Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 3-3-17

Local
Character Actor Meets Granddaughter Of Mary McLeod Bethune
Community Partners And Law Enforcement Plan Workshop
Pre-registration now is open for the third in a series of Community and Law Enforce- ment Workshops (CLEW), funded by Hillsborough County and by the United Way Suncoast.
The next workshop will be held Monday and Tuesday March 27-28, 2017, 5:30 p. m. – 9 p. m. at the Westgate Bap- tist Church, 5121 Kelly Road in Town ‘n Country. The free workshop includes dinner each evening for those who pre-register.
To attend the workshop, call the office of Hillsborough County Commissioner Les Miller at (813) 272-5720 by March 20th. Persons who pre- register for this adult work- shop are asked to be present both evenings.
Citizens will dialogue in small group settings with deputies from the Hillsbor- ough County Sheriff’s Office as they seek solutions towards building respect and trust with diverse ethnic groups in the county.
Dr. Brenda Walker and Joseph McAuliffe will be
DR. BRENDA WALKER ...Workshop Training Director
the workshop’s training direc- tors. The CLEW theme is “Working Together Toward Greater Intercultural Under- standing.”
In addition to the funding agencies, other program spon- sors are the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County School District and the Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa, Inc.
For more information con- tact CLEW Program Manager Fred Hearns at (813) 545- 3183 or fhearns@netzero.net.
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Ten years ago, Ms. Er- sula Odom McLemore Odom began performing her portrayal of a popular histori- cal figure. Her performance is called “Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Come To Life.”
And while her perform- ance has always been highly received by her audiences, something was missing. “No one in Ms. Bethune’s family had actually seen me per- form,” Ms. Odom McLemore said.
However, that changed on February 1st, when she went into character in the Chapel of Bethune-Cookman Univer- sity. After the performance, a young lady approached Ms. Odom McLemore, who was still in character and said, “Hello, Grandmother,” and embraced her. The young woman was Ms. Evelyn Bethune, the granddaughter of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune.
Dr. Ashley Robertson,
Curator and Director of the Mary McLeod Bethune Foun- dation served as the hostess for the event.
The night before during the question and answer ses- sion, Ms. Odom McLemore told the audience that she did- n’t know how the family would react to her performance be- cause she was not aware of anyone having seen her per- form.
She no longer has to won- der because Ms. Bethune raved about the way her grandmother was portrayed. She also encouraged Ms. Odom McLemore to con-
Ms. Ersula Odom McLemore, shown seated, was photographed with Ms. Evelyn Bethune, left, granddaughter of Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune, and Dr. Ashley Robertson, Curator and Director of the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation.
tinue to keep Dr. Bethune’s legacy alive as long as possi- ble.
The Florida Historic Capi- tol Museum was the location where Ms. Odom McLemore made the pres- entation the next evening. It was held on the campus of Florida A & M University.
Throughout the month of February, Ms. Odom McLemore appeared at var- ious locations throughout the state. Some of those locations included Largo Public Library, Pathways Christian Fellow- ship Center in Bradenton, Plant City Museum, Fort Pierce, LaBelle Heritage Mu- seum, the Dunedin Library, Eckerd College, and at Or- lando’s Wells Built Museum of African American History.
She has also appeared at the exhibits of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, African
Americans of Tampa and The Hillsborough County School Board Legends displayed at the Florida State Fair.
And, she is already sched- uled to make several appear- ances during the month of March in celebration of Women’s History Month.
For further information, visit www.sulatoo.com, call 813-368-1628 or email sula- toollc@gmail.com.
Meeting
Middleton High Alumni Association
The Middleton High School Alumni Association will meet on Saturday, March 4th at 11 a. m. at the Police sub-station on 22nd Street. New members are welcome.
Special guests will be Mid- dleton's principal, Dr. Kim Moore and Area Supervisor, Mr. Donell Underdue. Please be present and on time.
Luvator Nelson, Presi- dent, Patricia Cooper, Vice President.
PAGE 8-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MARCH 3, 2017