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Friday marks 60 years since Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley were killed in that bombing at 16th Street Baptist Church.
Many go to the church to honor their lives and remember their legacy, but there is another place for reflection, and for years, a group has been working to restore the sacred grounds…. READ MORE
]]>This week, the city of Birmingham is remembering that horrific event as well as paying honor to foot soldiers of the civil rights movement through the 2023 Forging Justice Commemoration Week.
Legacy Voices of the Movement Community Conversation was one of several events a part of the week long commemoration that took place Sunday….READ MORE
]]>This is an opinion column.
Listen.
They’re hard to hear sometimes—even when they’re near.
Still, listen.
Some of the voices have been stilled. Stilled by time. Stilled by weariness. Stilled by pain. Stilled by tears.
Leaving you wishing you’d…listened.
Some of the voices are faint—yet strong. Faint from weariness. Faint from pain. Faint from tears. Faint from loss.
Faint from battles still not won.
Yet still strong. Strengthened by the cause. Strengthened by victories. Strengthened by friends. By their faith. Friends who walked beside them. Friends who ran with them from racist police, from the Klan—usually one and the same back then. Friends who laughed, sang, and endured and endured beside them…. READ MORE
WASHINGTON, D.C.
The Association of African American Museums in partnership with the National Park Service’s African American Civil Rights Network is pleased to announce over $300,000 in grant awards to 14 sites, organizations, and museums.
Through preservation, commemoration, interpretation, and education, the historical resources in this list of award grantees tell the stories of the people, places, and events associated with the African American Civil Rights Movement. They will help to broaden the public’s understanding of the Black Freedom Struggle in the United States.
In a recent interview, Dr. Vedet Coleman-Robinson, Executive Director of the Association of African American Museums stated, “We are honored to be able to partner with the National Park Service’s African American Civil Rights Network. It is a privilege to have this phenomenal partnership that means so much to so many.” Dr. Turkiya Lowe, Chief Historian for the National Park Service stated, “The grant program in partnership with the Association of African American Museums is a crucial step in advancing the study and preservation of African American Civil Rights history. This $300,000 in awards will not only make huge strides for the field, but will also help to ensure that these often overlooked and underrepresented stories are given the recognition and respect they deserve.”
Learn more about this year’s grantees below:
Looking back at the hundreds of stories I wrote and edited for Southern Living Magazine, I realize now how much I wrote about the transformative, intergenerational benefits of oral history. The following published excerpts are just a few examples:
1. Oral Histories Build a Sense of Community / Passed Down Skills / Creative Heritage
Article: “Around the Quilt In Gee’s Bend,” Southern Living Magazine, 2005, by Majella Chube Hamilton
The women of Gee’s Bend, Alabama continue a time-honored tradition. “In years past, as the Alabama hot sun took its rest every evening, generations of women from tenant farming families in rural Wilcox County gathered in a full circle around makeshift quilting frames. There, at the end of a hard day’s work, they bonded through shared experiences. There they created warm and vivid bed coverings for their families.”
“‘We were making those quilts, singing around them, laughing, and praying around them. We learned around the quilt,’ according to quilter Arlonzia Pettway.”
“Today, these extraordinary women are reaping the rewards of a craft passed down from their ancestors. Living in poverty without the benefit of education and isolated from the world at large by a God-given bend in the Alabama River southwest of Selma, they banded together to turn a simply joyful pastime into modern-day American art.”
“Since the late 1800’s, Gee’s Bend quilters have pieced together scraps of well-worn clothing to provide functional coverlets. Today’s quilters-turned-artists, often compared with the great artists of the 20th century, follow the same vivid representation of design and color that are unique to their community, their skills, and the cultural techniques passed down though the years.” “These women have sewn and sown the very fabric of a community, and we all reap the benefits from that labor of love.”
