[Lerner]: Hey Terry, you know why Jews have long arms and short necks?
[SPEAKER_04]: No, I don't. See, see, that's just stupid.
[Carter]: Good evening, friends and neighbors. My name is Terry E. Cotter, and I direct elder services at our beloved West Medford Community Center. Welcome to another live monthly presentation of First Friday's Words in Music, one of our official favorite events at WMCC. It's December. a traditional time of hope and faith and light for people all over the world. Despite the fact that it's a bit cold outside, we're warm and toasty in the building. Thanks to a generous grant from the Medford Arts Council, a member of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, we are ready to celebrate the season at 111 Arlington Street. We are, of course, still trying to be mindful of local health requirements and concerns, so masking is welcomed but not required. On the whole this year, we've had many months of sponsoring live programming here at the WMCC and all over the city of Medford as well. Please be courteous to your neighbors as we move forward. Through the evening, we are appreciating the media work put in by Kevin Harrington and Medford Community Media for guiding us as we broadcast to you via Medford Community Media channels 9 for Comcast and 47 for Verizon. If you're out there watching on your electronic devices, welcome to the show. So tonight's conversation is taking place as a true departure from what we usually do on First Fridays. So I'm going to introduce my partner in crime for the evening, the community center's own Eileen Lerner. Eileen? Eileen is a relatively new WMCC board member, but she's no stranger to many who are here on a regular basis. She's been a Medford resident for many years, and an active and engaged member of the West Medford Senior Club. Eileen is also a longtime human rights activist, a journalist, and a former teacher. She speaks her mind, and tonight what we're gonna do is let her. Eileen, what's on your mind this evening?
[Lerner]: No, I'm taking this one. What's on my mind is I'm the interviewer and you are the interviewee. So let's change chairs. Okay, so, wow, this is so much fun. I get to ask Terry questions, you know. and questions that I've always thought about. Okay, but first I have to read his biography. Okay. Terry E. Carter is a gifted writer, poet, and speaker who has been writing and developing his craft for decades. He is a classically trained poet with literary influences that range from Shakespeare to the Harlem Renaissance. Terry is a sought-after poet and presenter on a variety of topics related to black history, faith, and contemporary culture. He has published six volumes of poetry, including his newly completed book, Brown Skin and the Brilliant Sun, a poet's opus released in October. Terry E. Carter was named the inaugural Poet Laureate of Medford Mass in the summer of 2021 and completed his two-year term at the end of June. Terry is an ordained deacon and arts minister at Jubilee Christian Church of Stoughton. He directs elder services and special programs in the West Medford community, and is married to Teresa Carter, an ordained pastor and liturgical dance leader. So, well, I have my own, so you have yours, okay. So Terry, many of us know that you were introduced to poetry in Medford High School by a really excellent teacher. But I've always wondered, what was it about poetry rather than other forms of writing For example, fiction, nonfiction, journalism. What was it about poetry that grabbed you and made it become your genre of choice?
[Carter]: That's a really good question. Well, as you mentioned, I was indeed introduced to poetry at Medford High School, freshman or sophomore year. I had an English teacher by the name of Eleanor Kookavidis, beautiful Greek lady. And she gave me a little volume of Langston Hughes's poetry, and I was off and running. Now, I always liked to read. Growing up as a kid, I was a comic book reader, had a big collection of comic books. So there definitely were other genres of writing that I was interested in. And I had kind of started writing some little short stories and things of my own. But when the poetry bug grabbed me, I was kind of grabbed for good. I've had to learn how to write for professional life, and I've written all kinds of things. And then when I went to graduate school at BU, obviously the writing came back into play because Mass Comm, one of the tracks was broadcast journalism. And I was in that track, so I had to refine my writing for the news media, et cetera, and so forth. But I didn't go down that road professionally. But writing has always been something that has stood me in good stead, I would say, in my professional life. But the poetry is the thing that really, really kind of lights my fire, so to speak.
[Lerner]: Yes, I hear you. Yeah. OK. What was the subject of the very first poem you ever wrote?
[Carter]: Wow. And listen, you know, everybody's got a roses are red, violets are blue poem in them somewhere. So I have to assume that I probably wrote some little ditties when I was trying to get up. No, well, you know, I tried to unremember a lot of stuff that would get me in trouble with my current relationships. Oh, OK. So if I wrote another poem, if I wrote a poem to another woman earlier in my life, I'm trying not to remember that.
[Lerner]: I hear you.
[Carter]: I don't want to throw that up in my wife's face.
[Lerner]: That was a wise choice.
[Carter]: Yeah. But the first serious poem, serious poems I'll say, I wrote this really scathing indictment of, and this is pre-hip-hop, pre-rap, of Watergate. And I remember the first couple lines were, listen, my children, and you shall hear of the Watergate big political smear. And then it went on and on and on. So Nixon and Haldeman and Ehrlichman and Dean.
[Lerner]: And you rhymed all those?
[Carter]: Yeah, I rhymed all those. Yeah. In the White House mystery mischief machine, I'm sure that was a piece of it. So that was pretty serious, but the one that I remember best was a poem called All My Heroes are Black Men. And I wrote that as a paean to growing up and then finally discovering the richness of black history. And I wrote about all of it. in that poem. And that was one of the poems that was kind of the framework for my first book, Brown Skin and the Bread of Life, A Poet's Journey.
[Lerner]: How old were you at that time?
[Carter]: I wrote that poem years and years and years before I actually published the book, so I have to, I think I was probably about 18, 19. Yeah, I think I was in college when I wrote that. Wow. Yeah.
