by Nicola Karesh

Last Saturday, with a bit of a nip in the air and snowflakes from time to time, the Mary C. Jenkins Community Center held its retreat for board and committee members. This was immediately followed by the Black History Poetry Awards Ceremony. Thank you to the Transylvania County Library for the welcoming indoor space, where we were safely able to gather, later joined by families and other community members in the afternoon. The reception was simply lovely. Nothing beats hearing a poet add their own voice to their words. The delivery was quite moving. We heard the 1st and 2nd place poems in adult, high, middle and elementary age categories. Here is what we were blessed with:

A Tribute to James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
© The Rev. Dr. Judith Davis, April 12, 2021
(Adult winner)

You lifted our hearts to sing for liberty.
You filled a scroll with your beautiful images
of farewell to the dark past
and a new rising sun of hope.
You unlocked the stone defeat of slavery.
You showed us a love of ourselves
to carry us through muddy times
and to look to the purple mountains of love.
You found us a key to the locked door of fear.
You opened that door to vast freedom
with our God training us to be soldiers of truth
and teaching us to live in the light.
You led us into the light.
You gave us a sundial of truth
to direct us beneath God’s hand,
and to stand at last in the glow of God’s love.

If You Took My Hand in the Dark
by Eloise Shepard
(Adult Honorable Mention)

If you took my hand in the dark, you would not know the color of my skin.
If I took your hand in the dark, I would not know the color of your skin.
If the back of your hand was wrinkled or smooth, I might know if you were young or old.
Maybe.
By your fingernails or bracelets, I might make a guess at your gender,
But probably not.
If you had certain rings on certain fingers, there’s a chance I’d figure out if you were married or single,
But it would be a guess.
The perception of race disappears in the dark.
Or if your eyes are closed.
The trick is to use your eyes to see the person and not just the skin.
To see how we are different, and how we are the same.
To appreciate the differences, truly appreciate the differences.
And allow the sameness to make us open to all those we see in the bright day.

The Experience
by Amya Humphries
(High School Winner)

It’s about the looks, the stares, simply because of your skin color.
It’s about being scared to go to a rural area, in fear of your dignity as a human being.
It’s about the feeling of not fitting in.
It’s about having all your history be compressed in one month.
It’s about the “momma, why don’t I look like her?”
It’s about the generational trauma.
It’s about your people constantly being killed.
It’s about the fear of the police.
It’s about crying to your family about your first racial profiling experience.
It’s about being upset over the fact that you don’t have the same opportunities as others.
It’s about creating a “norm” that shouldn’t be normal at all.
It’s about the African American experience

The African American Experience
By Miguelina Jimenez Tate
(High School Honorable Mention)

A place not welcoming to us is the place we live Through time we have been shunned and shown hatred Now we want a place to stand equal among you We fight for our right to simply exist in your world We will not be quiet We will not be thrown to the side We will make you hear us And we will prove we are stronger than you think We have faced the end of a whip and not backed down The barrel of a gun and stood our ground The face of a judge and demanded to be heard Our future will be shaped by us We will make this place our home And we will make it safe.

Black History Month Poem
by Ava Kate Snipes
(Middle School Winner)

Speak up don’t stay quiet If we stay quiet there will be no change The world is unfair, not right We need to speak up for each other Have the courage to do what is right Be bold, be brave, make the world a better place It shouldn’t matter our race we are all equal just the same Through the ups and downs, we should be together Making each other stronger not tearing down We all deserve freedom no one should be a slave We have to do something to make that change We are unbreakable, we are beautiful, we are more than people think We should be loved but to make that change we need to speak up Have faith for a better tomorrow We need hope for the present and the future We need peace and prayers for the community and world But most of all we need justice, not tomorrow but today Keep moving, keep moving Free at last!

I, Annabelle
by Roma Steiner
(Middle School Honorable Mention)

My name is Annabelle
A slave I am and will ever be
Never, ever will I be free;
Keep working I will
Until I die.

