Part of the concept of The Village Square is to have the conversation – as neighbors, as a community. I hope you’ll take a moment to check out Temple Israel’s Rabbi Jack Romberg (and Faith, Food, Friday “God Squad” founding member) contribution to that conversation “The Jewish Observer” HERE. Rabbi Romberg writes about topics like our Faith, Food, Friday forums – he wrote about our topic “The Most Segregated Hour” HERE, about “Social Justice” HERE, and our recent Tallahassee Democrat forum topic of guns HERE and HERE.

(And – pssst…. if you miss this weekend’s Jewish Food Festival at Temple Israel, you have only yourself to blame…)

“It’s a funny thing how life can be a drag one minute and a solid sender the next.” — Louis Armstrong, in “Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans”

Louis Armstrong was a man of character. And that’s the most important thing about him. Granted, he was a genius, an impeccable composer of great hits and riveting trumpet solos. But his character was what made his genius work. Let me say from the jump: This is not some isolated, historically obtuse reminisce on a long-forgotten figure.

Always alive, always mortal, always there, because he’s multifaceted, a man to be studied, with much to be taken from his life; it holding complexity and simplicity in a pose of paradox. That maybe the most apt description of genius, which Armstrong personifies, or him. Whichever it is, it occurs to me there’s much for this community’s black teenagers to draw inspiration and purpose from in his early life.

Black History Month has its generic purpose, drawing attention to the lives of singular black figures, thus showcasing and celebrating the cultural contributions of black Americans. The month-long affair maybe archaic, a well-intentioned but still, poignant insult —black history being American history as its oft-said —and history being hard to pigeonhole in the first place. But it’s there, so why not use it. In this case, as a way of showing the enduring lessons a wonderful life, holds? Read all »

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
(Photo credit.)

Catch photos of the MLK memorial, dedicated yesterday, in Washington D.C. HERE.
(Photo credit: Scott Ableman)

“[Martin Luther King Jr] would be very disappointed [in today’s politics]. We have such a lack of civility in our political life now. We are fixed on ideological poles and we seem unable to come together. Dr. King was always saying “can’t we come together, can’t we talk about these issues?” Our founding fathers argued with each other but they also knew that argument is part of the democratic process. But ultimately you have to compromise with each other in order to reach a consensus and keep the country moving forward. If all we do is remain fixed on these polar opposites of our political spectrum, the country will not be moving forward. And we’ve got to find a way through this. And it’s going to happen when the American people say: “Knock it off, stop it. We want to see a different attitude with respect to our political life. We want to see a different level of civility in Washington, D.C.” — CBS News, Face the Nation, Sunday August 28

(Photo credit: Black History Album)

Thanks to David Mattox for the painstaking work of editing this video!

Photos documenting civil rights protests flashed across a screen Sunday night high above the Young Actors Theatre stage. Below sat community leaders, ready to share their memories of the tumultuous time and their opinions on race relations today and in the future.

The program, which was followed by a YAT performance of the musical “Hairspray,” was hosted by The Village Square, a group promoting civil discourse. Sunday’s topic was “Civil Rights, Civil Means: Tallahassee’s Protests at 50: Why they still matter.”

Hosted by Bill Mattox, member of the Village Square board of directors, guest speakers included Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee; Henry Steele, son of the famed civil rights activist the Rev. C.K. Steele; and Laura Dixie, a protest participant.

“I think the program was important both to remind ourselves what happened here and the good that came out of it, but also to consider what we can learn and apply today,” Mattox said. “I was struck by how compelling and effective these protesters were and the manner they went about things.”

“We thought the local civil rights movement was a wonderful example of the kind of civic dialogue that we are hoping to have about issues today,” said Village Square Executive Director Liz Joyner. “They were a wonderful example of comporting yourself with dignity and humility in a way that made it nearly impossible for people to disagree with them. That is, in my mind, in opposition to the kind of civic dialogue we have now where people are mostly screaming and their audience seems to be the people that already agree with them.”

“In the civil rights fight, you don’t see or feel hate coming from demonstrators,” Dixie said, as images of protesters holding signs such as “We Will Not Fight,” flashed across the screen.