[Lerner]: And when did you publish your very first book?
[Carter]: That's a good, it's another good question. It's an interesting story because I was... 2009, I was working for a career development organization for high-talent students of color called En-ROADS, a national organization. And what we did is we would recruit the students, go to the different schools and grab the students, And then we would put them through a training regimen, you know, and teaching them everything from professional etiquette to dressing for business, all of that. And part and parcel to that was finding them really high-grade internships in Fortune 500 companies. And I had a portfolio of companies. I had Bleach, I had... Liberty Mutual, MetLife, a lot of insurance firms, that was my silo. So I loved that job, I was at that job for almost 11 years and they had this big organizational shake-up and a lot of folks lost their jobs, and I was part of a lot of folks. So that year, there's an old saying that when God closes a door, he opens a window.
[Lerner]: Mama always said that.
[Carter]: Yeah, absolutely. So what happened was I was trying to figure out how I was going to fill my time, and two things happened. I wrote my first book, I think I published in 2010, and then roughly around the same time, maybe a little bit after, I got invited to take the job as director of elder services here at the community center.
[Lerner]: And how did that come about?
[Carter]: One of my good friends, Calvin Lindsey Jr. was actually the President of the Board of Directors at the time, and he said, you know, Terry, we just, we're gonna lose our Director of Elder Services for a couple different reasons. Why? You think it might be something you'd be interested in. I wasn't working. He said, it's just part-time, but, you know, you get to be in Medford more often, you get to hang out with your people. Because I was in Randolph. My wife and I had relocated to Randolph. So I took the job.
[Lerner]: So, as someone who was born and bred in West Medford, what led you to move out of your beloved community and eventually leading you and your family to move to Randolph?
[Carter]: We got priced out. I'm going to be perfectly plain with you. Well, there were two things, two mitigating factors. The first was my wife was actually working for a city department in Boston. and she was six months away from being grandfathered when they pressed the residency requirement. So we had to go into Boston, or else she would have lost her job. But we moved into Boston, we got an apartment in Dorchester, nice, enjoyed it, but we were also thinking about buying, so we started looking a little bit, and we looked at Medford, and we couldn't touch Medford. It was just, you know, couldn't do it. Prohibitively expensive. Prohibitively expensive.
[Lerner]: And gotten more so every year.
[Carter]: Yeah, so we stayed in Boston in two different apartments in Dorchester and then a stint of time with my mother-in-law as well. for close to 16 years. And then we said this is crazy, especially because the area of Dorchester that we were in, this is the second apartment, had gotten pretty gamey. There was a lot of shootings, there was a lot of crazy stuff going on. In the street that we lived on, at the top of the street, there were a couple of brownstones. And there was all manner of scurrilous activity taking place in those brownstones. I mean, all kinds of activity. And the police were up and down the street all the time. So we just finally. We got war down, and we started looking again. We looked south, and Randolph ended up being the community that we settled on, and we were able to buy a really nice house in Randolph.
[Lerner]: It is pretty. My son used to live there.
[Carter]: Was that right?
[Lerner]: Conrad lived there when his kids were young, so I'm familiar with Randolph. Yeah, yeah. So I'm curious about What are the messages that you want people to get from your poetry? What are you trying to communicate to people?
[Carter]: I don't know if we got time for me to tell you all of it, but I'll definitely tell you some of it. So why don't we do it like this? Let me tell you a little bit about it, and then I'll just read a couple pieces. And that way, folks will get a bit of an idea.
[Lerner]: I think that's a good idea.
[Carter]: OK. OK, good. I was very much faith-driven when I wrote my first book, Brown Skin and the Bread of Life, the bread of life being Jesus Christ, you know, biblically. But I was also driven by a desire to connect with history, you know, African American history in particular. I was driven by the influences of music in my life. I love jazz, so jazz is in there. I wanted to be able to write some things that I could then pass on generationally. And I've always considered myself a storyteller. So I wanted to be able to tell some stories as well. So I think those are the major influences. But coming back to West Medford and being here ended up being actually a bigger influence than many of those things. And I'll explain why when I read one of these pieces I'm going to read. So all of those things, all of those things. So let me read a piece, kind of get you, kind of answer your question even a little bit more. Okay. Okay, so as I said, Medford, West Medford in particular became a very big influence in my writing. particularly because of the creeping gentrification that was taking place when I came back to the neighborhood, and how difficult it was for folks like myself who wanted to come back to Medford to be able to find a place where they could. But I found my place here at the community center, so I'm not mad at anybody. But I wanna talk a little bit about some of the things that I've seen, especially over the last several years. So this piece is called Mystic River Melancholy. The freshly quaffed boho boys make real estate videos extolling the finer virtues of West Medford and life along the Mystic River. Maybe they're new money kids or Tufts grads. They don't know the rich history of the village. They do have a sense that this is a minor mecca for ex-city dwellers, flush with IPO cash, NFT windfalls, or Bitcoin early adoptions. A new gentry that wants to be landed for their dogs, and their Range Rovers, and their wine tastings, and the next generation of trust fund babies. The would-be property princes have a target market. The YouTube appeal is slick and shiny. Classic Americana with a side of sushi or a venti mocha latte. They have no idea of what used to be. They know what the next wave wants to see. They want to see the bikes, the hikes, and their kids on trikes. They want to post pics that get lots of likes. They want to see the flowering trees and the birds and the bees. Their high-rise havens had none of