conversation peaces: my Herstory – Honoring Legacy
growing up, there weren’t any discussions on what it means to be a girl, let alone a woman. outside of the male gaze and the patriarchy.
that isn’t to shame or blame my mother or any other woman in my family, it’s just that they weren’t educated and taught either.
i am still learning what “being a woman” means for me.
we are currently in the month of March - which means it’s Women’s History Month. for this conversation peace; i am going to share three women who made HerStory and they just so happen to be in my family.
we begin with my paternal great-aunt Dorothy L. Freeman Pugh born in 1919, she was the second born to my great grandparents and was two years younger than my grandmother. although she had polio, that never stopped her from achieving her dreams.
aunt Dorothy earned a scholarship to Lincoln University School of Law in 1939 and worked in the library an a student assistant. on November 7, 1942 at age 23, my auntie became the first Black woman to graduate from Lincoln’s School of Law and to be admitted to practice law in the state of Missouri, thus, becoming the first Black woman lawyer in St. Louis.
her younger sister and my godmother, aunt Maxine Freeman Nelson was one of the highest ranking Black Americans in the four-state region for her position as a Residential Health Care Administrator for Region 7 of the Health Resources and Services Administration.
this, is Black Women’s HerStory. my HerStory.
those are just two of the powerful women on my dad’s side.
tune in
reflection
"i came of age at a time to be the first; unthreatened, unafraid and unstoppable."
on my mom’s side, we have my great-cousin Sylvia Brent Elliott. born during segregation she wrote in one of her personal essays she submitted for her master’s thesis; “Reflecting on my childhood, I can honestly say segregation was good. There certainly was no identity confusion and no hostility. I was where I belonged-it was home and it felt like home.” in 1964 during the World’s Fair in New York, Sylvia became one of the first Black American high fashion models for magazines such as Glamour, Vogue and The New York Times Magazine.” she also appeared on the cover of The Temptations album, With A Lot O’Soul.
Sylvia was set to graduate with her Master of Fine Arts degree in August of 2005 from the University of Alabama, however, she was diagnosed with a rare cancer 7 weeks prior. as a result of the diagnosis, the vice president of academic affairs had her diploma printed early and she was confirmed as a graduate at her bedside while on hospice care. she transitioned 5 days later on July 20, 2005.
in 2006, Sylvia’s essays were part of The World Is A Text curriculum as a special memorial text edition. the proceeds went toward The Sylvia Brent Elliott Memorial Scholarship Fund for nontraditional students. what a life she lived to be honored in such a way.
there is so much more i can share about these 3 women from my family, however, what stands out the most, is they all had strength, confidence and a will to live on their terms. whether they faced challenges or not, they stood firm on finishing what they started and it just so happened they were the firsts to do so.
i too stand firm in who i am and i’ve always danced to the beat of my own drum. my daddy told me, “baby, there is nothing you can’t do, a long as you put your mind to it.” i also live by something Sylvia also wore, “i came of age at a time to be the first; unthreatened, unafraid and unstoppable.”
thank you Aunt Dorothy, Aunt Maxine and Cousin Sylvia, your legacy will continue to live on through me.
LoveAlways,
Keli
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