She Speaks Too w/Patricia Bligen Jones

Osei Chandler has served as host and volunteer producer of the reggae music program, Roots Musik Karamu, on South Carolina Public Radio, since 1979. This interview was recorded in April 2021. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patricia-bligen-jones/message

Since she arrived in Knoxville, Black scholar and University of Tennessee, Knoxville, sociologist EnKeshi Thom El-Amin has been building bridges between academia and local communities. Her Ph.D. dissertation, "A Love Letter to Black Appalachia" chronicles the lives of Black Appalachians and the place they call home. The first Ph.D. graduate of the Department of Sociology's critical race and ethnic studies concentration, El-Amin now serves as a lecturer for the department. Her doctoral studies at UT led her to identify the need for Black community space in Knoxville. Earlier this year, she founded The Bottom, home to a podcast studio, a bookstore that features Black authors, and Sew It Sell It, a community sewing camp that teaches crafts and entrepreneurship skills to children. El-Amin is also co-host of the Black in Appalachia podcast. Dr. El-Amin, born in Guyana, South America, is a graduate of Agnes Scott College and Syracuse University, where she received her undergraduate and post-graduate degrees respectively. She is married to Jihad El-Amin, and they are the proud parents of Princess-Auset, age 3. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patricia-bligen-jones/message

How can you forgive the unforgiveable? On June 17, 2015, the Reverend Sharon Risher's life change in a flash! The instant her phone rang, she sensed something was horribly wrong. Something had happened at Emanuel AME Church, the church of her youth in Charleston, South Carolina, and she knew her mother was likely in the church at Bible study. Even before she heard the news, her chaplain's instinct told her the awful truth: her mother was dead, along with two cousins. What she couldn't imagine was that they had been murdered by a white supremacist. Plunged into the depths of mourning and anger and shock, Sharon could have wallowed in the pain. Instead, she chose the path of forgiveness and hope - eventually forgiving the convicted killer for his crime. Reverend Risher is the author of For Such a Time as This: Hope and Forgiveness after the Charleston Massacre. In this powerful memoir of faith, family, and loss, Sharon begins the story with her mother, Ethel Lee Lance, seeking refuge in the church from poverty and scorn and raising her family despite unfathomable violence that rattled Sharon to her core years later; how Sharon overcame her own struggles and answered the call to ministry; and how, in the loss of her dear mother, Sharon has become a nationally known speaker as she shares her raw, riveting, story of losing loved ones to gun violence and racism. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patricia-bligen-jones/message

James E. Clyburn is the Majority Whip, the third-ranking Democrat in the United States House of Representatives, and currently serves as the Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis. He is also the Chairman of the Rural Broadband Task Force and Democratic Faith Working Group. When he came to Congress in 1993 to represent South Carolina's sixth congressional district, Congressman Clyburn was elected co-president of his freshman class and quickly rose through leadership ranks. He was subsequently elected Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Vice Chairman, and later Chairman, of the House Democratic Caucus. He previously served as Majority Whip from 2007 to 2011 and served as Assistant Democratic Leader from 2011 to 2019. As a national leader, he has championed rural and economic development and many of his initiatives have become law. His 10-20-30 federal funding formula was included in four sections of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Congressman Clyburn is also a passionate supporter of historic preservation and restoration programs. His efforts have restored scores of historic buildings and sites on the campuses of historically black colleges and universities. His legislation created the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor and the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, elevated the Congaree National Monument to a National Park, and established the Reconstruction Era National Monument in South Carolina's Lowcountry. Congressman Clyburn's humble beginnings in Sumter, South Carolina as the eldest son of an activist, fundamentalist minister and an independent, civic-minded beautician grounded him securely in family, faith and public service. His memoir, Blessed Experiences: Genuinely Southern, Proudly Black, was published in 2015, and has been described ‎as a primer that should be read by every student interested in pursuing a career in public service. Congressman Clyburn and his late wife, Emily England Clyburn, met as students at South Carolina State and were married for 58 years. They are the parents of three daughters; Mignon Clyburn, Jennifer Reed, and Angela Hannibal and four grandchildren. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patricia-bligen-jones/message