these. They want to see if they can grow something green in a backyard garden beyond the green that's growing in their bulging bank accounts. Designer overalls and Doc Martens do not a farmer make. No worries, Whole Foods has gone 100% organic with a great selection of finely curated herbs and spices. I know this sounds like resentment. Resignation frequently does. But when the private boat clubs bookend the public beach and the abutters don't want loud, unruly Dominicans descending on their hillsides for beachfront parking, well, what's a brother from the Ville to think? My daddy taught me how to fish here. Not much more than eels and sunfish in the water then, but it felt like legacy, and we were happy to have it. They really didn't want us at their beach back then either, but we were mighty in our minority. We didn't want to fight folks, but the lake wasn't exactly pristine, so why begrudge it to anybody? We could walk that half mile or ride our stingray bikes down there and feel connected to the small waves in the gentle wake. We could wonder about the kayakers and the canoe paddlers, the colorful sunfishers, occasional scullers, and the ubiquitous motor boaters. We could dream a little dream about owning a dinghy and a trawling engine and maybe making a few waves of our own. Don't get me wrong. I love the new fish ladders and the intrepid herring counters, the trout infusion, the bald eagle sightings, and the focus on environmental sustainability. Thing is, they love it too, and they can pay for it. 1.4 mil for Queen Dorothy Elizabeth Tucker's old homestead. It should have been a historical landmark. Instead, it's yet another preview of coming attractions. Meanwhile, the sleepy little Nubian Hamlet has released its black and brown patina to the inexorable tug of real property values and the dying off of the old guard. Mine is the last generation that knew about the first three streets, Arlington, Lincoln, and Jerome, that knew about the little store, the old Shiloh Baptist, and the library in the fire station. Mine is the last generation that knew about Charlie Booker and the Bruins, the five fighting Phillips brothers, Uncle Buddy's postal command, Doc Count's blue books, Faucina and Evelyn's beauty salon, and exactly why it's called Duggar Park. So many firsts, so much history, so little time to savor and to save, to preserve and to pass on. So many departures, so few arrivals of the black and the brown and the tan. Meanwhile, the developers mostly have their way. The Spanish day laborers tear it down and build it back up. Like Lee Majors and the $6 million man, they have the technology. They can make them better than they were, better, stronger, faster. Condos and townhouses, Tony and Trendy, out with the old, in with the new, wash, rinse, and repeat. Meanwhile, the freshly quaffed boho boys make real estate videos, extolling the finer virtues of West Medford and life along the Mystic River.
[Lerner]: Wow, Terry, that's powerful. I feel it, because I lived in West Cambridge for many years. And West Cambridge is undergoing the same change that West Medford is. And when I talk to my neighbors, they say, oh, Eileen, nobody's here anymore. And nobody's smiling and saying hello as people move in. So it's a loss. It's a big loss and a tragedy, really.
[Carter]: So I think the thing that I try to do is to make sure that I'm telling these particular stories. Because there will come a time when there's nobody left to tell them. I mean, the neighborhood has changed enough so that I can read the tea leaves. I can see what's going on. So that's the second piece that I want to share. It's called I Came for the Stories. OK. Shoot. I came for the stories of how you built this place, from the entrelles, from the dregs, from the unwashed and the unwanted. The only piece of the city they'd let you have, but you built it with pine and pegs and poles and persistence with the beauty of duty and the substance of faith. I came for the stories of the heroes and the unheralded, of the legacy makers and the territory takers and the boundary shakers and the barrier breakers, the first ones to do the big thing, the bold thing, the forbidden, the unfamiliar, the courageous thing. I came for the stories, the ones you say for your children, and their children, and their children. Anansi stories, Shaka Zulu stories, Sheba stories, Hannibal stories, Toussaint stories, Sojourner stories, Malcolm, Marcus, Martin, and Medgar stories. Epic, heroic, and tragic truth of how we came over and what we've overcome. I came for the stories, all of them, lost, stolen, or strayed, because history can't be real for me, can't reveal to me, can't appeal to me without showing the black and the brown and the tan. Whitewashing so clearly our critical race theory just tells me we are nearly erasing a past we will pay for dearly. I came for the stories only poets can tell, magical tales that cast a spell, living water from the griot's well, distinct drumming in a faraway bell, the seas reply in a queen conch shell, the salted air as the billows swell, an archangel triumphs, a demon fell, giants flee from where Davids dwell, lest they drown in a deepening stell, legion is vanquished and sent back to hell, the riot ends with a mournful yell, the ode is recorded, from District to Dell. I came for the stories, and I will not leave as I am beseeching beyond my own reaching for all you are teaching the sermons you're preaching where black knows no bleaching of borders we're breaching and hatred is leeching and rage is screeching for love's impeaching. I came for the stories. I came for the stories. I came for the stories.
[Lerner]: Well, Terry, you know that I've been a big fan of yours. I love your poetry. And I was so happy in twenty twenty one when Terry became the poet, the first poet laureate of Medford. And I wondered now there's another poet laureate Vijaya Sundaram. And I wonder. As you look back on your experience being the poet laureate, what stands out for you?
[Carter]: It's interesting because there was no blueprint. Medford, in fact, didn't necessarily know how to do it, and so with some kind of background guidance, they were able to kind of pick up on the model that was in place in Somerville, who had had a poet laureate for a number of years now, and build a model But I wasn't given a lot of specific tasks. So I just kind of created my own kind of way to go. And it's consisted of some inaugural poetry. It's consisted of some poetry for special occasions, poetry for Juneteenth, poetry for Pride Month, and a couple of other city celebrations. And visiting in the schools, especially during COVID, workshops for the schools, virtual workshops for the schools.
[Lerner]: How did the students receive you?
