I'll Call It Like I See It

by sheila morris

Tag: harriet hancock community center

  • From Small Towns to Legacy Award: A Love Story of Advocacy

    From Small Towns to Legacy Award: A Love Story of Advocacy


    Teresa and I were totally caught off guard when Harriet Hancock called to tell us we had been nominated and chosen for The Legacy Award from the Harriet Hancock Center in 2025. Surprised, delighted, blown away by the recognition of the contributions two lesbians from the small towns of Richards, Texas, and New Prospect, South Carolina, who grew up in a time before Stonewall, could be celebrated today by one of the defining organizations of the LGBTQ+ movement in Columbia.

    No person has meant more to our community than Harriet Hancock, a friend Teresa and I have admired for more than three decades. The Center which bears her name continues to serve as a safety net for young and old alike in the march toward equal justice for all South Carolinians.

    The Legacy Award is an affirmation of our efforts to live authentic lives together in a time and place before Will and Grace.

    I met Teresa when I wandered into Bluestocking Books in the early 1990s. We were both in other relationships at the time, but we shared values that gave us common goals for our community and ultimately provided the foundation for a personal bond that led to sharing our lives to create a family we both cherish.

    We have no words to express our gratitude to the Harriet Hancock Center and our nominators for The Legacy Award in 2025. You are the future we worked for, and we promise to continue the struggle against the enemies of silence and apathy that have always tried to divide us.

    Please join us as we celebrate six other award recipients for 2025: PJ Whitehurst, Community Advocate of the Year; Elliott Naddell, Youth Advocate of the Year; Senator Tameika Isaac Devine, Political Advocate of the Year; Rainy Day Fund, Community Partner of the Year; CAN Community Health, Health and Wellness Organization of the Year; The Nickelodeon, Arts and Culture Organization of the Year.

    Onward. Together.

  • Thanks to Harriet Hancock Community Center, the Nick, and the 19th* for Breaking the News Documentary

    Thanks to Harriet Hancock Community Center, the Nick, and the 19th* for Breaking the News Documentary


    what is the 19th*

    “We’re an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy.” The documentary Breaking the News was shown at The Nickelodeon theater in Columbia, South Carolina, on June 10th. Shout out to our friend Francie Kleckley for making sure Pretty and I were there to watch. She does her best to support both the Nick and women in politics!

    The Nick promo promised “A powerful documentary about the women and LGBTQ+ journalists behind The 19th*, a newsroom rewriting the rules of who holds the mic in media.” Sisters and brothers, I’m here to tell you this film didn’t disappoint. If you missed the screening of Breaking the News this week, search PBS Documentaries to watch at home.

    In a national atmosphere of authoritarian histrionics, blatant mendacity in the media, corruption ignored by blind eyes unwilling to see – I have embraced despair as a coping mechanism. Despair is not productive, and I have longed for hope that would inspire me to have faith in the future for my family, my community, my country.

    As we exited the Nick Tuesday night, I told Pretty these young people of the 19th* cracked my personal glass ceiling with their collective brain power dedicated to truth telling. Hallelujah! I have been redeemed and am a believer again.

    Onward.

  • I just love the gays!


    SOUTH CAROLINA PRIDE PARADE: LIGHT IT UP!

    Friday Night, October 20th. 7 – 11 p.m. on Main Street

    Pretty will be marching with the Rainbow Light Saber Brigade led by annual head cheerleader for the gay Pride celebrations Light Brigade Captain Matt Tischler who says there are a few spots available in his regiment tonight so check with his FB page for updates and instructions on where to meet and when.

    This is our first year for a nighttime Pride Parade in the almost 30-year history of Pride Parades so Light It Up, Columbia!

    Tomorrow the Famously Hot South Carolina Pride Festival starts at noon and goes on until ??  Take the whole family, why don’t you?? The Harriet Hancock LGBT Center sponsors a special area for children’s entertainment.

    P.S. I hope to see you tonight – I’ll be wearing my Pride beads in memory of Freddie Mullis and in honor of Dick Hubbard who loaned them to me to wear in Pride Events until they find a permanent home in the Queer Section of the Caroliniana Library at USC. Freddie and Dick wore these colorful beads, bracelets and rings in the 1993 March on Washington.

    P.S.P.S. I won’t be walking with Pretty – I’ll be riding in the Business Guild automobile with the Famously Hot Mar-lah-ti-dah who ended her instructions for our meeting tonight with the words, I just love the gays. I do, too, and we party tonight in Columbia, South Carolina!!

     

  • Reading at Harriet Hancock GLBT Community Center Sunday, Dec 2nd


    Following the monthly Pot Luck at the Harriet Hancock Community Center in Columbia this Sunday, December 2nd., I’ll be doing a reading/discussion of the new book and signing copies sold afterwards.   The meal is at 2:00 and the reading will start at approximately 3:00.   Would love to see you there!

    The Community Center is located at 1108 Woodrow Street in Columbia, SC 29205.