If you missed the opening events for the 2022 Cleveland History Days celebration, please know that you still have time to attend lots of other great programs. Please click HERE for more information. Special thanks to Sandra Morgan, granddaughter of inventor Garrett A. Morgan Sr., Attorney-Actor Peter Lawson Jones, Garrett A. Morgan III, Patrick Shepherd, and other participants and guests for supporting the opening day activities at the Cleveland History Center. –Regennia
St. Adalbert / Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo courtesy of Regennia N. Williams.)
By Regennia N. Williams, PhD
On April 24, 2022, “Divine Mercy Sunday,” members of St. Adalbert / Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church officially launched the celebration of its 100th anniversary. A century earlier, in response to action on the part of a group of African American petitioners, Bishop Joseph Schrembs of the Diocese of Cleveland formally declared “the establishment of a parish for the Colored Catholics of Cleveland” during an April 11, 1922, meeting. That parish was Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, and the parish continues to serve congregants and residents of the city’s Fairfax community. Some photographs from the centenary celebration’s kick-off are included below. For more information on the parish’s rich history, I invite you to visit the website for the Diocese of Cleveland HERE.
Dr. Regennia N. Williams and The Most Reverend Bishop Edward Malesic on Sunday, April 24, 2022, following the anniversary service at St. Adalbert / Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church. (Photo Courtesy of Regennia N. Williams)Sr. Juanita Shealey, CSJ, long-time member of St. Adalbert / Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, is shown here at the anniversary celebration on Sunday, April 24, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Regennia N. Williams.)
Mrs. June Sallée Antoine, co-founder of the Adrienne Kennedy Society and Creative Writing Workshop Projects, is shown here in a still from her 2003 interview for “Praying Grounds: African American Faith Communities, A Documentary and Oral History Project.” The interview was conducted in the Rhodes Tower television studio at Cleveland State University.
By Regennia N. Williams, PhD
When I consider the significant role that the arts and humanities have played in my life, I am often reminded of the work of Mrs. June Sallée Antoine (1929-2016). A native of Sandusky, Ohio, Mrs Antoine was my sister in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a long-time member of Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights, an educator, an arts administrator, and a philanthropist. In addition to serving as the co-founder of the Adrienne Kennedy Society and Creative Writing Workshop Projects, she was the co-director of the Langston Hughes Young Writers Project when we worked together during the award-winning Langston Hughes Centennial Celebration. She was also a key supporter of the Cleveland Chautauqua Project.
In 2022, I look forward to celebrating her legacy, the ongoing work of Adrienne Kennedy, and the contributions of other great artists, scholars, and patrons of the arts and humanities. For more information on the Langston Hughes Centennial Project, the Cleveland Chautauqua Project, the Praying Grounds Oral History Project, and related arts and humanities activities, please visit www.ClevelandMemory.org/prayor stop by Special Collections in Cleveland State University’s Michael Schwartz Library. An online finding aid for the Praying Grounds Collection is also available HERE.
In 2010, Mrs. Antoine (left) and I (far right) drove to the Chautauqua Institution in New York to meet with the Reverend Dr. Joan Brown Campbell (seated), who was then serving as the Director of Religion at the Institution. Rev. Campbell’s daughter, Jane Campbell, was the first woman to be elected mayor of Cleveland. Jane Campbell (second from right) and her daughter joined us in posing for this group photo
The “Praying Grounds” Collage for the Cleveland Memory Website.
By Regennia N. Williams, PhD
Earlier this month, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Praying Grounds: African American Faith Communities, A Documentary and Oral History Project would benefit from a recent American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant to Cleveland State University’s Michael Schwartz Library. The library plans to “use the American Rescue Plan funds to process, digitize, and promote . . . Praying Grounds, which contains oral histories, audio visual materials, ephemera, and research materials.”
Launched in 2003, Praying Grounds was a CSU-based project through the spring semester of 2015, when I left CSU and moved to Maryland in 2016. All materials collected through 2015 were donated to Library Special Collections.
The 2021 online description for the funding initiative suggested the following, “With funds from he National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the American Library Association (ALA) will distribute $2 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to help anchor libraries as strong humanities institutions as they emerge and rebuild from the coronavirus pandemic. The purpose of this emergency relief program is to assist libraries that have been adversely affected by the pandemic and require support to restore and sustain their core activities.” In February 2022, the ALA announced that 200 libraries would receive grants of $10,000 each.