Bread and rice
Was all I got;
And in an old pot
Some horrible meat
Discarded for bad.

I work all day
Harvesting tobacco
The overseer says,” Hurry ho!”
He whips us if we are too slow

All I had was
Dresses of rags
Out of old flour bags;
Mistress’ gowns
Dirty and old.

I hated my master
With all of my might
I was in such a plight
With God and man,
I wished to run away.

I knew that if I ran away,
Flogged at the stake I’d be
He’d hurt and maybe ruin me
I am worth nothing
To anyone but God.

I did not know soon
I would be free
To look and see
Anything I wished
And make my own living.

Abraham Lincoln in his speech
Let all the slaves be free
(I couldn’t believe that meant me!)
To work to get payed
Although we weren’t treated well.

I was elated
And happy, and pleased
For that meant all slaves (even me!)
Could live on our own,
And die as we willed.

Brown Girl Curls
by Ava Lytle
(Elementary School Winner)

It’s morning again and my hair just won’t do!
It looks like a crazy tangly zoo!

The curls are all frizzy, stubborn, and wild,
My brushes get stuck, my frustration gets piled.

I call my big sisters. Their hair is like mine.
Only one is much thicker, the other more fine.

I tell them I hate this mess, it just isn’t fair!
They tell me the magic of my brown girl hair

All the way back to Adam and Eve,
God made our hair something to see!

I try lotions and potions, some grease and some goops,
the wetter it gets the nicer the loops.

The brown curls are huge, a little more tame,
I’m beginning to like the look of my mane.

It’s natural, enormous, unique and it’s free,
It’s powerful, beautiful, and wonderfully me!

Stand
by Charlotte Coan
(Elementary School Honorable Mention)

We will stand through the dark, empty, and cold
When one pushes us down
Over something we were told
Told what we can’t love
Blamed by our skin
How we identify
Our culture and religion
This feeling is lonely empty and numb It makes us feel as if we weren’t one
But NO you are good enough
From now we’ll stand fight for what we believe
That is a command
We will march with a movement
A power so strong
To prove no living being should be treated wrong
Here we march to a song so sweet
Standing up strong
Drumming with the beat
We won’t stop we continue to sing
Sing till we hear freedom ring
Ringing from the north ringing from the south
Letting nothing drown are voices down
We won’t stop till this injustice is broke
Standing tall shouting CHANGE we spoke
We won’t stop equality until it’s done Fairness and freedom for everyone
Doesn’t matter your age
Neither your race
It’s never too late to stand for change
Join your neighbors
Strangers, and friends
Stand tall and join hands
March to the beat sing with the song
Stand together and freedom should come along.

Newsworthy items for submission for Rosenwald Community News are welcomed from community members, churches, clubs and groups. If you have an idea for a story or interview for me to capture, please let me know – Nicola Karesh at nicolakaresh@ gmail.com or call (828) 421-8615

by Nicola Karesh

We start off this week with a little trek down memory lane and the Mary C. Jenkins Community Center. From the Jan. 21 edition of The Transylvania Times in 1971, you could have read, “Since day care has been discontinued, the Mary C. Jenkins Community Center has been used for full day recreation for all ages with the help of community workers: Mrs. Selena Robinson, Lida Raynowska, Boyce Baker and Norris Ducket. Recreation is held at least three nights a week. The center is also used for other activities by different groups for band practice, dances, plays, movies, teas, art, photography and baton lessons.”

To continue our look at the past, thank you to Mary Sherwood for her recent letter: “I always look for your articles in the newspaper, and this week I was especially pleased to read that the Jenkins Community Center is going up. I remember helping out there many years ago when it opened its doors to the Boys & Girls Club, which was just starting in the county. Several of us were volunteers from the Quilt Club helping the children learn how to use sewing machines and make small projects. Needless to say, it was challenging to find a quiet place to do this in that busy building. Some of those students now are college graduates. But I am really writing you mainly to praise you for the excellent columns that you provide for us in the newspaper. You educate, as well as entertain us, and we appreciate it. I hope you can continue to do so for a long time.”