[Carter]: We've always had a love relationship, not a love-hate relationship. They're pretty fascinated. by poetry. Thank you. So I think that Vijaya's task will be to kind of maybe look at some of the things that I've done and then kind of build on that model so that every couple of years as a new poet laureate comes in, there'll be more and more layers to what the city's expectations and what the possibilities would be. Because that was the other thing, without a blueprint, I don't think either of us really had a sense of what the possibilities would be. But if you, behind the... The Andrews School, there is a, it's by the river, it's right by the river, the Mystic River is right there, and there's walking trails behind there, it's really a nice area. But if you go behind the Andrews, there's actually a, there's a peace park. The landscape architect calls it a Triskelion. So it's a three-point maze. And in the maze, the maze is constructed of cement paths with rocks guiding you through the maze. And there are three points in the maze which have a piece of poetry, a piece of a poem. So I wrote, I was able to write that poetry and then the other thing that it's done for me is it's made me really notorious because David Fichter, a muralist from... I know David. Yeah, from Cambridge and Somerville.
[Lerner]: That's right. He's been around a long time.
[Carter]: Yeah, a long time. So for 27 years, he's been painting two mural panels on the embankment across from the Somerville projects on Mystic Avenue that the paintings describe the life along the Mystic River. So a couple years ago, now, well, not a couple years, a year ago, a little more than a year ago, he calls me here at the community center. He says, you know, can I bring a group of kids by? I want you to talk to them about poetry and maybe do a little workshop with them. So I said, sure, you know, come on by. Yeah, absolutely. So he brings the kids by, take them to a sound installation, and they get to hear Hard by the Mystic. You know Hard by the Mystic. And then we come to the community center, and we do the little poetry workshop, and everybody's happy. And David takes the kids, and he goes off. A couple days later, he calls me and he says, can I come back and take some pictures? So I think he wants to take some pictures of the neighborhood, you know, West Medford, interesting place. We had talked about a lot of different things. So he comes, he brings his, he got a nice fancy camera. He comes and he says, okay, well, let's go over to the park. So I figure, okay, so I wanna take some pictures of Duggar Park, you know, the back of the community center, all kinds of different things. So he says, okay, well, you know, are you ready? And I said, ready for what? He says, I wanna take some pictures of you. Oh, you want to take pictures of me. Long story short, he takes the pictures. Next day, I get sketches. Pretty soon, some paintings come, and I'm to be immortalized on the last two panels of the mural. And it's 27 years in the making, so there are well over 50 panels. Right, I'm unaware of that. Yeah, and it's 400 or 500 yards of mural.
[Lerner]: Yes, I remember when I was riding by and I looked. Why, that's Terry Carter. Oh, my God. How wonderful.
[Carter]: Yeah, it is. It is wonderful. It's like 10 to 12 feet tall and emblazoned through the front of my garment is a snippet of hired by the mystic, the poem hired by the mystic.
[Lerner]: So it looks just like you.
[Carter]: It does look like me. Absolutely. I'm not you know, I'm not mad at David. He's a wonderful artist. Yes, he is. So, I don't, what was, what was I, what was the question?
[Lerner]: Okay, my next question is, when did Words and Music first begin?
[Carter]: Oh, geez.
[Lerner]: And how?
[Carter]: I'll say it like this. We're, we're into the 60s in terms of the number of shows that we've done. And you figure we do, on average, 8 to 10 shows a year. So it's several years. And I didn't start it. I didn't do the first show. A former board member and a principal at Somerville Community Access Television, she wanted to come over and do something with the community center. So the first show. I wasn't there. And then Bill Hager, who was the executive director at the time, he said, well, I would like for you to host this program. And I said, OK, what the heck. And the rest is history. So we kind of took over the show. Somerville Community Access Television faded away. Fortunately, we have Medford Community Media running to the breach, and they've been broadcasting our show ever since. So like I say, if you go through the full archive, there's probably 50 to 60 shows in the can. It's very rich. And we've done a bunch of good stuff. We've interviewed mayors, and we've You know, we've had great discussions about, you know, public health and obviously the neighborhood, changing in the neighborhood, all kinds of different conversations, panels and individuals.
[Lerner]: And you're just a wonderful, wonderful interviewer.
[Carter]: You're not doing so bad yourself.
[Lerner]: Oh, thank you so much.
[Carter]: Thank you so much. Very good.
[Lerner]: No, you're so kind and you create such a warm environment for everybody. Thank you. And it's really lovely to listen to every interview you do. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. OK, so let's see, what are two of your most memorable interviews?
[Carter]: I think the first interview I had with Mayor Brianna when she was running for her first mayoral stint. I remember that, yeah. Because it was one of the few interviews where I was actually nervous. Why were you nervous? Well, you know, you know, I thought that she was going to win, you know, and I had already interviewed Stephanie.
[Lerner]: Yeah.
[Carter]: And, you know, it's funny because her office called and they didn't demand, but it was clear that they were looking for equal time. Sure. So we scheduled her that very month and it was right before the election in. you know, I just had a sense that, you know, a change was coming. And when I interviewed her, I had, you know, my stomach was kind of knotted up. I don't think anybody knew, but I was nervous. So that's that's memorable to me.
[Lerner]: You never looked nervous. Yeah.
[Carter]: And I think the other it wasn't necessarily a a a an interview. It was a panel and on the panel were Let's see, I think Melanie McLaughlin was on the panel. My sister, my older sister was on the panel. I think Henry Malorum was on the panel, and they were talking about children with disabilities, because one of Melanie's daughters has Down syndrome, and my sister has a highly high-functioning autistic son, and Henry has an autistic son. And it was a wonderful discussion, very, very rich. So those kinds of conversations have always kind of been like my favorites.
