Celebrate Responsibly, Happy Independence Day!

OUAT Blog for July 4th

Eat, drink and make merry this 4th of July!  Many of us can think back to our childhood to fireworks, cookout's, beaches, lakes and many other memories we celebrated with siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents on Independence Day.  Right? One of the hallmarks of the summer season is this "Lipton Ice Tea Plunge" time of year when we literally went outside to have FUN!  However, as some of us have gotten older and started to look into the meaning behind the holiday, it suddenly got a little complicated, depending on your point of view.

As an African American and a member of the First Nation of the Tuscarora Indians I can fully appreciate that on July 4th, 1776 a sizeable portion of my ancestors who happened to be here and had any part in the revolutionary war did so under very "interesting" circumstances. Notwithstanding that in short order, the legalization of slave labor marking the mass importation of African men, women and children against their will to the newly liberated former colonies, would set in motion a social direction that our country, to this day, has struggled to come to terms with.  Not to mention the geocide and near extermination of native tribes throughout the former colonies, which is still a blithe on the consciousness of this country.

Today's blog, however, is not about uncovering uncomfortable and unpleasant truths behind this national holiday, it is  about understanding, yet again, the importance of coming to terms with what is the actual origin story of our nation and how we individually play a part in that story today. Likewise, it is also about the attitude we have in celebrating this holiday with our friends, families and loved ones and the story we frame for future generations to come.

As I stated in my opening, I recall many a firework display and an endless stream of those glittery sparkling sticks.  The notion that the idea of an independent and free country would be able to celebrate its freedoms collectively is a good notion, a good thing. Whether we can actually pull it off in this current climate of constant terror threats and pending, looming fear is another challenge altogether, depending on your politics and attitude.

For my part, I would hope that the memories I have of the free, friendly, family and community celebrations of my youth will be passed on to my daughter for her to share with her children in the years to come.  I hope that the readers of this blog would want to pass along the same, if not similar experiences for their children, their neighbors children and extended families, to expand the narrative that TODAY we are a nation of diverse people who have one key thing in common, a celebration of freedom and hope for a brighter, brilliant future.

If you can, spend time with a young person today, planting a positive memory that he or she will want to share when they get to be your age. Remember that we were all children once, running, playing and having fun. Keep in mind also that today’s children will one day be tomorrow’s adults and they will take our place sharing their stories about us, to their children and to the generations to come.

Unaware

OUAT Blog for June 6

Two months ago I started work on the video documentation of the Oral Histories for The Friends of Rankin Chapel (The Friends), a service group in support of the Andrew Rankin Chapel located on the campus of Howard University.  Last week I had the pleasure of working with this amazing group of professional men and women who were as dynamic as they were, collectively, extraordinary.

The one thing about history, particularly the history of others, is hearing how their life experiences shaped them.  When I first meet members of The Friends I was inclined to make initial assumptions about each one based on what they are wearing, how they spoke and particularly what their titles were.  I have to say that I have had the pleasure of working with a very large number of Ph.D.'s and , I have to say, you can't help but feel smarter while doing so.

And so when the recording begins, the story unfolds and then my world becomes a great deal more enriched. Last week, while recording I learned so much more about my alma mater that I was practically embarrassed to call myself an Alumni. I even met a young man, Mr. Glen Vinson, Jr., who was a fellow member of the football team, a team that I captained during my time, who is currently a member of The Friends and was a Chapel Assistant when he was a student in the late 1990's.

But perhaps the greatest impact occurred late on the first day of filming. Looking back I have to say that we were on a blistering pace of recording, a total of 10 interviews in one day. At the end of the day I had the pleasure of recording the Oral History of Dr. Donna Grant-Mills, Chair for the Department of Dental Hygiene at the Howard University School of Dentistry. When the day was done Dr. Mills came up to me and personally thanked me for the work I (we) had accomplished and expressed sincere gratitude for how the entire process unfolded.

