiful, eloquent, and inspirational, Mrs Tina Tyus-Shaw would be the mistress of ceremony. The guest speaker and one of the inductees for this year was Congressman & Majority Whip, the honorable, James E. Clyburn. He delivered an inspiring message about education, change, and growth. Congressman Clyburn spoke of the importance of being civil, cordial and respectful of other persons. One statement made during his conversation with the audience was that an article in the Washington Post headlined (something to the effect of) "Is Jim Clyburn too nice to be effective as the Majority Whip?" Basically, this article questioned his leadership ability due to the fact that he appears to be so polite and respectful. Congressman Clyburn's question of the audience was simply, "how does a person be too nice?" Congressman Clyburn delivered an awesome message, one that was not read, but spoken in sincerity.
Congressman Clyburn was inducted into the 1862 Circle for his vigilant fight for the preservation of the history and culture of the Gullah/Geechee people of the Sea Islands. The Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Act allots 10 million dollars over the course of 10 years in this regard. Along with the Congressman, Mr. Courtney Siceloff was also inducted into the Circle. Mr. Siceloff was an activist and was the first director of the Penn Community Center. He was an asset in the fight for civil rights in the South. Mr. Siceloff and his wife, Eleizabeth were instrumental in organizing the fight for racial equality in Beaufort County during the 1950's. Dr. Martin Luther King and his "soldiers" would retreat to Penn Center often from 1963-1967 to form strategies about the struggle. The Siceloff's had two children John & Mary, who accepted this award on behalf of their father at the event.
Additionally, Bank of America, presented Penn Center with a $100,000 grant during the closing remarks of this event.
Though Gwendolyn Wright was asked to sing a song, the event so much more-it was actually of life-changing caliber. The words that Congressman Clyburn left the audience with were ones that would inspire thought and action to make positive changes within our communities. He quoted a passage from the Holy Bible which states that faith without works is dead. He stated that Penn Center and the traditionally Black colleges (that are all grounded in religion) began with faith, now they require works to continue.
I also had the pleasure of meeting the woman behind the man, Mrs. Emily Clyburn. As impressed as I was with Congressman Clyburn, I was equally, if not more taken with Mrs. Clyburn. She was very sincere, and just graceful. As she very genuinely, complimented me on my solo, I was just thinking, what a beautiful soul she seems to be. I am a fairly good judge of character and she came across to me as a very humble, grounded and elegant lady and it was an honor to be in her presence.
The most thought-provoking part his talk with us surrounded the issue of Mr. Imus and the fact that we should not be mad at him because he learned what we taught him. Basically stating that we should not be angry at his vulgar statements in reference to Black women when we (Blacks) have been talking to and about one another in the same ways for quite some time now. He revealed to us a life-changing event in his experience in which an older lady, Mrs. Septima Clark(an educator and civil rights activist), made the following statement to him:
Mr. Clyburn stated years ago, back in the 1960's that he and his small daughter Mignon, were aboard a shuttle boat when the seas began to get a bit choppy. This irritated the Congressman
a bit. He stated that his daughter was about 5 or 6 or so at the time and she had begun to run around on the boat as opposed to sitting down as he wanted her to. He said he finally became very irritated and yelled at his daughter to sit down. He said Mrs. Clark, seated nearby called to him and pat the bench beside her, which he knew- meant that she wanted him to have a seat there. He said he sat down and she said to him in a genteel voice "Isn't if funny, how we sometimes get so angry with our children when we see ourselves in them"
Congressman Clyburn compared this lesson to that of Mr. Imus, stating that we should not be mad at him (Imus) for doing what he learned from us.
The bottom line is that people treat us the way that we allow them to. This was a night that I will not likely forget for quite some time. My wonderful husband Robert and I sat there with a room full of people and ate an exquisite $100-a-plate meal and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. This was an unusual experience for us, rubbing elbows with a different group than we normally encounter on a day-to-day basis. Robert, my rock, never faltered-he stood his ground, shook hands, and made interesting, polite conversation with the best of them. I was nervous about singing and how well I would be received by the group at first. After a while though, I gave it to God, I told him that I am doing this to his glory, and everyone else will have to fall into their respective places. It went so much better than I could have asked for. I would be hypocritical if I didn't say that I felt "out of my league" initially. However, about midway through the evening, I was overcome with the peace that I had asked God for and I felt at ease. It was just such a blessing to be included and it was wonderful for me to look at the program and see my name listed between the honorable Clementa Pinckney & the honorable Congressman James E. Clyburn!
One more note I would be remissed if I did not give say a special thanks to the Crown Plaza Resort on Hilton Head Island-very professional, courteous service-everything was wonderful.
God Bless,
All and all it was truly, An Awesome Experience!
Comments(1)