According to Marsha Miles, Assistant Director for Collections and Resource Management, a portion of the CSU grant will cover costs associated with hiring a graduate assistant to work on the Praying Grounds Project during the summer of 2023. Congratulations to Marsha and Amanda Goodsett, Performing Arts and Humanities Librarian, on the receipt of this grant award.
The Reverend Dr. Marvin A. McMickle (Courtesy of Marvin A. McMickle.)
Regennia N. Williams, PhD
On Thursday, January 20, 2022, I had the pleasure of serving as host for a wonderful author talk by the Reverend Dr. Marvin A. McMickle, a prolific scholar and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for The RASHAD Center’s Journal of Traditions & Beliefs. The talk on his 18th book, Let the Oppressed Go Free: Exploring Theologies of Liberation, was part of “By the Book: A Celebration of Research, Writing, and the Grand Reopening of the Western Reserve Historical Society Library.” All of the programs in this series focus on aspects of works published between 2020 and 2021 and written by or about Black or Indigenous People of Color. Dr. Marvin A. McMickle’s presentation was the first of three all-virtual Zoom discussions. In my introduction for the January event, I shared the following information about the contributions that Dr. McMickle, members of Cleveland’s Antioch Baptist Church– where he served as pastor for more than 20 years; and leaders and congregants of other institutions have made to my own work and that of other scholars over the years.
Twenty years ago, in the acknowledgement section of my first book, Cleveland, Ohio(2002) for Arcadia Publishing’s Black America series; I thanked Dr. Marvin McMickle, Deacon Kelvin Berry, and the members of Antioch for their support of that publication, which included Dr. McMickle’s introductory essay on the historic role of the African American church.
Soon after the publication of that 2002 book, Dr. McMickle hosted an informal gathering of Black faculty members at Antioch, and individuals from institutions as far away as Oberlin College and Ashland University and as close as Cleveland State University and Case Western Reserve University enjoyed an opportunity for professional networking, dining, and drinking of red punch—a favorite in many African American faith communities.
When I launched Praying Grounds: African American Faith Communities, A Documentary and Oral History at CSU, Dr. McMickle, the Reverend Dr. Larry L. Macon, Sr., and other leaders in United Pastors in Mission agreed to support that effort by donating manuscript materials for the archive and allowing me to recruit oral history narrators in their churches.
Like the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Dr. McMickle’s work has been both ecumenical and inter-religious, and the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell and Rabbi Susan Stone were among the distinguished community leaders who joined Dr. McMickle in supporting my Cleveland Chautauqua Project in the second decade of the 21st Century. Time and time again, Dr. McMickle has demonstrated his belief in the power of diversity.
I am also grateful to Dr. McMickle for his willingness to serve on the Advisory Board for The Journal of Traditions & Beliefs, the biennial scholarly e-publication of the RASHAD Center, Inc. that reaches tens of thousands of readers throughout the global community.
As information on the website for Judson Press suggests, “Marvin A. McMickle, DMin, PhD is currently interim pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio, where he previously served as senior pastor for nearly twenty-five years. He has also served as past president of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, New York. No stranger to academia, McMickle previously served as professor of homiletics at Ashland Theological Seminary and in 2009, spent a semester as a visiting professor at Yale University Divinity School. He also taught at Case Western Reserve, Cleveland State, Princeton, and Fordham universities. “
If you would like to view a recording of Dr. McMickle’s “By the Book” presentation, please click HERE.
To my mind, nothing showcases American diversity quite like the rich tapestry of religious and cultural traditions associated with holiday celebrations. I am, therefore, looking forward to the many Christmas and Kwanzaa events that will take place this year –both virtually and in person! Here are two of my must-see /must-hear programs for 2021. Happy Holidays!
Evelyn Simpson-Curenton is shown here in a still from the 2021 Simpson Family Christmas Video.
The musical talents of organist-vocalist Evelyn Simpson-Cuenton have not escaped the notice of discerning listeners in America–including those with ties to Washington DC’s Shiloh Baptist Church, her home church. This Christmas season, however, she joined family members and friends to present a virtual artistic performance for global audiences. The 2021 Simpson Family Christmas program had its YouTube premiere on December 11th, but it is still available online. Click HERE and enjoy!
Mr. K. D. Hale and Dr. Maulana Karenga’s classic Kwanzaa text.
Several of my Cleveland, Ohio colleagues were kind enough to share their thoughts on the history and meaning of the Kwanzaa holiday, including Mr. K.D. Hale, who is pictured above. You are cordially invited to visit my Anchor site and listen to Mr. Hale’s episode in my “Fifty Golden Moments” podcast series.