2. Oral Histories Enhance a Legacy & Culture of Responsibility and Service
Article: “Southerners / Marian Wright Edelman,” Southern Living Magazine, 2006 by Majella Chube Hamilton
“If you are a parent, the inclination to protect your child is a personal one. If you’re in the trenches, competing for resources to provide quality education, health care, or extracurricular programs, your fight on behalf of children is one of fairness. If you work for poor or homeless families, your crusade is one of justice. If you are Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), which advocates for the critical needs of all children, your fight is a formidable one.”
“Leave No Child Behind has served as her battle cry for nearly three decades. Mrs. Edelman started CDF in 1973, and it maintains one goal-to ensure basic rights and necessities for all of America’s children…”
“This children’s advocate is first, a Southerner. She was born in Bennettsville, South Carolina, the daughter of a Baptist minister and a resourceful mother – both role models in faith, integrity, and service. The product of a segregated era, Mrs. Edelman bloomed during a time in our history when racial barriers were daily obstacles, when money was scarce but hearts were rich in spirit. Her childhood resembles those of many African-American children during the Depression era, exposed to the realities of a prejudiced society, yet insulated from its devastating impact by a supportive community.”
“Marian Wright Edelman considers the work she does for America’s children just like the work of her parents did in Bennettsville for their community – just on a different scale. ‘We always knew who we were; that the measure of our worth was inside our heads and hearts and not outside in our possessions,” she writes in her book, The Measure of Our Success, ‘We were told… that being poor was not an excuse for not achieving; and that extra intellectual and material fits brought with them the privilege and responsibility of sharing with others less fortunate. In sum, we learned that service is the rent we pay for living.’”
3. Oral Histories Further Tradition, Set Expectations and Standards of Excellence
Article: “Windsor Jordan Caters to Tradition,” Southern Living Magazine, 2004, Majella Chube Hamilton
“In these times of keen competition and unlimited choices, it’s not just what you know, but who you know – and Atlanta-based caterer Windsor Jordan knows everybody. In addition to a love of food and Southern culture, this tried-and-true culinary expert shares a storehouse of knowledge about barriers broken, the value of networking, and building on a tradition of success.”
“Windsor, the youngest son of Atlanta catering legend Mary Jordan and brother of Washington, D.C., businessman and political insider Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., carries forth their mother’s prized family recipes and her dogmatic assertiveness, disciplined initiative, social style, and strong work ethic.”
“Mary set the standard in the 1930’s when her savvy business sense, uncompromising perfectionism, constant drive, and extraordinary penchant for cooking let her down a path of social forays previously unexplored. ‘My mother served the food at the premier gala of Gone with the Wind at the Belle Air Building on Peachtree,’ Windsor explains. ‘Mary Jordan created the trail. She took the food industry by storm. Food opened doors for her.’”
“Windsor says he and his brothers learned valuable lessons about attention to detail, planning strategically, and never underestimating the power of relationships. Windsor, who says he caters more than 900 events a year, is well-known for enhancing Mary’s legendary menus with an updated twist. He specializes in using diverse cultural influences and seasonings in his recipes, always blending unexpected flavors. ‘I’m fortunate that she left our family a solid legacy, and I share what I learned with my children and staff.’”
4. Oral History Opens Minds, Builds Understanding and Diverse Perspectives
Article: “Past Meets Present at Williamsburg,” Southern Living Magazine, 2007 by Majella Chube Hamilton
“There’s always a story behind a story – especially at the country’s largest living-history museum. Step back to 1774, and you’ll happen upon a pre-American Revolution street debate between patriot and loyalist neighbors. Turn the corner, and you’ll witness enslaved residents whispering behind a shed about their plan of escape. From choreographing protest meetings to scripting daily activities in the homes and businesses to tradespeople, Rex Ellis brings to life the stories behind the great events at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. ‘It’s the names, faces, personalities, and situations to residents endured that permit us to provide a human connection,” says Rex, vice president for Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s 301-acre Historic Area.”
“Rex knows how to measure success. ‘If we’ve challenged your thinking or changed your perspective,’ he says, ‘our mission of bringing real-life stories from the past to today’s audience is working.’”