Looking back, at that moment it became clear to me that even though I stood on the outside looking in, I was also simultaneously becoming a part of that history. Her words of thanks and appreciation allowed me to understand that no matter what a persons title or the maker of their suit, together we share in the history making process as soon as the recording begins.

As I reflect on Dr. Mills I am also reminded of Rev. Fay Akers, the current Reverend of Rankin Chapel as well as Rev. Dr. Judy Fentress of Alfred Street Baptist Church, both leaders of congregations and dynamic individuals who have a heart for service. Standing back, I can almost see just how fortunate I am to be able to share in their stories, and so many others. And yet, in the moment, I am totally unaware of the impact I may be having on their lives, in comparison to the impact I know that they were having on mine.

Each of us has an "impact factor" that I am sure we are not aware of. As I continue my work and my sharing of these experiences, I am hopeful that you, those reading this blog, will be mindful of the part you play in sharing, shaping and preserving our collective history for the generations to come, fully aware.

Dr. Donna Grant-Mills with Dean Emeritus Sanders

The Drive...

What’s interesting when you get in the car with my mother is that you know this is going to be another moment in time that you are sure you will savor and cherish for the rest of your, life, especially at age 44. For as long as I can remember, I have always been my mother’s “road dog” as she and I have driven for thousands of miles since I first got my license at 17.   November, 2015 we set off on another road trip to Beaufort, South Carolina on a journey that can only be defined as destiny; a journey into our collective past to discover who we are and from where we came; the Heritage Days Festival on St. Helena Island, South Carolina.

During the drive I took the time to listen carefully and ask just the right questions, Is the music ok?, Am I driving too fast? And oh by the way, just what do you know about Beaufort, other than what Aunt Margaret told us?”  Mom’s answers were short, direct yet insightful and it felt to me that she was taking in as much of the time together with me, her son, as she was lost in thought about what she may discover on this journey for herself.

When we arrived I discovered a magnificent and beautiful place that felt more like home than where I had been living for the past 6 years.  It was eerily strange and overwhelmingly loving from the first “hello” from someone who seemed more like a distant relation than a perfect stranger. It was three days of cultural education and personal discovery where I met some of the most amazing and beautiful people, was adopted by a 93 year old woman as her newest grandson (whom I still call and keep in touch with to this day) and I discovered that my first ancestor to arrive from Africa as a slave, arrived on St. Helena Island in 1820, just shy of 200 years before my arrival, with my mother.

Ryan J. Heathcock

Once Upon A Time

"Recording your story in your own words for the generations to come."

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Once upon a time….

It was at my cousin’s funeral…

My cousin Jeanne Jarvis, wife of more than 50 years to Norman Jarvis was laid to rest in Washington, DC in February 2015.  Her husband for more than 45 years, Norman Jarvis, preceded her in death by just 6 weeks.

In 2008 I was researching my dad’s genealogy and I sat down with Norman to ask him about his family history and how he and Jeanne came to live with my dad and grandmother after her husbands untimely passing in 1960. You see, my dad’s story began in Southern Germany in 1946 where he was born to a German woman, but was taken to an orphanage for post war children.  He was later adopted and brought to the US by a upper middle class African American family in Washington, DC in 1952.  But this particular story for another time; the focus here stays with my cousin Norman and our conversation in 2008.

During the course of our “recorded” conversation, Norman shared with me the history of the Jarvis family dating back to before the Civil War. When I shared the recording with his children, as they had not known he had made this recording, it was expressed to me then that what I had given them was the greatest gift possible being that in the last several years of Norman’s life he suffered from dementia and spoke little to not at all. Now, the family has his personality and words recorded for all time to share not only in his memory but his legacy and the legacy of their family that will now be passed on to future generations.

I use this story as the starting point for sharing with you in this Blog what Once Upon a Time is truly all about and why I work with individuals and organizations to preserve and to pass down their history for future generations. I always say to my clients,  “Don’t allow others to tell your story for you, tell your story in your own words while you can.”