The Kwanzaa display in the Hay-McKinney Mansion at the Western Reserve Historical Society.
(Photo: Regennia N. Williams)
Friday, December 31, 2021, 1-3 PM
Out of an abundance of caution amid the current COVID-19 surge, we have decided to postpone our 12/31 Kwanzaa event. Please watch for announcements about 2022 events that will incorporate the principles of Kwanzaa and other aspects of African American history and culture. Reservations for the 12/31 event will be honored at the rescheduled event. Take care, be well, and happy holidays. –Regennia
The Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland History Center
10825 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44106
Hosts: Kwanza Brewer, Beverly Lloyd, and Dr. Regennia N. Williams
This celebration of Kwanzaa, an African American and Pan-African holiday, is free for members and all other guests with paid or gift museum admission.
A limited number of “Zawadi” (Gift) admissions (two per guest) will be available on a first come, first served basis for those who reserve tickets in advance.
Activities will include music, crafts, storytelling, gifts, games, and refreshments!
Advance reservations are strongly encouraged (*for catering and gift-giving purposes), but we will also try to accommodate walk-ins on a space-available basis.
Guests can make advance reservations via cletix.com December 10-31. At the checkout, please apply the discount code “ZAWADI” to receive the two gift admissions.
Please visit wrhs.org for additional ticket information.
If you have other questions or concerns, please write to: info@wrhs.org.
Soul on Soul offers readers an in-dept study of the life and music of Mary Lou Williams.
At long last my summer break is over! I am pleased to be back in my virtual saddle again and spending more time writing about the music and books that never fail to bring me joy.
Today, I invite you to join me in celebrating the work of pianist-composer Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981). Forty years after her passing, I find that her music is sometimes joy-filled and sometimes plaintive. In my opinion, however, it is never dull and boring.
In this season, I am spending lots of time listening to the sacred jazz that she composed in the final decades of her life, including the hymn “St. Martin de Porres.” I am also enjoying some of her earlier compositions and learning more about the music of Duke Ellington and other individuals who composed sacred jazz. In Soul on Soul: The Life and Music of Mary Lou Williams (Northeastern University Press, 2004), Dr. Tammy Kernodle does an excellent job of chronicling both the personal and professional lives of Williams and some of her contemporaries.
Please watch for my co-authored piece about Mary Lou Williams’ contributions to Black sacred music in Volume 7 of the RASHAD Center’s Journal of Traditions & Beliefs. Our target date for releasing this e-publication is December 31, 2021. Until then, I think you might enjoy listening to the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra’s 2016 concert of sacred jazz. This program included compositions by Williams, Ellington, Sun Ra, and others. Please click HERE, sit back, and listen up!
On Sunday, August 29, 2021, Cleveland’s One World Day celebration offered guests lots of opportunities to mingle with friendly people, enjoy great food and beverages, and shop for clothing, jewelry, and other items from the many vendors on hand. For those who, like me, joined the celebration late in the afternoon, the abundant sunshine and blue skies, made me forget about the rain that gave my hometown a good soaking earlier in the day. I suspect that most people associated with the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation, hosts for the event since 1946, would express similar sentiments about their 75th annual event.
My Official AAACG Water Bottle
Carl and Lavita Ewing and the members and friends of the Association of African American Cultural Gardens (AAACG) outdid themselves again. I have come to expect great things from them, but this want my first One World Day as an AAACG member. I am always inspired by their willingness to take on new challenges. There is, therefore, no doubt in my mind that they will continue to attract new members, offer great programs, and raise the funds to complete the phases two and three of the garden.
For more information about how you can support the work of the Association of African American Cultural Gardens, please visit http://aaacg.org/.
August 2021 began with me reading Gordon Parks’ A Choice of Weapons, the 1966 memoir that inspired a new HBO documentary. Gordon Parks (1912-2006) was not a stranger to me, because I had been introduced to his work while attending elementary school in Cleveland. More recently, I had the great pleasure of seeing Gordon Parks: The New Tide, Early Work 1940-1950, a 2018-2019 National Gallery of Art exhibit when I was living and working in the Metro DC Area. I must admit, however, that this book, which focuses on events that took place from 1928 to 1944, helped me gain a much better understanding of the positive difference that photography made in the life of this Kansas-born, world-renowned artist, composer, and filmmaker. If you have not yet read the book, I encourage you to check it out. Like the rest of his fans, I am also looking forward to seeing the film.
The RASHAD Center, Inc. 