The Reverend Dr. Donnie Rufus Woods was born in rural Louisville, Mississippi and grew up on the family farm with eighteen other brothers and sisters. His parents (George and Opaline) provided a Christian home where all of them were loved, nurtured in the Christian faith, and encouraged to work extremely hard to succeed in life. He attended the public schools of Winston County, Mississippi, graduating from Noxapater High School in 1973. Donnie received an AA degree at Mary Holmes College, West Point, MS (1979); a BA degree at Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS (1981); a Master of Divinity degree at Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary (ITC), Atlanta, GA (1985); and a Doctor of Divinity degree (Honoris Causa) at Johnson C. Smith Seminary (2005). Donnie was ordained by Tropical Florida Presbytery in October 1985. During the first fourteen years of ordained ministry, Donnie served pastorates in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. In July 1998, Donnie was called as the Designated Associate Executive Presbyter of Charleston Atlantic Presbytery in Charleston, SC, and elected Stated Clerk of the Presbytery in 2000. He was called and elected to the position of Executive Presbyter and Stated Clerk by the same presbytery in February 2002. He continues to serve in this position to date as General Presbyter, Pastor to Pastors and Associate Stated Clerk. Donnie is married to Teresa Dixon Veal and they have three children (Justin, Stephen, and Donna, a senior at College of Charleston); and two older children (Deidre and Donnie, Jr.) from a previous marriage. He is serves as General Presbytery for the Charleston Atlantic Presbytery in Charleston, SC. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patricia-bligen-jones/message

"All things work together for good, for those who love God..." Romans 8:28 Beulah Jefferies Washington is a native of Gaffney, SC. She is the daughter of James and Fannie Dover Jefferies, and the third child of four children. She received her education from Granard Elementary and High School in Gaffney, Barber Scotia College in Concord North Carolina and The College of Charleston where she received her certification in Reading. She is a member of Edisto Presbyterian Church USA, Edisto Island, SC, where she has served as an Elder, Deacon, Moderator of Presbyterian Women, Church School Teacher the choir, church organist and many committees. She has served on Committees in the Presbytery and Presbyterian Women. She serves on the committee of Trustees for Charleston Atlantic Presbytery; and served many years as a Cluster Leader for Presbyterian Women. She received a diploma from the South Carolina Lay School of Theology from the Presbyterian Church, USA. She is married to The Reverend Doctor McKinley Washington, Jr., an Honorably Retired Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church USA, and a former South Carolina Representative and Senator. They are the parents of a daughter, Katrina Knight, and a son, Michael Washington; and they have five grandchildren. She enjoys traveling, planting herbs and reading. She always told her children, grands, students and all other children, "You can do anything you want to do, you can go anyplace you want to go and you can become anyone you want to be. It's your choice." --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patricia-bligen-jones/message

In 1963, 15-year-old Millicent Brown made history as she walked up the steps of Rivers High School, an all-white high school in Charleston. However, she would not have been the one to integrate Rivers High School, if it had not been for slow court litigation. Instead, it was supposed to be her sister, Minerva, who graduated high school before the completion of the lawsuit, but Millicent took her place as the lead plaintiff in the case “Millicent Brown, et al v. School District 20.” She is one of 11 students known as "The Charleston Eleven." Dr. Brown is a lifelong community advocate and spokesperson for economic, social and educational improvements in impoverished neighborhoods and communities of color throughout the South, the nation and the world. She specializes in ongoing analysis of the modern civil rights movement, and explores social justice dynamics and intersections of race, gender and class in contemporary society. Brown is co-founder and Project Director of a national initiative to identify the“first children”, like herself, to desegregate previously all-white schools (Somebody Had to Do It Project). She has held a variety of history and museum related faculty positions and serves as consultant for numerous museums, historic sites and social justice programs in North and South Carolina. Currently, she is working at the College of Charleston, Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, where she makes presentations, conducts workshops and advises on issues related to educational reform in South Carolina and civil rights history. She is responsible for collecting oral histories of Charlestonians. She is a 1975 graduate of The College of Charleston, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in History. In 1978 graduate of The Citadel, where she earned a Master of Arts degree in Education. She is a 1997 graduate of Florida State University, Tallahassee, where she earned a Ph.D. in 20th, 19th and 18th Century U.S. History; Concentrations: the Civil Rights Movement; African American History; Public History and Archives Management. Dr. Brown's presentation, “Why Somebody Had to Do It”, A conversation on the primary reason for school desegregation, is available for classroom use. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patricia-bligen-jones/message

