Saturday was a day of reflection and learning as people flocked to Ocean Park for the 18th annual Della Hardman Day.
Ms. Hardman was a longtime Vineyard resident known for her artistic and educational work, and Oak Bluffs celebrates her legacy on the last Saturday in July. This year’s event was filled with remarks from Ms. Hardman’s family, student scholarship presentations and a conversation with Dr. Clarence B. Jones, a former advisor, lawyer, speechwriter and close friend of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Andrea Taylor, Ms. Hardman’s daughter, welcomed the nearly 100 people who attended the celebration.
“Many of you knew Della but as time goes by, this particular event will be carried and the momentum will be based on storytelling and records and dialogue with people who knew Della,” Ms. Taylor said.
The first Della Hardman Day was in 2005 and Oak Bluffs select board chair Gail Barmakian looked back at Ms. Hardman’s impact on the town.
“The town is so privileged to have had a member of its community like Della Hardman, who contributed to its richness as a community and created a significant part of its historic identity,” Ms. Barmakian told the crowd.
The highlight of the celebration was the conversation with Mr. Jones and Boston University law school dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig.
Mr. Jones charmed the crowd with various stories about his work and his friendship with Dr. King, talking about how he initially turned down Dr. King’s requests for Mr. Jones to become one of his legal advisors. When Mr. Jones heard Dr. King speak and preach for the first time, he changed his mind.
Mr. Jones also talked about his experience growing up in foster families away from his parents and recognized the sacrifice his parents made for him. His father was a gardener and chauffeur and his mother was a domestic worker and cook. Mr. Jones joked that he often called Dr. King a “spoiled brat” due to their different upbringings.
“I remember sitting in that stadium [for my high school graduation],” Mr. Jones said. “They told me I got more awards than any other person but I remember sitting on the stage and seeing my mother sit there weeping as her son was called for one award after another.”
Mr. Jones, who was awarded with the presidential medal of freedom earlier this year, helped Dr. King craft his historic I Have a Dream speech. Mr. Jones credited his years at Juilliard as a classical clarinetist as an aid in his approach to writing speeches.
“To show you I had some street cred, at 17, I played with Charlie Parker,” Mr. Jones said with a laugh. “One of the reasons I was able to be an effective speech writer with Martin is because I view words like music notes. I still view words as musical notes.”
Wole C. Coaxum, Ms. Hardman’s grandson, closed the event and thanked Mr. Jones and the audience.
“Today’s conversation has been uplifting, inspiring... and humbling,” Mr. Coaxum said. “And it reminds me that we all have a responsibility to advance the collective value and knowledge and progress that’s been built over generations.”
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