Thank you so much for that! For those of you out there that have memories and connections with the center, please send those in. It will be nice to collect and record those for MCJCC. Mary’s letter is especially timely as our opening approaches. There is an open invitation for community members to let us know how you would like to be involved. Maybe you have a talent, a skill, or a passion to share? Perhaps you will have time to volunteer and want to know how to do so? Some of the areas where you might be able to put your energies for starters relate to health and wellness, art and music, history and culture, youth and recreation.

Locally, and in present time, Joe Greene recently gave a comedy show performance with another scheduled for the end of this month. “For the past 15 or 16 years, I have been the organizer and promoter of the Funny “r” Us comedy shows,” he said.

It was recently renamed Funny “R” Us Awareness since the diagnosis of cancer entered his life.

“I have always felt that laughter is the key to happiness. I still believe in that. The shows get people out and brings laughter to their lives,” he said.

Joe calls himself an ambassador and “the black spokesman for colonoscopy early testing” at the age of 40. Reportedly, insurance didn’t previously cover the needed testing until age 50.

Over the last few years, “it has dropped to age 45, especially with actor Chadwick Boseman’s death to colon cancer at the age of 43,” he said. “When he was film ing ‘Black Panther,’ people didn’t even know that he had cancer and he was going through chemotherapy.

You want to catch it early, because if you let it go so far, you’re not coming back from it. As a black man growing up, it was stuck in my mind that I need to have this test done at age 40. When I look back, I was seeing signs. You know, not using the restroom, blood in my stool. I just never thought I was on that level.”

Greene was scheduled to have his colonoscopy test when he was 39.
“It was my 40th birthday week, so I put it off,” he said.

“February came. I kept putting it off. As men, we don’t want anyone touching us in this area, so I keep putting it off. March was booked up and then in April, my Mama told me that I needed to get it done. I did. April 17, I woke up to the news from the doctor that I had cancer.

I said, ‘Damn. What’s my next move? I have kids.’” On April 20 Joe saw a specialist who told him that he didn’t participate in the usual things that trigger most people (eating a lot of red meat, smoking) and so they were going to “go with the flow and get this out of me.” On April 27, he was scheduled for emergency surgery.

“I was still not really grasping it,” he said. “I posted on social media about having cancer and about my surgery. When I woke up from it, I was told that I had stage 3 cancer. There are only 4 stages. They cut a mass out of me, the size of a tennis ball. Something that big was growing in me, and I didn’t even know.”

He was scheduled for five to seven days in the hospital. Joe shared that he went home after 2 ½ days.

His mindset was, “I can’t dwell on this. It is what it is.

I have kids.” In a three-way conversation with Greene and Brevard resident Cindy Benjamin, it was clear that Greene understood what he was now facing. Far from denial and sticking his head in the sand, he was taking the bull by the horns and finding his own way to move forward in a positive manner.

“Even before my diagnosis, I recognized that laughter is a stress reliever,” he said. “Comedy shows… it’s needed. We don’t usually go to Brevard. There was no connection really.”

Transylvania locals would attend the shows in Asheville, and with several connections made with locals the show came to Brevard.

“We seen the vibe and it felt like a good thing to bring it to Papa L.E.W’s venue, where we had the last show,” he said. “As the spokesman for this movement, I tell people what goes on, especially as a black man. I talk about the prep drink before the test, the procedure, what happens after you wake up, the 12 rounds of chemo that I had. I call this ESSL, or Early Screening Saves Lives. What I share makes you aware, comfortable and that it’s cool to accept it and talk about it. Put some initiative into your life. You know, you can look good on the outside and you never know what’s happening on the inside.”

