Harlem Centenarian Casts Ballot

Harlem Centenarian Casts Her Ballot

Dr. Thelma C. Davidson Adair Voted Early

Dr. Thelma Adair arrives at Voting site

Noted advocate for human rights, peace, and justice issues; writer, guest speaker, educator, activist, and an elder at Mt. Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church in Harlem, Dr. Thelma Adair took advantage of early voting days and cast her ballot in the presidential election on Sunday, November 1, 2020.

A resident of Harlem since 1942, Dr. Adair has a vivid memory of history. She lived through the 1918 pandemic and has survived this one as well.

When presented with the option to vote by absentee ballot, Dr. Adair was resolute; she would vote in person. “I wanted people to recognize that this is the person that we can be in our lives at this moment. I have power and this is my way of speaking,” she said.

Assemblywoman Inez Dickens greets Dr. Thelma Adair

Accompanied by her son, Family Medicine Practitioner Dr. Robert Adair; New York State Assemblywoman Inez Dickens; Chairperson of the HCCI Board Dr. Joan Dawson, PhD; and others, Dr. Thelma Davidson Adair cut quite a figure wearing her bright colored “I Voted” mask as she exited the Jackie Robinson Education Complex after performing her constitutional right and her civic duty. —TPC Staff

Visit www.thepositivecommunity.com to learn more.

Job well done and a new mask to show it!

HCCI Board Chair Joan O. Dawson, PhD

The African American Cultural Narrative

African Americans are a unique people with a peculiar history in this land. Brought to these shores in chains from Africa in the early 1600s, our people toiled and suffered as captives in brutal bondage for a quarter of a millennium (250 years). On January 1, 1863, two years into the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by President Abraham Lincoln, became law, signaling an end to slavery. On that day, the African American community of the United States of America was born.

One hundred years later in August 1963, at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial, as he led hundreds of thousands to a March on Washington, seeking an end to discrimination and 90 years of Jim Crow segregation in the South. It was a demand for full and equal citizen’s rights for the people in what has been called “the Second Emancipation.”

Forty years after Martin Luther King Jr.’s tragic assassination in 1968, America elected its first black president, the Honorable Barack Obama (2008).

In the 100 years between the first and second emancipation, in the midst of bitter persecution, humiliation, lynching, and enduring the denial of basic human rights, the resiliency of the African American spirit continued to shine brightly in religion, business, education, medicine, invention, sports, and in the creative arts—music, fashion, dance, language, literature, and theater. Indeed, original American art forms and a popular culture which has become the envy of the world were founded upon the souls of a forlorn people! And that is our story—the Truth, Beauty and Goodness of a loving and gifted race—revealed!

An Extraordinary History

Ours is an extraordinary history of trial, tribulation, and triumph that we must never, ever forget! This is the very story we must tell our children and ever be remembered for all future generations. We the people, descendants of the Great Emancipation must tell our story and sing our greatest songs to each other and to the entire world! We must remind ourselves over and over again of the noble struggle, human dignity, sacrifices and wisdom of our torch-bearing forefathers; of our goodly heritage, our divine inheritance; our great music legacy—Positive Music Matters!

This is our story—the cultural narrative—a new language of freedom; a springboard toward a great and prosperous future; a spiritually enlightened ideal. A vision of hope, opportunity, and progress; liberty and happiness; health and wholeness—peace and goodwill!

WE’VE COME THIS FAR BY FAITH…!

—Adrian A. Council, Sr.

thepositivecommunity.com December 2020 Vol. 20 No. 7

Publisher Adrian A. Council, Sr. Editor-in-Chief Jean Nash Wells Associate Editor R. L. Witter Sales Angela Ridenour Adrian Council, Jr. Marc Williams Burton Waddy NGS Communications, Inc. Satori MPR Contributing Writers Patricia Baldwin Glenda Cadogan Fern Gillespie Derrel Jazz Johnson g.r. mattox Mwandikaji K. Mwanafunzi Rev. Theresa Nance Photographers Vincent Bryant Risasi Dias Regina Flemming Bob Gore Raymond Hagans Bruce Moore Wali Amin Muhammad Seitu Oronde Karen Waters Rev. Dr. William L. Watkins, Jr. Art Direction & Layout Penguin Design Group Maishman Media, LLC Production Assistant April Davis

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The Last Word

BY R.L. WITTER

IT’S STILL CHRISTMAS

It’s been a tough year. So many of us are dealing with uncertainty, grief, loss, financial insecurity, and then there’s the loneliness and separation fatigue. I am blessed to live around the block from a couple of family members so I’ve seen them as my husband and I have passed their driveway on our evening walks. We’re grateful to have the opportunity to wave and chat for a few moments from a distance before continuing on our way; but it’s nothing like the laughter we used to share over card games and dinner. And we haven’t hugged each other in so long.

As if the pandemic wasn’t enough, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmaud Arbery were heavy on our minds this year. Their deaths were a stark reminder that Black America experiences all of the hardships the rest of America faces, and then some. Their deaths, particularly Floyd’s, struck a nerve with the rest of America, too. And the timing was seemingly serendipitous as we took to the streets in protest—something undoubtedly bolstered by the fact that so many were unemployed and schools were closed because of the pandemic.

We watched protective masks become a political issue, saw a rise in the boldness of white supremacist/terrorist groups, and many of us scratched our heads and tried to figure out how $1,200 was supposed to last the average American six months. Oh, and there was an election, too! The current administration tampered with the U.S. Postal Service, discredited mail-in voting, sued to try to overturn the election results, and STILL hasn’t conceded the race despite losing the popular vote by almost 8 million votes. It’s surreal.

This holiday season has been decidedly different. The traditional joy of the season has widely been replaced with a sense of austerity. Many of us are struggling to deal with the empty seats at our tables whether due to people not traveling, or the harsh reality of loss. For many of us there will be neither a gathering of loved ones nor a sumptuous, holiday meal. There might not be any presents underneath the tree; there might not even be a tree.

But it’s still Christmas. It’s a message we all need to hear and appreciate. Christmas isn’t about the presents, food, gatherings, or holiday lights. This year is a great reminder of the true blessing of Christmas: the gift God gave is in our salvation through His son, Jesus. Sure, it’s easy to focus on what we lost or what’s missing this year, but it won’t change anything or make our lives more joyful or meaningful. Of course, I like the other holiday stuff, but I need God, His Grace, and my faith to make it through.

May His grace and mercy comfort, strengthen, and bless you and yours this holiday season, and always.