On Thursday morning, Feb. 23, the Augusta Parks and Recreation Department hosted their fourth annual celebration at the McDuffie Woods Community Center for locals in honor of Black History Month.
In an event packed with music, scripture, poetry, prayer, soulful singing and preaching, over 100 older adults from local senior citizen centers gathered together across the Augusta area in fellowship.
“It gives us the opportunity as a staff to give back to the community, and give back to our seniors,” said Director of the Augusta Parks and Recreation Department Maurice McDowell. “They like to do a lot of activities together and socialize, so this is just one of our many activities that we offer to our seniors.”
Following a highlighted performance of traditional African drums and dance, participants took the time to remember historically prominent, Black figures such as James Brown and Paul Revere Williams.
“They say, draw near to one another, save your race. You have been paid for in a distant place; the old ones remind us that slavery’s chains have paid for our freedom again and again,” said Dorothy Jones as she recited Maya Angelou’s poem “Million Man March.”
As the first African American male to lead the Parks and Recreation Department, McDowell said remembering impactful individuals that came before him was a great way to honor those who took great steps in securing a more integrated future for all.
“This means everything to me. I stand on the shoulders of all those that came before me. The community that came before me – they are the pillar, and they are the bedrock to everything for the city of Augusta,” he said. “I don’t take that lightly that I am the first African American to serve as the director for Augusta Parks and Recreation.”
McDowell said he believed the event to be important, because it gave older adults a way to celebrate their history together, and to reflect on how times have changed since the Civil Rights Movement.
“For me it’s sharing in tradition … it gives us the opportunity to pause, and think about all those things that happened before us … I think it’s very important for us to share in that story, and that narrative as we look to the future,” he said. “For what Augusta is today and what Augusta can be in the future.”
Featured event speaker Rev. Anthony Booker, who is the senior pastor at Broadway Baptist Church, said the gathering was a day of reflection and encouragement not only for the battles the attending older adults endured, but also the ones still to be fought.
“This day means a lot to people; it gives them the opportunity to share,” he said. “I’m excited on one side and the progress that has been made, but I think that as a nation we could be much farther.”
Booker said he thinks further integration and acceptance for the future relies heavily on education within school systems and churches.
“We’re all different. We all come from different perspectives, but if every person – regardless of race or gender – was receptive of everyone, I think that the nation could be much further,” he said. “I believe there’s much more that needs to be done.”
Booker believes the lack of Black history being taught in schools only does children a disservice as it prevents them from learning about “all of our history.”
Attendee and participant Sarah Townsend said she appreciated getting together with peers and remembering how different the world was decades ago.
“It’s important for us to know about Black history, and where we as Blacks came from. What the struggle for us was,” she said. “Back history should always be taught, because if our children don’t know where they came from, how are they going to know where they’re going?”
In a nation often plagued with violence and gang activity, Booker, McDowell and Townsend all said each agreed the first step to solving these problems on a community level is to begin with modified education.
“I think if we start teaching them that some of this violence would stop. There would be more love, because we had to learn how to love and get along, and that comes from our history,” said Townsend. “Engage them in more community activities, and let them know what love is about – what sharing is about.”
Since the pandemic, McDowell said it was the first time the event had been back up to full capacity since 2021, and he hopes the event will only grow further in the years to come.
“We can learn a lot from history if we continue to understand it, study it, and so I think this is a wonderful opportunity for us to have a platform to have those discussions and bring back those traditions,” said McDowell. “So the community can engage in them, and offer helpful dialogue.”
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education, lifestyle and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