We talked about lifestyle changes, planting seeds and tapping in to bring awareness through conversation with black men 40 plus and age 40 and below as his main reach.

As a self-employed individual, Project X was the avenue that Joe and his mother pursued to cover his testing as he was uninsured.

“Let’s find out what’s in Transylvania County or in the area. We can find out the steps together,” he said.

Cindy Benjamin shared, “I am trying to help him get the word out. His major thing is to get a group together and speak. I was listening to him at the last comedy show in Brevard and I was thinking that in this area, you don’t have many black men willing to come forward and talk about health issues. His being forward and out was amazing to me. It’s a start to something. The comedy show was great. Every comedian did an outstanding job keeping the crowd laughing! Much respect to Joe Greene for having the courage to get on stage and talk about his fight with battling cancer. I commend him for being so open to talk about something that most would consider to be so private! I am looking forward to supporting and attending any upcoming Awareness events that will be held in the months to come!”

Other Transylvania County residents also attended.

“Joe did an amazing job with the comedy show,” Terelle Norman said. “I have been to numerous shows and he went above and beyond, as always, to make sure that everyone enjoys themselves. It was something very different for Brevard and something that we absolutely needed. I am looking forward for the next show. Laughter is good for the soul and we all need that. I have also followed his journey over the past year while he has dealt with cancer and he is an amazing and strong human. He is definitely a great advocate for men to get tested early.”

From Melba Avery: “I had an absolute ball at the comedy show. It did my soul some good to be able to socialise, laugh and be in the presence of good company.

This town really needed it. I will most definitely support the effort and I will remain down for the cause. I know Joe went above and beyond putting this show together.

It was awesome. Can’t wait until the next one.”

Kelly A. McDuffie: “It was nice to be able to experience a comedy show with my daughter. I also liked the way they talked about real issues in our communities but did it in a way that we could laugh and enjoy ourselves. Shout out to Joe Greene for overcoming cancer. I would definitely recommend attending their show and would love to catch the next one. Also, shout out to Ursula Wynn and staff for good service and good food.”

Danyel Rabb: “I had a great experience at the comedy show Friday, March 18.

It was my first comedy show that I have attended and was definitely worth it. I had many laughs with some delicious food and a good time with my people and other people in my community.

I’m glad I had the advantage of listening to Joe Greene tell his story about having and beating cancer, as well as how big of a problem it is in the Black community. It is something that should be more talked about.”

Closing it out, Joe’s desire is to reach out to the community.

“If it grabs someone, that’s important,” he said.

“My experience, the shows, activism, all the things in my life I’ve done have led up to this platform to share this subject that’s not talked about in the Black community and as men. Let’s see where it goes!”

Incidentally, Greene’s last colonoscopy was on Wednesday, March 23, of this year. He was cancer- free. The next comedy show will be on Friday, April 29, at 36 E. Main Street in Brevard (Papa LEW’s) with doors opening at 7 p.m., and the show starting at 8 p.m.

Newsworthy items for submission for Rosenwald Community News are welcomed from community members, churches, clubs and groups. If you have an idea for a story or interview for me to capture, please let me know at nicolakaresh@gmail.com or call (828) 421-8615.

by Nicola Karesh

Community work is enjoyable to me. I love the people that I get to meet, the things that I learn, the multitude of things that I get involved in. That’s a fraction of a larger response I could give. Like many of you, there are lots of other things that I could do with my time and energy, but there is something special about work that inspires me. In contrast, there are times when we perform tasks and we are kind of on auto pilot: Not really giving it all of our attention and heart. Just getting it done.

Victor Foster shared an anecdote that brings some of this to life. Over at the Mary C. Jenkins Community Center site, from his house Vic could see one of the workers laying rock. At times, the man was walking around the rock work, going back and forth, seemingly deliberating what to do. When Vic went over to ask what he was doing, the rock worker shared that he had made trips over to the old Rosenwald school to examine the rock work over there. Vic, “He was trying to make it look identical to Rosenwald. He wanted to make sure that it had the right feel to it. Speaking to some of the other workers, too, there was the sense that they really wanted it to represent the Rosenwald community. They were taking an extra step, getting it right. They really seemed to care. They could just lay down rock, but they were putting more into it than that and you could feel it.”