[Lerner]: Sometimes I think we're all on the spectrum. Yeah. Creativity runs rampant in Terry's family. His wife, Teresa, is a brilliant modern dancer. And his daughter is an actress, Maya. We all saw her in a play recently. It was just great. And I know you, Terry, are also a painter. How and when did you start painting?
[Carter]: You know, one, Eileen, I haven't painted for years. No? No. And it's not because I don't love it. It's just because the poetry took over. Kind of like the full of my creative spectrum became, you know, driven by poetry.
[Lerner]: I saw your paintings here one time when you brought them in. That's why I thought you were still active.
[Carter]: No, I have I have done some some visual art stuff. But painting is a serious commitment for me, because one, I paint oils, so they take a long time to dry and cure and all of that stuff, and they're messy. And two, because I consider myself very fastidious. So I treat the paintings the same way I treat the poetry. Every word, every color, every, you know. It's all the same to me. So what I've decided is that I'm gonna write seven books in the brown skin series I've even got the title for the next one I'm not gonna say it and then I'm gonna put the writing aside and I'm gonna focus a little bit on visual arts great yeah I'm do some painting great so my wife wants new artwork in the house too I see and cheap
[Lerner]: At a good price, right? Mama gets what mama wants. Yeah. OK. So one thing Terry didn't mention is that I'm a writer, too.
[Carter]: Absolutely.
[Lerner]: But I've only written one poem in my whole life. And I'm going to recite my poem now. OK. Sometimes the children grow like flowers. Sometimes the children grow like weeds. I like the children both ways. I help plant the seeds. That's it.
[Carter]: Wow. Yeah, it's beautiful. Yeah, it's quite nice.
[Lerner]: My one and only poem. Yes. I used to have a column in the Medford Transcript. But as you know, the Medford Transcript has expired, like so many other things. But anyway, I would like to ask you to recite Queen of the Village about Dorothy Elizabeth Tucker. Because Dorothy Elizabeth Tucker, I met her when I moved into Medford about nine years ago. She was part of a Medford Conversations project. And in my group, and we met at my house for several months, and we became friends. And eventually, she invited, she said to me, you know, Eileen, you should come on down to the West Medford Community Center. And I said, oh, because I never even heard about it before then. And I came down, and I met everybody, and I was hooked. And I've been coming here ever since, and I'm so grateful to everybody here, because I don't think I'd have a community without the West Medford, or as much of a community as I do, without this place. Go ahead, take it away.
[Carter]: Okay, so, just a quick aside, Dorothy was, she was a lioness in this community, you know, just made of different stuff. Some of that will be reflected in the piece that I'm going to read about her. And she, you know, she had a wonderful life. I don't think that she would be unhappy about any of the 90 plus years she spent with us. But she was very, very inspirational as a person. When she belonged to the senior club, they always do meditations to begin their meetings, and Dorothy, for the most part, would do those meditations. Now, another lovely woman of the Ville, Edna Gavin, does the meditations. Edna's sitting back there. She'll be shy. She's right here. Yeah, but she does the meditations and they're equally as lovely, but it was always something inspirational that she would have to say to get the meeting started. So this piece I read at her homegoing celebration. which was glorious and featured a second line New Orleans style jazz band marching through the streets of Medford from the church to her house. It was just amazing to see and to be a part of. So this is called The Queen of the Village. We didn't always do the things you wanted us to do. We couldn't always know the things that you already knew. And when we couldn't find the key to unlock every riddle, you found us each a starting place, a finish, and a middle. You very rarely chastised us except to make us stronger. You taught us each and every day to make our dreams last longer. You taught us each our history with questions we should ponder. You made us seek the mystery of what waits over yonder. No one danced the way you could beyond the reach of 90, the way you let the music move you, bubbling brown and shiny. Here among the many friends you touched each and every day, no one dares deny the love you shared along the way. The truth that you reveal with every poem and story reminds us how this neighborhood was graced by God's own glory. You wanted nothing better than for each to find some peace and prayed with us to find the ways for anger just to cease. You'd pray sometimes for God's great might. You'd meditate for special insight. You'd say a little pleasing rhyme. Perhaps you'd sing a song. You'd lead us in a rhythmic chant and shepherd us along. You gave yourself so freely to the center and the church. We knew just where to find you, we seldom had to search. This place we call the ville shall ever be in your great debt. It's something that we know we must repay and not forget. You hurried at times, but you very rarely rushed. You saw the rose's beauty in each petal that you touched. Each friend's affection was reflected when you blushed. Each baby's blessing was commended when you gushed. Every heart enlightened and never a spirit crushed. You loved yourself, but rightly, and not in selfish vain. You loved what you created, but you didn't begrudge the pain. You loved God's purpose in you and danced in his sweet reign. You loved God's purpose for you and the queenship of your reign. Your life was like a sermon, so you didn't have to preach. Your walk was like a lesson that your children watched you teach. Your praise was for all seasons well beyond what others reach. Your ministry was grace and love, such kindness in your speech. You vaulted oh so lightly over barriers of race. You held your friends so tightly that each knew their special place. You never let your dignity be challenged by debaters. Your sharing of the trinity confounded all the haters. We marvel now in your retreat at stars you kissed in passing, all the cords you braided with the threads you were amassing. Now we know the tapestry is fine beyond surpassing. Now we see you strut beyond all demons and trespassing. Few have run this marathon as gracefully as you. Few have been so loving, so forgiving, and so true. Few have weathered all the seasons that your life has seen. Now they understand the reason why we call you queen. You learned to be alone, but never ever were you lonely. You couldn't be distracted by the trickster or the phony. You went before your children when the road was rough and stony. In every confrontation, you revealed your testimony. We'll try our best to dance to our own song as memories prevail. We'll try our best to move to every lyric and detail. We'll recollect the harmony you taught with your travail and love each day we spent with you along life's winding trail. We'll do our best to get back up, even if we fall, and listen to your spirit's voice every time you call. We'll learn the waltz of unity you choreograph for all, and then we'll dance together at Queen Dorothy Tucker's Ball. Yes, then we'll dance together at Queen Dorothy Tucker's Ball.
