The Centennial Steppers rehearse their performance the night before the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Photo by Roger Archer, Phaats Photos.
Journey to Macy’s By Valencia Springer 2020 Centennial Steppers Step Mistress
Greetings and humble salutations, Sorors. I am Valencia Springer, your 2020 Centennial Stepper/Step Mistress for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and I would like to take you on my journey through this monumental moment. In 2020, during the month of October, something extraordinary happened that changed my life as an artist and fellow finer woman of this illustrious sisterhood. At this particular time, I was in the comfort of my home, embracing the random moments of stillness, when I received a phone call from Co-Chair Soror Ireisha
62
Vaughn. I answered in slight confusion yet intrigued to know what this might be about. Soror Ireisha proceeded to inform me about a conversation that took place between her, Chairwoman Soror Diana L. Hilaire, and our fabulous International President Valerie Hollingsworth Baker on how we can continue to celebrate our Centennial while making a statement that only a finer woman can do. From such, she also explained that Zeta received the opportunity to participate in the 2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade virtual performance. At this moment I was simply nodding my head in approval and trying to grasp where this discussion was going and how I was supposed to play a role in it. As a native New Yorker, this parade is a well-known celebration for the Big Apple family holiday season. Historically, the parade has been a part of the Thanksgiving Day celebration since November 1924, just four years after the finest trailblazers hit the scene. Now, I was over here in my head playing Inspector Gadget because how did this all come together?! HELP ME MAKE IT MAKE SENSE! The suspense was killing me, and I needed to know what was going on. The excitement and anticipation started building up, so I began looking for my Zeta journal book to take notes just in case I needed to capture any important
THE ARCHON MAGAZINE • SPRING & SUMMER 2021 REMEMBERING CENTENNIAL 100 (1920 – 2020)