I drove by the Mary C. Jenkins Community Center last Sunday. If you haven’t done so recently, please do. The progress is amazing. Doors and windows are in, wall boards up, wiring in place with heating and plumbing systems in.

On to good news and celebrating, particularly with this being Women’s History Month.

Congratulations to Danicia Davis and her three sisters on their accomplishments. Danicia lives in Transylvania County: “I am in human resources at a camp for troubled youth in Lake Toxaway. Last year, I got my master’s in HR from Western Carolina University.”

Danicia’s youngest sister, Jamia Davis, grew up in Brevard. She was born and raised here and now lives in Asheville. She got her BA degree in social work from Mars Hill and an accelerated Master’s degree in clinical social work from WCU. She runs her own private practice called “Righteous Minds” and is the clinical director at a company that helps adults with substance abuse and other disorders.

Her oldest sister, Eshaenee Davis, works at a hospital in Charlotte. She just got her BA in nursing from Mars Hill University. She grew up here during her elementary and middle school years, moving at age 12 to California to be with her grandma. She came back to North Carolina 10 years ago to raise her son.

Danicia offered her last family good news: “My twin sister, Franicia Davis, is getting her Master’s in Nursing. She is in an accelerated Master’s programme at the University of South Carolina. She worked at the hospital in Transylvania County for six years before deciding to get her MA degree.” Well done ladies! You are an asset to your community and to your family.

In other good news on the local front with women making history, I spoke to Phratasia Macon and her daughter Ursula Wynn about Papa L.E.W’s one-year anniversary mark. I spoke first to Ursula who reported, “Overall, it’s been a great experience. Some pushbacks in the beginning. We’ve gotten good feedback. People seem happy.”

What did it mean to her to be located downtown?

“A black, openly gay woman on Main Street speaks volumes to me that we’re making progress, breaking down racial barriers and walls,” she said. “It has been hard in the past for people of color and minorities to get in, but we are doing it, integrating into the city of Brevard. It has been a long time coming.”

Have they felt supported by the African American community and by downtown?

“Honestly, 90 to 95%, if not more, of my customers are white and from outside of my community,” she said. “There has been huge support from downtown. I am still struggling to get more support from my people and my community. It has been slow progress, and I am not going to give up. A few have come in from the black community saying, ‘I don’t see why we aren’t in here all the time,’ but they don’t come back after the first time.”

I asked why she thought that was?

“It’s a crab in the bucket mentality,” she said. “The community won’t be surprised for you to write this. I’ve said this before and I’ve been saying it for the last year: t’s fear of someone doing better than you. You see one of your own at the top who you could help push up, as they could in turn reach down to help pull you up. It’s the crab in the bucket mentality that stops them. So, they may not frequent my place and it has nothing to do with money, because I see them in other white establishments. They don’t offer support but will sit back and not show up. I will say what others are afraid to say. Don’t be a person to complain if you’re not actively trying to make a change or bring a solution.”

What has been surprising?

“I’m surprised that I am still here,” she said. “In this restaurant business, 85 to 95% don’t make it to see their first year. Of the remaining 5 to 15%, 70 to 75% don’t make it to their third year. It’s been a blessing to still be here as it hasn’t been easy from day one. Our first day, we came in to find that our prep cooker had gone out overnight. We lost everything. It all spoiled. Now, on our first day, we were already in the hole for thousands. Later, our cooker went out. That was $10,000. Still, within that first four months, our freezer and beer cooler also went out costing hundreds of dollars. We lost over $15,000, and we hadn’t made any money yet. Some days, we couldn’t open because our staff was limited. Nine months later, we had a building fire. We were closed for a whole week dealing with smoke and flood damage. My grandfather passed a week right after, and the stress level was high. It was one thing after another. A few times, especially after his death, I felt emotionally, physically and mentally drained. It was a lot. I had made a promise to him to do everything in my power to succeed, so I pulled up my big girl britches and with extreme support from family, friends and staff we made it.”