Dixie then shared her story about how, as a child, she snuck away from her family during a visit to town just so she could try the water out of a fountain marked for whites only.

“I just thought it was sweet,” she said. “I had to find out for myself.”

“It disarmed the aggressors,” Williams said about the protests. “We see that now in the state houses around the county folks are so concerned with taking our country back. From where? We are not having those conversations. We could be a better country if we all work together.”

About 50 people attended the talk that ended with Dan Donovan of the Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department sharing upcoming plans to put a memorial sidewalk on the corner of Jefferson and Monroe Street, where many civil rights protests took place. The sidewalk, which will be inlaid with quotes, images and footprints, will likely be installed sometime this fall.

YAT will be performing the play, which focuses on the civil rights movement in the 1960s, through July 24.

Visit tothevillagesquare.org to learn more.

–AMANDA NALLEY, www.tallahassee.com

Double click on the slideshow to see photos in more detail or click HERE to see the whole set. Find everything about the program online HERE. Interested in attending Hairspray? Call 386-6602 ext 2 or go online to Young Actors Theatre’s website HERE.

The story behind Tallahassee’s civil rights protests is old hat, I’m sure, to many lifelong Tallahasseeans. But this painful part of our city’s history was unexplored territory for me, a newcomer to Florida. And what really moved me that day from Donovan’s presentation were the photographs of Florida A&M student protesters carrying placards with handwritten messages. The messages on these placards were a study in compelling contrasts. They were bold, yet humble. Conscience-pricking, yet gentle. In-your-face, Read all »

Henry Steele, son of the late Rev. C.K Steele, was sent to jail for eight days at the age of 16 for his participation in Tallahassee’s civil rights protests during the 1960s. The experience, which he said he is proud to have been a part of, is one he will get to relive Sunday in a forum discussion on civil liberties.

In honor of the anniversary of the Tallahassee’s protests, the Village Square is revisiting civil rights issues with the upcoming panel discussion “Civil Rights, Civil Means: Tallahassee’s Protests at 50: Why they still matter.”

The panel for the discussion includes Steele, fellow protestor Laura Dixie and state Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee. The forum will be moderated by Bill Mattox, a member of the Village Square’s Board of Directors. Steele and Dixie are expected to provide “more than just a history lesson,” said Liz Joyner, executive director of the Village Square.

“This forum will be a great opportunity for area students to learn about an important part of Tallahassee’s history,” said Mattox in a press release. “But it will also be a great time for all of us to consider how we can work together to solve thorny problems today.”

Dixie said her involvement with the protests stemmed from her curious nature. From a young age she questioned why there was separation between the races. Once, she saw two water fountains, one labeled “black” and the other “white.” She said she wanted to sample the white one because it must have tasted sweeter due to the different labels.

She tasted both fountains and discovered they were exactly the same.

“You see something and you think ‘No it’s not right,’ and ‘No, this is wrong,’” she said. “My parents taught me well and always told me the truth about why we could and couldn’t do things.”

The forum will be the first part of a double feature of sorts. The Young Actors Theatre will put on a production of “Hairspray” at 7:30 p.m. following the forum. “Hairspray” is set in the 1960s and deals with racial integration issues.

–Tallahassee Democrat http://www.tallahassee.com Read the story online at The Tallahassee Democrat HERE.

Deep cultural division. Turbulent social change. Religiously minded protesters. Recipe for disaster? To the 21st-century American mind, it would probably seem so. But the story of Tallahassee’s civil-rights protests 50 years ago turned out much differently. And part of the reason it did is because a group of FAMU students (and their elders) understood how to work for social change in a civil and constructive way. On Sunday, July 10, the Village Square will hold a special forum, “Civil Rights, Civil Means,” Read all »

We’re excited about our coming forum Civil Rights, Civil Means: Tallahassee’s protests at 50 and why they still matter on Sunday, July 10th from 6-7 PM. The event features Henry Steele, the son of the legendary C.K. Steele, who was the youngest protester arrested at age sixteen. The program is free and open to the public and we’re giving away 2 tickets to the Young Actors Theatre show Hairspray which immediately follows the forum. For a chance to win the tickets, be sure to go online HERE and click the link to register for the forum.