By David Fortier
Referring to personal instances of encounters with racism throughout her life, but especially the years of her education, the keynote speaker at Monday’s NAACP scholarship breakfast provided an inspirational message and a path toward undoing racism in the future by accepting common goals.
“I found that I could not address today’s theme, ‘Preparing Minds for the Future.’ without reflecting on my truth,” said Sheena Graham, the 2019 Connecticut Teacher of the Year and recently retired after 40 years teaching the performing arts in Bridgeport schools.
The annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rev. Dr. E.C. Whitehead Scholarship breakfast is sponsored by the Greater Bristol Branch of the NAACP and is held in the cafeteria at Bristol Eastern High School on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Graham focused on three journal entries, beginning with one in third grade.
“I love school, the teacher is nice, we do projects, and have gym. I love school. We write, go home for lunch, come back again.”
“Oreo.”
“I like school. I mean my art class, the poetry we learn, I like school math, reading and the words I learn.”
“Oreo.”
“‘Oreo,’ is what they said. So now school scares me, so do stitches and the pain in my head. ‘Mama, am I an Oreo?’ ‘No,’ Mama said, ‘you are wildly beautifully and uniquely made, you are special, a child of God, you are loved, you are safe. I love school.”
From her freshman year in college, Graham recounted from her journal that it was tough getting there, but she made it — despite her father working three jobs, and only seeing him on Sunday afternoons and her mom home raising six children until they were in school themselves — she made it.
For her to get to college, she knew she had to get better than average scores on her SATs, and that she prayed for financial aid or college would be out of the question.
Even then, after being accepted, she had to audition and pass an exam in music theory before she earned a place in the music program.
From upper left, clockwise, Bristol Boys and Girls Club members. seated, Aleidy Arias, Anikka Boebel, Terrence Love, Jonathan Roscoe, Jordan Mejia and Dee Dee Durham with, standing, BBGC director Jay Maia, Dayna Snell and Scott Rosado; Bristol Police Chief Brian Gould and local NAACP chapter president Tim Camerl; studetn readers: Taina Espinosa, Johannie Juarez and Lynae Lewis. | David Fortier
“My first day of music theory before a single assignment was given or question asked, the professor asked me why I was there and then he told the whole class the only thing I would ever be good for was sweeping the floor in the supermarket. My first day.”
After graduating and starting her career teaching in a pre-school program for 2- and 3-year olds, she wrote the following.
“So I am 22, feeling grown, independent and on my own, a black teacher in a white preschool. No looking back because my life is cool …”
“… I thought — until I heard, ‘N-word, would you tie my shoe?’ That rattled my mind, rudely awakened from my dream life. I didn’t know what to say. If Erin had been more than 3-years old my fist might have flown at her. I said ‘Erin, you know that’s not my name. I am really surprised at you.’ Erin looked genuinely confused and said, ‘But that’s what mommy and daddy call you.’ “
And from there, Graham quoted King: “As long as the mind is enslaved, the body can never be free.”
“Third graders believing loving school took away the melanin in my skin, a professor closed to the possibility that my brain could be equal to that of my counterparts, and a 3-year-old influenced by her parents mind being enslaved,” she said.
“Subconsciously I allowed these situations to marinate in the back of my mind birthing a less than mentality that it took years to overcome.”
And the lesson.
“Preparing minds for the future requires us to purge negative thoughts that we have may have clung to for years. Such as ‘Blank people are lazy,’ ‘Blank people steal,’ ‘Blank people don’t like me.’ How often do you let stereotypes you’ve heard about each other decide our desire to or not to develop relationships.
“‘The tough mind is sharp and penetrating breaking through the crust of legends and myths and shifting the truth from the false,’ stated Dr. King. “To begin that process you must speak with one another. The fear of speaking with, working with, loving and valuing each other prevents us all from progressing.”
Having worked in diverse workplaces, she has encountered obstacles by did not pursuing these conversations.
“I’ve had co-workers say, ‘Oh, you don’t have to worry, there’s no racists here.”
or
“Racism used to be a thing long ago.”
and
“Or it wouldn’t happen to you, you are one of the good ones.”
Then, she did not respond, she said.
“The fear of being labeled an angry black woman held my tongue, but Dr. King said, ‘Courage is the power of the mind to overcome fear.’ He was right, we cannot prepare minds for the future without courage.”
She said there is no way to prepare young minds for the future without being able to speak ‘our’ truth.
“The current state of society won’t change because we blow on a candle and wish for it to. As Dr. King said, ‘Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.”
She had to admit to herself that for the longest time she thought it was the responsibility of others to speak up and cause change.
From upper left, clockwise, keynote speaker Sheena Graham, emcee Patricia Floyd and Corey Nagle. | David Fortier
“None of us can expect change to occur with this mindset in place. We must live with intent, and that is, intend to live. With each second that passes we have so much to give and to not do so is a sin.”
The bottom line for her resides in action.
“Purging negative stereotypes and courageously speaking our truths are steps in the right direction. The final step, making our common priorities our united focus,” she said.
These goals are common ones, if only we can agree.
“The right to live in peace, meet our needs, keep our families safe, recognizing the values and desires we have in common and acting with them in the forefront of our decision making opens our minds to love and healing.”
Not only will taking up the common priorities lead fulfilling King’s own dream, he said, but all of our own dreams.
Graham, who has had her works performed at the Westport Playhouse, the Kennedy Center and the White House twice, closed with a song whose lyrics began, “There is so much more to life than fighting, trying to prove whose wrong or right” and end, “Tomorrow is not promised, there is no guarantee of what lies before us, what it will be, stop fighting and listen to your own heartbeat. Close your eyes so you can see/Close your eyes feel the heartbeat of peace.”
Graham was educated in Ansonia, taught in Bridgeport, serves on several boards, including the Teacher of Conn. Advisory Board, the WPKN African American Community Board, the Connecticut Teacher of the Year Council and the Greater Bridgeport Retired Teachers Fund Board.
Among the honors she has received are the Beard Excellence in Teaching Award and Teacher of the Year Awards from the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women, the NAACP and Bridgeport schools.
Recently she published her first book, “Hesitations,” which includes music, poetry, stories and songs she has shared with her students, colleagues, community and church.
This year’s breakfast fundraiser was emceed by NAACP breakfast chair Patricia Floyd, and included a welcome from Marquis Floyd, invocation and blessing from Pastor Patricia Washington-Rice of Beulah A.M.E. Zion Church, greetings from the City of Bristol by Mayor Jeffrey Caggiano and greetings from the State of Connecticut and recognition of dignitaries by State Rep. Mary Fortier.
Dr. Corey Nagle, a local educator and officer on the local NAACP, introduced the keynote speaker and NAACP President Tim Camerl provided closing remarks, which included inviting former NAACP President Lexie Mangum to join him at the podium.
Cameral issued an open invitation to join the NAACP and Mangum spoke about reviving the youth choir and invited anyone interested to join.
Pastor Yong Yeun Lee of Prospect United Methodist Church provided the final prayer and blessing that include a reading of the Prayer of St. Francis.
As part of the program, several high school students read from the works of King. Those reading included Lynae Lewis, Taina Espinosa and Johannie Juarez.
The next NAACP program is “Honoring Local Activists of Our Time: Come and Let’s Celebrate Some of Our Own,” which will be Saturday, Feb. 24, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Carousel Museum. For information and tickets, contact Lexie Mangum at (860) 202-9965 or Tim Camerl at (860) 977-5772.
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