Build Lasting Strategies of Community Impact
For the past seven years in Birmingham, The Ballard House Project, Inc. staff have captured and documented oral histories from individuals and small groups and their memories of what life was like in the community, how people lived, worked, socialized, and served their community. The project is ongoing with plans to exhibit key educational elements from our digitized oral histories of individuals from a cross-section of the city.
Serving as a cultural think-tank, the Ballard House Project, Inc. endeavors to capture the past, gain a greater understanding of the individual and community challenges and opportunities, amid the real-life historical context and backdrop of the times. “If we are to properly understand the past, we have to try to understand what it meant for those who lived it. We must try to place ourselves in their situation.”
Majella Chube Hamilton
]]>One of few surviving “live-work” buildings, it was constructed as the family residence and medical office of Dr. Edward H. Ballard by African American contractor Leroy S. Gaillard. For more than 20 years in Alabama, Dr. Ballard made significant contributions to the collective health, well-being, economic empowerment, and uplift of the community.
The property, acquired in 1950 by Mrs. Jessie Perkins, served as a “hotspot” for clubs, civic meetings, and social events during segregation. A pivotal gathering space for the community of color, it became a backdrop for clubs and organizations, boarding destination for visiting speakers and entertainers, and popular space for receptions, teas, and holiday parties.
The doctor’s office in the building became home to the medical practice of Dr. Dodson Curry, followed by Dr. Herschell Lee Hamilton in the late 1950’s. Devoted to the cause of human and civil rights, Dr. Hamilton worked to support the Movement, actively, strategically, and financially. Known as “Battle Surgeon” and “Dog-Bite Doctor,” he treated the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, Freedom Riders beaten at the city’s bus terminal and hundreds of foot soldiers injured in the 1963 “Project C” marches and 1965 Selma to Montgomery events. Over time, this dynamic space served to provide medical care, support civil rights strategy, treat victims of trauma, and strengthen community networks.
As a contributing structure to the Birmingham Civil Right District and one of “20 Civil Right Sites to Watch in Alabama” by the World Monuments Fund, it now serves as a cultural storehouse and information center, hosting oral histories, conversations, exhibitions and special events, celebrating the rich heritage, and contributions of the African-American community, then and now.
]]>Oral histories are stories that portray vivid memories or perspectives, important to understanding the overall history of a time period. These histories are generally passed down in families and shared through conversation, family dinners, nighttime stories, or simply an older generation wanting a younger generation to know more about people, places, and events that served as milestones in their lives or the lives of their fore bearers.
Oral histories are always told from the perspective of the teller and often convey a rich essence, personal perspective, and unique details that are often absent from history books. Oral histories provide a personal connection or insight into an overall event, place or time.
Although oral histories are important to understanding an experience, challenges, and circumstances, we must be open to the fact that this information should be considered just one facet of the historical package. In retelling the human experience, understand that some details could be unclear or incorrect, while other details may serve as the missing link in understanding and appreciating the lives of ancestors and important elements in history.
Power in Oral Histories
In a story about Mrs. June Fox Davis of Birmingham, AL, and her personal quest to uncover her past, I wrote, “In search of family and community history, sometimes we find valuable information through in-depth research, sometimes through luck. Important clues exist in the oral histories we’ve heard all our lives; the cherished photographs, furniture and momentos, passed on from generation to generation. Rest assured, in many cases, documents exist, which have the power to confirm, enhance or challenge the stories and precious family heirlooms we keep near.”
“Answers are there for those with the interest in learning from the past to meet present-day and future challenges and to share with their children. The results may or may not be what we would expect. Nevertheless, living history gives us a sacred opportunity to glimpse our ancestor’s lives and living conditions, however simple or complex, joyous or painful, cumbersome or free. The process of discovery, connecting, sharing and passing on affirms the spirits of all involved.”
Majella Chube Hamilton
]]>al.com / The Birmingham News / February 5, 2015
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