[Lerner]: Just wonderful, just wonderful. Thank you. So today, many of us went to a funeral in Dorchester for Dottie Walker, who passed last Sunday. And I wonder if you plan to write a poem about Dottie.
[Carter]: You know, it's funny, Dottie was a good friend of mine, and I knew her children pretty well, especially some of the kids on the Mumford side of her family, as well as Edwin and And Chris Walker, who became her stepchildren when she married Edwin Sr. Chris and Taji, I mean Taji and John, her Mumford children, were actually deacons with me at my church in Stoughton. So it's very possible. Dottie was funny. She made people laugh. I think that was one of her chief gifts. She was a very humorous woman. So maybe if the spirit of laughter gets a hold of me sometimes, I'll try something.
[Lerner]: And Dottie was so loving, so loving, and they had a slideshow of photographs of her from when she was a child, and she just always had the most beautiful, happy look on her face. I wish I could be that happy all the time.
[Carter]: Well, you know, sometimes if you and Dottie stood next to each other, you couldn't tell whether you were sisters or not. Oh, really?
[Lerner]: We had a good time together. We laughed a lot. And I will miss her. I've spent a lot of time this past week thinking about her. It just seems incredible that we won't hear her voice, the sound of her laughter, see her walking in the door. Yeah, it's so sad.
[Carter]: But her spirit is in this place. And it's the beauty of the community center is, I mean, you can look at the 28 portraits that we have in the West Medford Elder Photo Project, and you can tell that the spirit of all of these people infuses the ground we're on right now.
[Lerner]: Absolutely, absolutely.
[Carter]: So Eileen, thank you so much for bringing your thoughtful questions, your literary curiosity, and your tenacious engagement in this community for turning the tables on me, so to speak. And thanks for being willing to come off the bench this evening and flip the script. And to everyone watching, thanks so much for your intendedness and your interest in our discussion. Get ready for something very special on the musical side of the coin right after we take a break to reset our stage and share some WMCC announcements. So there's beverages and some snacks in the back, so please, we'll be right back.
[Lerner]: And buy some books.
[RhUNhYl62Oo_SPEAKER_05]: All right.
[Carter]: Hello, folks. We're about ready if we can get you to grab your seats. Okay. I'll talk to you afterwards. Yeah, thank you. So, okay. So, here are the promotionals for this evening. As always, elders, join us each week, Tuesday through Thursday, for a nutritious lunch and a vibrant fellowship. Eileen talked about it a little bit. Lunch is served at 12 noon. Call 781-483-3042 to make a reservation. We also want to remember to thank everyone that participated in our annual Black Vendor Fair over the holiday weekend. It was a great community event, and folks that bought and folks that sold were all very happy. Some unique stuff went out the door. We also want to thank everyone who contributed to the Center's coffers on Giving Tuesday last week. Suffice it to say, it was a very happy Tuesday for the WMCC. And then I also want to thank everyone who has purchased a brick in our new brick-by-brick installation. We already had about 90 bricks out there. We're gonna put about 80 more out there. Fully subscribed, every brick space taken, so it's gonna bring a lot of new life into that installation. And save the date, Monday, January 15, 2024, WMCC will once again be leading Medford's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday observance in collaboration with the city's Office of Diversity and the Human Rights Commission. We hope for an even bigger celebration than last year's standing room only event here at the community center. Please stay tuned for more information. And then finally, Zumba is back at the WMCC on Wednesday evenings for a 30-minute sprint at 545. So if you're so inclined and physically able, come on out and dance. I think it's for all levels. And then, finally, how can you continue to help us? It's the end of the year, okay? And your tax-deductible donations can help to support the mission of the WMCC. Partner with us in carrying this mission forward. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to this vital community organization. You can make your donation by phone, online, or by check. please contact Lisa Crossman, our esteemed executive director, at 781-483-3042 for more information or to become a member. Okay, so now, as I like to say, it's time to turn our attention to the lyrical miracle we've engaged for this evening. Dr. Renee Haywood has been singing since the age of four. She's also an educator, an author, and an ordained pastor. Renee, a West Medford native, has recorded several gospel albums, traveled the world for ministry, and been in Christian music leadership for over 25 years. She is currently the worship pastor at Resurrect Church in Brockton. Let me just tell you a quick note about Resurrect. Resurrect has a wonderful liturgical dance ministry, as does my church, under the leadership of my wife, Teresa. Right now, their worship, their liturgical worship leader, Alicia Syrian-Wells, and my wife, are on a plane heading to South Africa for a missions trip. to dance in celebration and praise and teaching and worship to the youth of the townships in Cape Town, South Africa. So we're both pretty proud right now on that account. Her daughter, Rayma, who is with her today, has also been singing since the tender age of four. She is an R&B songwriter and recording artist. She has performed several times at the Hard Rock Cafe and debuted an original song for First Night Boston. She is a licensed cosmetologist, and get this, following in the footsteps of her great-great-grandmother, who is immortalized in that panel over there, Elizabeth Oliver Newton, who was a founding member of the Shiloh Baptist Church and a pillar in the West Medford community. Rayma plans to open her own salon, continuing both Elizabeth's legacy and her own songwriting career. Ladies and gentlemen, Prepare to be warmed up well beyond the cold outside of our doors. First Fridays presents Renee and Rayma Haywood.
