Unprecedented

“Unprecedented” has become the buzz word for 20-21. In the past 12 months, there have been countless applications of unprecedented to never-before experienced activities. I have a personal, unprecedented revelation that has not yet been tagged in the media. Black History Month has caught the interest of our employees at My Cup of Tea as never before. Perhaps it is unprecedented for me, because I am sharing recently compiled and researched information with our African American employees. They have rarely been exposed to the history of the rich contributions of their ancestors. In Memphis alone, we have been positively and remarkably shaped by African American educators, bankers, investors, physicians, inventors, journalists, musicians, politicians, morticians, professors, activists, philanthropists and more. We have been reading a Family Guide to Black History Month, and it is humbling and encouraging to watch our ladies’ reactions. “We had no idea,” many of them say. Collective pride is easy to identify. If one African American succeeds or excels, many in the African American community rightly beam with delight. Vice-president Kamala Harris is bringing additional pride and distinction to our Orange Mound women. President Obama did as well, but Vice-president Harris has opened a window of possibilities for women and hope for them and for me. Many of us align with our various groups, be it alma maters, family, teams, politics, age groups and much more, but not to the degree that I see the loyalty and pride among African Americans that is before me. I relish sharing and learning too, as more information is coming to the surface. For centuries, a sinister pall of shame has been cast over Black history, and entangled biases have kept many African American biographies in the dusty shelving of library stacks. Today there is a pivotal reckoning. Many of us were unaware, because we didn’t know what we didn’t know. With apologetic enthusiasm, I am learning and sharing what I have discovered with my sisters at the tea company. There have been many Black forefathers and mothers who have brought honor to our city. Their contributions magically inspire and energize my friends. Many of these heroes and heroines lived in Orange Mound. We are drinking the same artesian well water, walking the same streets, under the shade of the same Red Oaks. I daily pray for the renaissance of this fragmented neighborhood. Perhaps conferred family pride, and the recently shared truth that we have a glorious past, will give momentum to continue the race to bring that honor and glory back to a very deserving community called Orange Mound. It will be unprecedented.