What has been inspiring?

“In March 2020, I just lost my job,” she said. “I came home to Brevard to clear my head. I got inspired to cook some food. At first, it was selling plates from a small apartment kitchen. I thought of my dream and proceeded to do what I had to do.”

Ursula referenced much of the local black history that she has been educating and reminding herself of.

“All of those businesses that are on the walking tour – we had just about everything back then except our own hospital and bank,” she said. “We have the ability and talent to do this again, to rebuild what once was black wall street in this community.”

I spoke with Phratasia afterwards. She added, “I have to say, it has been a long and hard journey. COVID came. My father passed away. People not wanting to work. But, Ursula stuck it out. She promised my dad that she’d make a go of it in his honor, and in spite of all the problems in the world, here in Transylvania County and on social media, she stuck it out. I am a proud Mama. She made it on her own without handouts. She dreamed of this, and she put her dream to work. Seeing her work hard and seeing her do what she wanted to do makes me proud. A black female owning a business is tough. Add being on Main Street in Transylvania County and that’s history. The news people came from WLOS on March 16, our one-year anniversary. People on social media started giving her some negativity. They didn’t mention good things that she has done and the giving back taught by her grandfather and myself. Her giving hundreds of gifts at Thanksgiving and Christmas time, adopting families, cash prizes at the basketball games. Continuously giving back. For the future, my prayer is that one day we will get our own space, our own building, and we won’t have to answer to anyone. God is good. It will happen.”

Before I close out for this week, I do want to say that the MCJCC 2nd annual Poetry Contest does have winners to announce. In the adult category, first place went to Judith Davis with “A Tribute to James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Honorable mention went to Eloise Shepard with “If You Took My Hand in the Dark.” Special Mention went to “Rosenwald” by Carla Wilson Avery. In the High School category, first was Amya Humphries with “The Experience” and honorable mention to Miguelina Jimenez Tate with “The African American Experience.” Our Middle School first place recipient was Ava Kate Snipes with “Black History Month Poem” and honorable mention to Roma Steiner and “I, Annabelle.” Our Elementary school category saw “Brown Girl Curls” by Ava Lytle as our first place winner and “Stand” by Charlotte Coan receiving an honorable mention. Well done to these and to all of our submitting poets. It was a pleasure and an honor to read what you felt led to put down in words. More to follow in the near future about an awards ceremony for the community to celebrate and hear our winning poets.

Newsworthy items for submission for Rosenwald Community News are welcomed from community members, churches, clubs and groups. If you have an idea for a story or interview for me to capture, please let me know at nicolakaresh@gmail.com or call (828) 421-8615.

by Nicola Karesh

The deadline for Mary C. Jenkins Community Center’s annual Poetry Contest has been extended through Saturday, March 12. We discovered that teachers and students at Transylvania County Schools had not gotten the information about the contest until last week. Please share this revised date with friends, family and community groups that you belong to. The contest is not just for youth, but also for you adults out there. The purpose of the contest is to celebrate Black History Month and Brevard’s progress to re-establish the community center in the historic Rosenwald area. Next year, you can guarantee that when we gather again to hear the winning poets reading their original work, the building will be complete and the center’s doors will be wide open to welcome you in.

Whether we realise it or not, we do have an affect on each other. Our influence can be positive or negative, so be mindful of what you choose to put out there in the world. Sometimes without much deliberateness or awareness it can feel like we’re throwing the dice and life will reflect how the dice fell. At times we effect change and we don’t even know it. This month, I was privy to conversations that popped up spontaneously on social media after February’s Faces Of Freedom event. It was like the loveliest breath of fresh air.