[SPEAKER_12]: Good evening. This is like mind-blowing just to be here and see the history. I know everyone on these walls. So I'm so grateful. Thank you so much for inviting us. We have a few songs, and then we're going to ask for your help at the end with a Christmas song. So get your pipes ready for the 12 days of Christmas. I'm going to pass out the words, or my lovely assistant there will pass out the words later. But we're just going to have a good time, OK? Amen. All right.
[SPEAKER_13]: We will not be shaken. We will not be moved. ♪ For the Lord is beside us ♪ ♪ For the Lord is beside us ♪ ♪ With Him we cannot lose ♪ ♪ With Him we cannot lose ♪ ♪ For the shadows around us ♪ ♪ For the shadows around us ♪ ♪ We will fear no evil ♪ ♪ We will fear no evil ♪ ♪ We'll trust ♪ ♪ We'll trust in the Lord with our hearts and in your joy ♪ ♪ We will dwell forever ♪ ♪ Though the night ♪ ♪ Though the night may seem weary ♪ Joy is coming, joy is coming, coming, coming in the morning. All praise to King Jesus, all praise to King Jesus. I know joy, I know joy is coming. Yes joy is coming.
[SPEAKER_11]: It's okay to clap.
[SPEAKER_13]: We will not be shaken. We will not be moved.
[SPEAKER_11]: For the Lord is beside us. With Him we cannot lose. Though the shadow surrounds us.
[SPEAKER_13]: ♪ We will fear no evil ♪ We will fear no evil ♪ We'll trust in the Lord with our hearts ♪ ♪ Only your joy we will dwell forever ♪ ♪ Lord the night may seem away ♪ Joy is coming, joy is coming, coming, coming ♪ ♪ In the morning all praise to King Jesus ♪ ♪ All praise to King Jesus ♪ I know joy is coming Joy is coming. Joy is coming, coming, coming in the morning. All praise to King Jesus. All praise to King Jesus. I know joy. I know joy is coming. This joy is coming. My joy is coming. Your joy is coming.
[SPEAKER_11]: Oh. Everybody clap your hands. Everybody clap your hands. Yeah. Your light can drown out darkness and bring our joy to life. We won't submit to sorrow. Our joy is coming in the morning. In the morning, you're like a drum.
[SPEAKER_13]: You're like a drum that's bringing our joy to life. We won't submit to sorrow. Our joy is coming in the morning. In the morning. In the morning. Oh, you're like a dragon. You're like a dragon that breathes. We will submit to the sun. Our joy is coming in the morning. In the morning. In the morning. ♪ I know joy is coming in the morning ♪ ♪ In the morning, in the morning ♪ ♪ In the morning, in the morning ♪ ♪ In the morning, in the morning ♪ ♪ In the morning, in the morning ♪ ♪ In the morning, in the morning ♪ Joy is coming, joy is coming, coming, coming in the morning. Oh, praise to, oh, praise to Jesus. I know joy, I know joy is coming.
[SPEAKER_11]: Your love can drown out darkness and bring out joy in life.
[SPEAKER_13]: We won't submit to sorrow. Our joy is coming in the morning. You're like a drought. You're like a drought on darkness. Can't bring our joy to life. We won't submit to sorrow. Our joy is coming in the morning. In the morning. In the morning. You're like a drought. You're like a drought on darkness. Can't bring our joy to life. We won't submit to sorrow. Our joy is coming in the morning. In the morning. In the morning. Your light can glow. Your light can shine on time. And bring a joy to life. We won't submit to sorrow. Our joy is coming in the morning. In the morning. In the morning. When the night may seem weary. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We have to celebrate our joy, right? Yeah. Holy is your name. I don't want to take it in vain. Yahweh. Yahweh. Yahweh. Holy is your name. I don't want to take it in vain. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I'm Yahweh, Yahweh, Yahweh Yahweh, Yahweh, Yahweh Holy is your name I don't want to take it in vain Yahweh, Yahweh, Yahweh, Yahweh. Holy is your name. I don't want to take it in vain. There will be no other God before you. There will be no other God before you Said there's no one above you There is no one above you No one beside you Nobody like you There will be no other God before you No one, no one, no one No one No one, no one, no one Yahweh, Yahweh, Yahweh Holy is your name I don't want to take it in vain Holy is your name. I don't want to take it in vain. There will be no other God before you. There will be no other God before you. ♪ Said there's no one above you, there is no one above you ♪ ♪ No one beside you, nobody like you ♪ ♪ There will be no other God before you ♪ ♪ No one, no one, no one ♪ ♪ No one, no one, no one, no one, no one ♪ No one, no one, no one. No one, no one, no one. Who else can lead us, lead us to freedom? No one, no one, no one. Who else can heal all our sins and diseases? No one, no one, no one. Who else can walk, walk on the water? No one, no one. And who else can answer, answer by fire? No one, no one, no one. Who else can bring down the tallest of giants? No one, no one, no one. And who else can silence the roar of the lion? No one, no one, no one. And who else is worthy, worthy of worship? And who else is worthy, worthy of worship? No one, no one. No one, no way. No one, no way. No one, no where. No one, no where. Nobody, nobody, nobody like you. Nobody like you. No one, no where. No one, no where. No one, no way. Say no one, no way. No one, no way. No one, no way. No one, no way. Nobody, nobody, nobody like you. Nobody like you. No one, no way. No one, no way. Lover of my soul. Lover of my soul. ♪ Lover of my soul ♪ ♪ Lover of my soul ♪ ♪ Nobody, nobody, nobody like you ♪ ♪ Nobody like you ♪ ♪ No one, nowhere ♪ ♪ No one, nowhere ♪ ♪ Lover of my soul ♪ ♪ Lover of my soul ♪ Lover of my soul. Lover of my soul. Nobody, nobody, nobody like you. Nobody like you. No one, no where. No one, no where. No one, no where. I've searched and I've found nobody like Jesus. Searched and I've found nobody like Jesus. Searched and I've found nobody like Jesus. Searched and I've found nobody like Jesus. I've searched and I've found nobody like Jesus. Who can heal me like Jesus? Nobody like Jesus. Who can hold me like Jesus? Nobody like Jesus. Who can keep me like Jesus? Nobody like Jesus. Who can love me like Jesus? Nobody like Jesus. Provide for me like Jesus. Nobody like Jesus. There's nobody like Jesus.
