5/28/2023

 

Weekly Update 5/28/2023

This was Mamie George Williams for me this week. I attended the Georgia Historical Marker unveiling on Thursday, and I went to the lecture about her life at TLC on Friday. The marker is difficult to read from the photo but this is what is written:

Mamie George Williams, a lifelong resident of Savannah, lived and worked near here. A political and civic leader, Williams volunteered for many organizations, including the Red Cross, the Girl Scouts, and the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. A suffragist, she organized voter campaigns and registered African-American women to vote following passage of the 19th Amendment. Nonetheless, African Americans were denied full voting rights, due to Jim Crow laws. In 1924, Williams became the first woman from Georgia and the first African-American woman in the nation to serve on the Republican National Committee. A community leader, she led fundraising efforts for a home in Macon for African-American girls and served as vice president of Carver State Bank. She worked with the African-American Girl Scouts, financially assisting with establishing their Log Cabin Camp in Hancock County.

(An interesting aside: the marker was placed outside the Carnegie Library that’s located in Savannah. Andrew Carnegie built many libraries throughout the world, but mostly in the US, UK, Ireland and Canada between 1886 and 1919. The one that was built in Savannah, was completed in 1914. It served Black residents, because at the time, they were banned from the white library.)

The following day, there was a lecture at TLC about Mamie Williams. I was disappointed in the turn out, as the speaker was excellent, her research was well documented, and the subject was fascinating.

It was also a week for live theater. On Saturday night I went to the lovely Lucas Theater in downtown Savannah to see the SCAD production of Pippin. Since Pippin was the very first Broadway show I saw, almost 50 years ago, it has a special place in my history. This did not let me down! It was VERY professionally done, from the acting to the sets to the music to the costumes – everything was amazing. It is the annual show that is put on by the theater arts majors at SCAD, and many of the students involved will go on to professional careers in live theater. On Sunday afternoon, I went to the wonderful SCT for their presentation of The Wizard of Oz. That, too, was great. It was not as professionally produced as the Pippin, but I didn’t expect it to be. I always enjoy any play or musical that SCT brings to the stage.

The weather has been unseasonable cool. I usually have my tan underway by now, but I’ve only been to the pool once this year. I’ve tried to take advantage of the cooler temps because I know my days for walking are coming to an end. When I went out on Monday, I actually got lost! I wandered around for over two hours, and had to use my GPS to find my way back to a place I recognized. I guess that’s almost the equivalent of walking into a room and not knowing what you came in for – getting lost walking around your neighborhood.

Adrian and Annie are getting cuter all the time. Annie seems to be smiling a lot, and her pictures are darling. Adrian seems to be into helping Daddy in the garden.