A community member, not of African descent, who preferred to remain anonymous shared that she felt inspired to search more about African heritage: “It’s great that we are becoming aware of our own identity and can be proud of it and still appreciate our differences. Colonisation of the world by the European powers needs to be taught in our school curriculum. We need to dismantle the ideology of ‘white supremacy,’ a political, social, even cultural construct to oppress and control the minorities by the powerful and the small elites. If we only understand that, we, the people, will have a better community to live in for us and our children.”

What followed, among other things, was a neat exchange about the outfits worn by our male and female models during the fashion show. Transylvania resident Liz Peryam loved the fabrics, patterns, colours of the prints and enquired if the prints were batik. Sherry Edington was wonderful with enlightening and educating us all with her knowledgeable response: “None of them are batik. The fabrics that were modeled were mud cloth, Kente cloth, Ankara wax, Vlisco wax, embroidered African seersucker and metallic African fabric.”

This information was so unfamiliar to me that I did my own research to find corresponding pictures and to make sure that I got the spellings correct.

In other news, Janice Fritts Green shared a life update since our last interview with her a couple of years ago: “They contend I’m like George Jefferson. I done moved on up!” Janice is thankful for the support of her husband of 12 years. “We have a good place to live,” she said. “I thank God for my husband being there for me. He is always there to help me. Some days when I want to fall, he picks me up. I love him from the bottom of my heart. I remember when my father passed away, my husband was right there with me. I thank God too for my mother for also being there with me. We were there for each other.”

At one point in her life reportedly weighing approximately 990 pounds, she announced: “Now I’m down to 314 pounds, after losing another 175 pounds. I’m doing good. Staying busy. I’m babysitting and I’m walking every day.” Her recent visit to the doctor was met with a thumbs up. “The doctor said I was doing good,” she said. “I walk three miles a day. I’m still crocheting, writing poetry and going to church every Sunday. I’m in the women’s ministry at St. John Nation Baptist church and I thank God for bringing me this far. He has brought me a mighty long ways and I want to thank him. If I didn’t have the Lord on my side when I weighed 990 pounds, I don’t know where I’ll be today. But God has been good to me.”

Like Janice, be good to yourself. Celebrate your wins. Be thankful for the blessings in your life and have the generosity of spirit to share with others. Enjoy your week.

Newsworthy items for submission for Rosenwald Community News are welcomed from community members, churches, clubs and groups. If you have an idea for a story or interview for me to capture, please let me know at nicolakaresh@gmail.com or call (828) 421-8615.

by Nicola Karesh

You can plan things out with such care, be organised and have details arranged just perfectly and then the Universe comes along and without warning throws you a lovely curve ball. Everyone is happy when life goes smoothly. I think it really says a lot about a person when you see how they handle life when it isn’t going as planned.

Last Saturday’s Faces Of Freedom event provided a great learning opportunity for several of us. I will get to the actual event, but the surrounding elements really spoke to me. Five people who were to be part of our program had to pull out at the last minute due to COVID-19-related issues, other health concerns and even a family death. Our thoughts and our hearts continue to be with each of you as you navigate what life has presented. It was a breath of fresh air to see Gloria Williamson and Sherry Edington take it in stride when four of their 12 models for the fashion show couldn’t be there. Without fuss or apparent stress, they simply adjusted two hours before showtime and went to Plan B. Victor Foster had his adventure with indoor lighting issues. Like a true professional, he also went with the flow and ended up with a different setup that also worked perfectly. His demeanour was calm, easygoing and unflappable. Doug Wilks and Kathryn Burleigh, who were handling technical matters above my pay grade, were simply amazing. Unbeknownst to the rest of us, about midway during the actual live streaming event, some videos gave them a run for their money. The lack of stress that I, or anyone experienced at the microphone, was in large part because of how well they contained issues handled on their end, how well they held it together overall and how well they adapted on the fly to keep the program going.

