Standing on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama – the site of beatings of civil rights marchers in 1965 – Polly Sheppard and Margaret Seidler (shown above with her husband, Bob) couldn’t help but think about how far they’ve come. Sheppard, a survivor of the Mother Emanuel church massacre in 2015, and Seidler, a descendent of slave traders, may have made an unlikely pair, but, together, spent last summer touring civil rights sites of the American South – confronting the past, growing together and bridging the racial divide along the way.
The two friends will talk about their journey at the College of Charleston’s Rita Liddy Hollings Science Center, room 101, from 6 to 7:15 p.m. on March 30, 2022. Presented by the College’s Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston (CSSC) and co-sponsored by the Office of Institutional Diversity (OID), this Critical Conversations event – “Two Women Bridge the Racial Divide in a Civil Rights Journey” – will also be livestreamed.
With welcoming remarks by President Andrew T. Hsu, the event is hosted by Bernard E. Powers, director of the CSSC; Marjory Wentworth, adjunct English faculty; and Lisa Covert, associate professor of history and chair of the CSSC’s Social Justice Committee.
“At the Center for the Study of Slavery, we examine the institution of slavery and its legacy, and the impact that that inheritance has on all of us,” says Powers. “The Social Justice Committee was formed to seek social repair and undo harms that slavery and its legacy have left. It’s about improving our community and recommending a path that will shape the future positively. That is what these two women have done. They show us that, when you get beyond the stereotypes and really come together, there’s something really beautiful that can happen.”
Since the Mother Emanuel tragedy, Sheppard, who practiced nursing for 42 years in the Charleston area, has made it her mission to spread a message of love and forgiveness, speaking locally, regionally and across the country – including at the Democratic National Convention – and promoting the 2019 documentary film Emanuel. She is the founder of the Polly Sheppard Foundation, a scholarship administered by Trident Technical College that aims to provide financial support for nursing students pursuing careers in prison health including correctional and forensic programs.
Born and raised in Charleston on land formerly part of McLeod Plantation on James Island, Seidler has been involved in many progressive causes in Charleston since the church massacre, including creating and leading the Charleston Illumination Project, a yearlong effort designed to give all parts of the local community a voice in shaping effective citizen/police actions and relationships.
The two came together as friends after the Mother Emanuel shooting.
“These two women, given their backgrounds, had all the likelihood of being in conflict on a racial basis but whose lives moved them toward reconciliation and a common interest in promoting civil rights,” says Rénard Harris, chief diversity officer at the College of Charleston.
“Their backgrounds make this trip together even more extraordinary,” agrees Powers. “They really grew together from this experience. They have a really an inspiring story.”
Powers hopes their story will serve as a call to action for students and community members who come to the event.
“I want people to see that we can get together and make something positive happen in our future. I hope that people realize that – when individuals share good will and act in good faith, expecting something positive to occur – it can happen,” he says. “And I want people to go out and do something and act on things. We want people to take those thoughts and translate them into action. These are people who not only think, they are acting to create a better future for their beloved community. These are people we should emulate.”
To attend the event in person, please register here. Livestream the event via Zoom here.
