Misadventures of the Mack Family: Black History Month

Justice came home from school a few weeks ago and declared he needed to pick a historical figure for his Black History Month paper. I asked him what ideas he had in mind, and he ran through the typical fifth grade answers...

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Rosa Parks

and... wait for it...

Janet Jackson

What? Yes, Janet Jackson. I said "Boy, you are NOT doing your paper on Janet Jackson!" Turns out he really doesn't even know who Janet Jackson is, and he may also need to evaluate his current friend situation in the classroom.

I said to him "Why don't you do your project on Uncle Philip?"

"WHO?"

"UNCLE PHILIP"

"Mom, it has to be a historical figure, not a family member."

I sigh.

"Justice, Uncle Philip IS a historical figure. He is a nationally recognized blacksmith, and his work is even in the Smithsonian."

And he sat there for a few minutes, quietly allowing that to sink in. I appreciated that moment, him sitting there quietly with that look on his face, while he allowed his culture to sink in a little.

We sat down at the computer and started to do some research. I simply told him to google his name and see what would come up. Lots of news articles, websites, and pictures popped right up. He clicked on the first picture and loudly exclaimed

"HEY, UNCLE PHILIP LOOKS JUST LIKE GRANDMA!!"

And rather than write my own narrative about Uncle Philip, I will cut and paste Justice's narrative, in his own words.

"My Great Uncle Phillip Simmons was born on June 9th, 1912 on Daniel Island, South Carolina and died on June 22nd, 2009 in Charleston, South Carolina. Mr. Simmons lived on Daniel Island until age 8 and was sent to Charleston to live with an Aunt to go to Buist School. There were no schools in the rural backwoods area that he lived in.

Mr. Simmons started working as a blacksmith at the age of 13, when he had to drop out of school to help support his family. He struggled in his life because he wasn’t recognized for his work until he was very old because he was African American. Racism was still a problem in the South, people didn’t see that black people were so creative and talented. His work was not appreciated until he was very very old.

His favorite quote was “If you want your prayers answered, get up off your knees and hustle.”

Mr. Simmons has impacted the country with his amazing artwork. There are over 600 pieces of his ironwork in Charleston, mostly ornate iron gates. His work is in the Smithsonian Museum, and he created a gate for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA. He has also been invited to the White House to be formally recognized by President Ronald Reagan. In 1982, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded him its National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor that the United States can bestow on a traditional artist.

The Philip Simmons Foundation was established in 1991 to develop and maintain a commemorative garden from design to completion and to preserve the legacy and craft of Mr. Philip Simmons.

I am impressed with Mr. Simmons because he decorated Charleston with iron and made it look beautiful. I am very proud to be related to him. I can tell he was a very hardworking man because being an African American wasn’t easy at that time, and he worked hard for 84 years as a blacksmith, 72 years in the same shop. He gave our family a small piece of his work that he made in 2007 at age 95. It is in our home today."

Here are some pictures of Philip Simmons work.

This is the piece acquired by the Smithsonian.

This was a wonderful learning and growing experience for Justice. Not only from an educational standpoint, but from a cultural one. I think sometimes it's difficult for him to relate to or feel like he belongs to any particular culture given his multi-ethnic background. He understands of course that his Dad and that half of his family is African American, but he doesn't quite yet get how that travels back into history. However, as soon as he saw the family resemblance between Uncle Philip and his Grandma I could see the lightbulb click on in his head, and he was deeply engrossed in learning. Learning about his own family and his own culture. I am thankful to be able to learn right along with him and help him connect with that part of his life. I asked him how he felt about it after he was done, and he said he felt humbled. And grateful. Grateful to be related to someone as hardworking as Uncle Philip, and grateful to be a part of his family.