Reverend Doctor Charles C. Heyward, Sr., is an Honorably Retired Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He is a native of John's Island and he was one of seven Black students in his class to integrate the all-white St. John's High School in 1965. He is a 1972 graduate of Albany State University in Albany, Georgia. Additionally, he is a certified public accountant and is currently serving as Supply Pastor at Edisto Presbyterian Church, (USA), on Edisto Island, SC. Dr. Heyward is the 12th of 13 children and the son of an African Methodist Episcopal minister. He earned his Master of Divinity and Doctorate in Ministry degrees from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. He received his first Call to Ministry at Calvin Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and a 20-year pastorate St. James Presbyterian Church,(USA) in Charleston, S.C. He is a social justice advocate in the Lowcountry, where he currently serves as vice president in the Charleston Area Justice Ministry. He is married to the Reverend Carolyn Kurtz Heyward, an Honorably Retired Minister of Word and Sacrament, from St. James PCUSA. They have been married for 47 years and are the proud parents of three children and seven grandchildren. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patricia-bligen-jones/message

Harold Singletary, a native of John's Island, is the CEO of Bright Ma Farms in Cordesville, SC, which plants and sell its hemp products locally and nationally. The farm is set on a 10-acre tract of land was passed down to Singletary and his family, by his grandmother, the late Mrs. Katie Roper. The farm is named in honor of Singletary's great-grandmother, a former enslaved woman, who passed the land to her daughter. The crop is grown indoors. His farm is one of many hemp farms in South Carolina. A variety of Cannabis sativa L, hemp is a dioecious plant, which means it can be separated into male and female plants. These plants have served a wide variety of purposes for more than 10,000 years: for fiber (from the plant's stems), protein (from seeds), and oils and smokable portions (from the leaves and flowers). Hemp fibers can be used to make items including paper, clothing, furnishing fabric, rope, and building materials. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patricia-bligen-jones/message

The Reverend Billy Michael Honor, serves as the Director of Faith Organizing at the New Georgia Project in Atlanta, GA. He is also the Executive Director at the Faith, Justice and Truth Project in Atlanta. In 2018, Honor, along with other Atlanta faith leaders, organized the “Black Church Vote by Mail” campaign in response to voter suppression. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Interdenominational Theological Seminary in Atlanta; and a Master of Theology degree from Emory University. Billy and his wife, Kalikal, are the proud parents of a daughter, Harper. #TruthontheLoose --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patricia-bligen-jones/message

The Reverend Demett Jenkins is the Lilly Director of Education and Engagement for Faith-Based Communities, for the International African American Museum in Charleston, SC. She is a Charleston native and a granddaughter of local Civil Rights icon, Esau Jenkins. She is a graduate of St. Andrews High School and South Carolina State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. Additionally, she is a graduate of the Samuel Dewitt School of Theology at Virginia Union University, where she earned a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Pastoral Care and Counseling. She serves as a volunteer chaplain with Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy and a former adjunct professor at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, Atlanta, GA. She is an ordained minister and is a member of Royal Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, SC. The International African American Museum is scheduled to open in 2022. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patricia-bligen-jones/message

Joseph McGill is the founder and director of The Slave Dwelling Project. McGill created the project in 2010, and since its inception, he has visited/and slept in 150 slave cabins in 25 states and Washington, D.C. When he is not visiting historic sites, he conducts the “From Slavery to Freedom” tour at Magnolia Plantation. McGill is a graduate of South Carolina State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He is a native of Kingstree, SC, and a veteran of the United States Air Force. McGill is currently co-writing a book about his work. His motto is simple: "I like my history black, hold the sugar." #Ilikemyhistoryblackholdthesugar --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patricia-bligen-jones/message