With all of that said, I was thankful for a pleasant and flexible team of people to work with. It makes life so much easier and more enjoyable. The complete broadcast, with everything functioning beautifully as intended, will be re-posted online this week. What is always affirming is to receive feedback letting us know what your experience was like.

As a way to commence our shared afternoon, Roberta Miller referenced our event’s theme for the year, which was one of “Bringing History and Community to Life.” She made a strong connection to both with her opening remarks, “Since years ago when Ethel K. Mills encouraged and led her students to understand their history and culture, African American women have carried that ‘reminding’ lamp for our towns and county. Miss Selina Robinson taught so many so much, opened so many chapters of the past, and Miss Edith Darity continues to do so.”

With Faces Of Freedom 2022 receiving a Community Outreach Endowment Fund from UUTC, Miller viewed that as that lamp being carried forward with “continued enlightening for both students and adults.”

From RK Young, “I especially liked hearing the stories of when integration of our schools were happening, and what that felt like.”

Joyce Pearsall shared, “Wonderful program, loved the cultural colors, loved the interviews. The ‘32 Seconds’ is memorable and got me thinking. In addition to Nicola’s powerful video, ‘32 Seconds’ stands out to me. It got me to thinking, ‘What would I do with 32 seconds?’ The first thing that comes to mind is wishing my friend all the best, always. Maybe that would take just a few seconds, so I can then ask, ‘You doin’ alright?’ Newly inspired, I plan on using my ‘32 Seconds’ on a daily basis. If not to people, then to nature.”

Rev. Bob Renjilian from the Unitarian Universalists of Transylvania County expressed, “It was an honor to host Faces of Freedom. I was impressed with how the living history videos, art and fabric creations fit together. The fashion show, with people of all ages, was impressive.”

From Judith West, “The program was fantastic. I can’t wait to hear more of the conversation about Rosenwald school. I certainly heard things today I’ve never heard before.”

With an invitation to expand if she was willing, Judith further elaborated, “I thought I’d listened carefully to accounts of the integration process (in some forums focused mostly on the football team.) So, I was interested, surprised actually, to hear the new (to me) stories of inappropriate, even cruel, treatment from students and teachers in the early years of integration. I think it is likely that I, like many privileged folks, just wanted to hear the sanitised version of history. So, I am grateful for the honest telling of these stories. Why should I be surprised? These behaviours continue, don’t they? I commit myself again to listen.”

West’s latter feedback refers to Vic Foster’s capturing Janice Norman, Linda McCants, Altha Gordon and Sheila Mooney sharing their school experience with youth interviewer, Wendel “CJ” Darity Jr.

Finally, a quote from Phil Harris, the former Brevard police chief: ”I watched the eighth edition of Faces Of Freedom 2022. I am inspired on a number of levels and am humbled to have been a part of the program. You have created something that will be archived and preserved for future generations.”

This week, let me focus now on the fashion component of our showcase. We were blessed to have male and female models spanning the ages, all sporting what is known as Afrocentric attire. Afrocentric fashion is described as a style that mixes traditional African clothing, colors and designs with other styles. It is about embracing your heritage, your roots with a perfect avenue for self-expression. It allows you to really tap into who you are as an individual, sharing with others what makes you feel unique, special and beautiful. We certainly had a nice sampling last Saturday with bold African prints, bright colours with gorgeous heritage patterns.

In other news, we are halfway through February with our Poetry Contest from the Mary C. Jenkins Community Center underway. Remember that this is open to all ages, needs to relate to the African American experience no matter what your background is and, lastly, it needs to be your original work as a resident of Transylvania County.

Newsworthy items for submission for Rosenwald Community News are welcomed from community members, churches, clubs and groups. If you have an idea for a story or interview for me to capture, please let me know. Contact Nicola Karesh at nicolakaresh@gmail.com or call (828) 421-8615