The People's World Amistad Award was presented to Shellye Davis by former awardee Peggy Buchanan. Saturday, December 8, 2018. The acceptance speech by Shellye Davis follows:
Thank you, Peggy. I truly appreciate you. First let me say how much
I admire the other honorees, Eva Bermudez Zimmerman, and Louise
Simmons, for their courage and amazing leadership. I stand in solidarity
with Nelson Pino and his family. Also, I wish to congratulate Chaz
Cameron for providing opportunities for our young people in the performing
arts.
I give honor to God for those on whose shoulders I stand and for who
I have become. I want to thank my mother, my brother and my children,
whom I dearly love, Thank you for your love and support. And, finally, I
must acknowledge my union families, the Connecticut AFL-CIO, the
Greater Hartford Labor Coalition, the Eastern Area Labor Federation, AFT
Connecticut, and the Hartford Federation of Paraeducators.
I am deeply humbled by this honor. It is most unexpected. So let me
begin by thanking the People's World Amistad Awards Committee for
considering me worthy of such an award. I thank Joelle for her leadership
and commitment in the struggle. The story of the Amistad was the story of a
prolonged struggle for freedom, a struggle that took the forms of both
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physical resistance and protracted legal battles right up to the Supreme Court
of the United States, where justice finally prevailed.
The struggle continues. I would like to quote from Martin Luther
King, speaking on March 8, 1965, in Selma, Alabama, the day after the
infamous Bloody Sunday:
A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is
right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A
man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is
true.
My mom reminds me often that I was born to stand and fight for
others. As I child I would often throw a rock in the pond and watch the
ripple. But in all of our lives there is a ripple effect that occurs from the
moment we are born, to how we are taught, what we learn, how we share to
the moment we die. And I have decided I had to be the rock and create the
ripple.
From the time I can remember- I was taught to treat people fairly, take
care of others, share knowledge and tell the truth no matter how painful or
complicated a situation might be.
My parents, Alice And Vern, were educators in Hartford. My father
was an elementary school principal for 4 decades. My mother was a teacher,
principal, and early childhood coordinator. She was also the oldest of 14
siblings. My parents also dedicated a lot of time advocating and fighting for
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the rights of educators and families in Hartford. They taught me to care
about community and fight for equality.
My maternal grandmother was also a paraeducator at Waverly. And
my maternal grandfather was a plumber by trade - he was actually part of the
team that worked on the Civic Center when it was built. When I pass the
Civic Center today I am reminded of my grandfather’s contributions to
history.
My grandpa would often pick me up from school and share stories
with me. He would always say things to me that didn’t quite make sense
like- “sweetheart, if you clean toilets be the best toilet cleaner that you can
be”. Now back then, I wouldn’t dare talk back or say anything snide. I
wanted to tell him, “Grandpa I ain’t cleaning no toilets”. Little did I know,
I’d actually clean up a lot of other’s people mess on my journey.
Yes they taught me to be respectful and to take pride in everything I
did no matter what. It’s funny, my maternal grandparents use to call each
other ‘Ole Pal. When I was young I honestly thought they had the same
name. As I got older I realized it was a term of endearment and they vowed
to greet and call each other friend or Ol Pal everyday. They created a sense
of compassion with each other and everyone they came in contact with.
My maternal great grandparents were actually an interracial couple. I
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never noticed. When I was younger we never talked about their interracial
marriage- when I saw my great grandpa I saw a 6 foot tall, blue eyed, big
eared grandpa. The ears got me all the time. My great grandma was a
Cherokee Indian. I only remember seeing a comfortable display of love
between great grandparents and grandparents.
I am so grateful for the loving support system that I had. I had Cross
generational discipline, a whole lot of teaching and pure unconditional love.
I received hugs and kisses.... and those who know me can imagine that
on occasion I may have done things that warranted discipline. On occasion I
would go and pick a switch from outside and receive a whipping from
grandpa. There was no DCF back then. My parents didn’t spank me thoughthey
had “intellectual conversations”. I would have to think about what I did
wrong and share other ways I could of handled myself. I don’t know what
was worse. Sometimes I wished they would have just spanked me and been
done. But they did teach me how to think through decisions and develop
better strategies in the future.
My family didn’t talk about race, nor hatred, nor make excuses. They
didn’t complain. They did not hide behind fear. Instead they said things like
“make your good better and make your better your best”, and “do the best
you can”. They fought for what was right, put family and community first,
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and lead with dignity.
Because of my family, I knew who I was and what I could be.
Because of the contributions of my grandparents and parents I expected
peace and equality. They raised me to understand that with hard work,
following through on responsibility and accountability, saying please and
thank you - I could do anything. We can do anything. And We have!
Now, I’ve had my share of disappointments, I’ve had my heart
broken. I’ve had personal and professional moments when I realized that
people did not like me or include me for various reasons. I distinctly
remember my dream of being a ballerina in the nutcracker- I was 8-9 years
old. So excited. And then, my dance teacher erased that dream and killed my
spirit when she said- “There will never be a negro ballerina in my
nutcracker.” I was shattered and chose to stop dancing. Not telling anyone
why.
Now, I don’t know if that was what she truly believed or if she meant
to be malicious. What I do know- Words do hurt and words do matter it was
the first time words hurt me so deeply... and it came from my teacher.
The good news is years later I had the opportunity to speak with her
and she apologized. I forgave her but I never forgot how I felt and what I
lost with that interaction. I vowed to always stand up for others with things
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that mattered. I vowed to support their dreams and desires, and fight
especially when given the chance to change the way things are done if there
is a better and newer way of advancing others- especially our children and
our community.
Unfortunately, many of our students, educators and the very systems
that are here to help us are in crisis! It’s time for those who can to step up
and declare Enough. No more unnecessary damage.
Like many of you, I’ve been energized by women stepping forward.
We saw far more women candidates in elections local and national- 117
women elected to Congress- 42 are of color and at least 3 LGBTQ.
While we are making strides there is more to be done. It is my
purpose and my destiny to make a stand and make a difference. I choose to
be a voice to those without a voice. I think back to what my grandfather
said - If you must clean toilets be the best toilet cleaner you can be. What
I’ve come to believe and understand was best articulated by another Martin
Luther King quote:
“No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has
dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking
excellence. “
Education is the key. We must commit ourselves to LEARN AND SERVE.
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And we must call out the injustices that we see: the racial, religious, genderbased
and other bigotries and biases that throw a fog over rational discourse.
We must declare ourselves for justice and freedom, and ask others to declare
themselves.
As Michelle Obama said: “When they go low we go high!” Make every
day count. Remember to take your daily dose of 3C’s for success:
CONCENTRATION, CONSISTENCY and COOPERATION. Encouraging
words lift people up. We have the power to change lives and have a positive
impact in our community. Our history is important, our future is uncertain,
all we have is the moment.
And now I ask you, if you are united for immigrants, please stand up.
If you are united for universal health care, please stand up.
If you are united for education and a well-educated citizenry, please
stand up.
If you are willing to do your part to treat all humans fairly, please
stand up.
If you want to make sure our children will be OK, please stand.
Let’s create a ripple effect.
Let’s continue to choose excellence in all that we do. – I stand United
with you in the struggle for a better world. THANK YOU