In 2017, Sunn m'Cheaux became the first and only Gullah language instructor at Harvard University. In this role, he teaches a curriculum based on extensive research and his own personal Gullah/Geechee knowledge and experience. m'Cheaux was born the middle child of a Pentecostal Holiness minister (father) and missionary (mother) in Charleston, South Carolina. A true Gullah/Geechee “binyah” (native), he was reared in rural Mt. Holly, South Carolina in a familial village established in the late 1850s. The rich Gullah language and culture he absorbed growing up on those sandy Low Country back roads is ever-present in his life as an artist, advocate, and educator. m'Cheaux has been fully embraced at Harvard University, having been invited to be a resident lecturer for Project Teach (Harvard's Official College and Career Awareness Program) and to speak about his course at other universities and events nationally and in the Caribbean Islands–honored as guest lecturer at the 14th Anatol Rodgers Memorial Lecture and visiting scholar at the University of the Bahamas–and he has been featured in Harvard Crimson and Harvard Gazette. He has cultivated a strong following online via social media with frequent viral content ranging from pop culture commentary, allegorical anecdotes, and entertainment, to serious discussions, advocacy, and philanthropy via crowdfunding. He uses this content to promote intellect, ethics, enlightenment, and education. In addition to academic endeavors, m'Cheaux has collaborated creatively in film and television as an actor and, more recently, as a Gullah language and culture consultant. He is set to release an illustrated book of Gullah fables for kids. Moreover, m'Cheaux is completing his mixed media memoir that will incorporate his talents in storytelling, songwriting, spoken word, photography, and education. Proud, yet humble about his achievements, m'Cheaux's personal mantra in all his endeavors is “we outchea,” a celebratory Gullah/Geechee affirmation meaning “we are out here.” He attributes his personal ascension to the collective excellence of his culture and people overall. In that regard, m'Cheaux embodies “Muss tek kyeh de root fa heal de tree,” the Gullah proverb that means, “Must take care of the root to nourish the tree.” #GullahgoestoHarvard --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patricia-bligen-jones/message

Tatsha Robertson is a New York Times best-selling ghost writer. She is the co-author, of the book, The Formula: Unlocking the Secrets to Raising Highly Successful Children, with Harvard professor, Dr. Ronald Ferguson. Tatsha, a native of Greenville, SC, is a graduate of Morris College in Sumter, SC, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in English; and a M.A. in Journalism from The Ohio State University. Ms. Robertson has written for several newspapers across the country, including the Boston Globe. She is a former editor of People and Essence magazines. She is a ghost writer for Little Brown Book Group and Harper Collins Publishers; and a writer for BenBella Books. Tatsha and her husband, Nico, live in New York City, where she is currently writing an African-American sci-fi thriller. In today's episode, we discuss the 8 parental roles and how they work: The Early Learning Partner lights the fire in young children to learn and develop problem solving skills before they start school. Most of the highly successful children Ferguson and Robertson interviewed could read basic words by the time they started kindergarten, which impressed teachers and started the children's school years on a very positive note. The Flight Engineer works to ensure that the child is getting everything s/he needs in school, and will step in whenever necessary to make sure this continues. (This sounds like Ground Control Parenting!) The Fixer makes sure that no opportunity is lost or overlooked, regardless of the parent's resources. If the parent determines that there is an opportunity his or her child should have access to, s/he won't stop until a way is found to provide it. The Revealer introduces children to worlds beyond their own, again regardless of the family's income. If they can't afford to travel to other lands, they go to local museums and libraries and other cultural institutions where children can explore and learn. The Philosopher answers children's deep and thoughtful questions honest and earnestly and encourages them to ask more. They help their children try to understand life and find their purpose. The Model gives children behavior to emulate. The Negotiator teaches children to advocate for themselves, and how to deal with people who exercise authority and power. The GPS Navigational Voice ensures that the parents' voices will be in their children's heads well after the kids have left home to pursue their futures. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patricia-bligen-jones/message

The Honorable Mignon Clyburn, is a Charleston, SC native, and former Commissioner and Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission. Ms. Clyburn made history as the first African American woman to served as Chairwoman of the FCC under President Barack H. Obama's Administration. She is the eldest daughter of U.S. Representative James E. Clyburn (Democrat, South Carolina 6th District) and the late Emily England Clyburn, a retired librarian and educator. Mignon is a graduate of the University of South Carolina-Columbia; and former editor and publisher of The Coastal Times, one of two black-owned newspapers that served Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties in the South Carolina Low Country. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patricia-bligen-jones/message

In the inaugural episode of She Speaks Too, I interview The Reverend Doctor McKinley Washington, Jr., a native of Mayesville, SC, located in Sumter County. Dr. Washington is the third oldest sibling of eight sisters and brothers. He is an Honorably Retired Presbyterian Church (USA) minister and former South Carolina State Senator. He began his ministry career in 1964, at Edisto Presbyterian Church (USA) on Edisto Island, SC. During his time on the island, he led the charge to integrate the Edisto Beach State Park, which prohibited access to African Americans. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patricia-bligen-jones/message