[SPEAKER_11]: Nobody like Jesus.
[SPEAKER_13]: Can't nobody do me like Jesus Can't nobody do me like Jesus Can't nobody do me like Jesus. Can't nobody do me like Jesus. Yeah, yeah, nobody, nobody. There's nobody, nobody, nobody. Oh, nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody. Nobody, nobody. Nobody, nobody. Nobody, nobody. Nobody, nobody. Nobody, nobody. Nobody, nobody. There will be no other God before you. There will be no other God before you. There is no one above you, no one beside you, nobody like you. There will be no other God before you. No one, no one, no one No one, no one, no one, no one Before you No one, no one, no one No one, no one, no one, no one I've searched and I've found nobody like Jesus. I've searched and I've found nobody like Jesus. I've looked and I haven't found nobody like Jesus who can hold me light. Nobody like Jesus. Nobody, nobody, nobody like Jesus. No other God before you. Nobody like Jesus. Nobody like Jesus who can keep me like Jesus. Nobody like Jesus. Hallelujah.
[SPEAKER_08]: God, we just thank you. for being more than able in our lives for covering us continuously.
[SPEAKER_13]: When did I start to forget all of the great things you did? When did I throw away faith for the impossible? And how did I start to believe you were sufficient for me? Why do I suck myself out of seeing miracles? Oh. You are more than able. He is, he is, he is. You are more than able. We see it, we see it. You are more than able. Who am I to deny what the Lord can do? It's easy for you. And now I see all that I have. And I've got my confidence back. I put my trust in the one who still does miracles. You do miracles. You are more than able. We see it. We believe it. Yes, you are. Yes, you are. Yeah.
[SPEAKER_09]: You are more than able. You are more than able.
[SPEAKER_13]: Who am I to deny what the Lord can do? Can you imagine?
[SPEAKER_11]: With all of the faith in the room, what the Lord can do.
[SPEAKER_13]: What the Lord can do. It's gonna happen. Just let the way He make us through. He's gonna move. He's gonna move. Can you imagine? With all of the faith in the room, what the Lord can do. What the Lord can do. And it's gonna happen. Just let the Waymaker through He's gonna move He's gonna move Can you imagine With all of the faith in the room What the Lord can do What the Lord can do And it's gonna happen Just let the Waymaker through He's gonna move He's gonna move. Anything is possible. Say yeah. Anything is possible. Say yeah. Anything is possible. Who am I to deny what the Lord can do? Anything is possible. We say yeah. Anything is possible. Who am I to deny what the Lord can do? Anything is possible. Who am I to deny what the Lord can do? Who am I to deny what the Lord can do? Who am I to deny what the Lord can do? Come on. My God, my God, I still can do it. You are more than able. Oh. You are more than able. Oh. You are more than able. Who am I to deny what the Lord can do? I've come a long way. I've seen how you work. There's so much goodness and grace. Much more than I deserve. Because I know who I am. And I can see where I'm at. Oh. We've come this far by faith. And I just can't turn back. Because he's not done with me yet. Because he's not done with me yet. There's so much more to the story. You're not done with me yet. You're not done with me yet. Oh, you're not done with me yet. There's so much more to the story. You're not done with me. You're not done with me. After this, there will be glory. You're not done with me. After this, there will be healing. There's so much more to the story. After this, there will be peace. You're not done with me. Who am I to deny what the Lord can do? Who am I to deny what the Lord can do? God is more than evil. So much bigger than your problems. God is more than evil. We see it. God is more than evil. Don't stop believing right now. Don't quit believing right now. God is more than evil. Lord can do. He still can do it. He still can do it. He still can do it. God has given you his promise. He still can do it. He is bigger than your problems. He is bigger than your circumstance. So who am I to deny? What the Lord will do for you. I can't hold him back. He's going to keep moving. He's going to keep shifting. He's going to keep providing. Jehovah Jireh, who am I to deny what the Lord can do? There's only one name. There's only one name. where we can be saved.
[SPEAKER_12]: There's only one name that we worship.
[SPEAKER_13]: Love before I had a name.
[SPEAKER_08]: Was before I knew my shame.
[SPEAKER_13]: Oh, the lamb was slain before the earth was laid. What an awesome price he paid. And I owe it all, all to Jesus. Oh, every part of me. lying at his feet. I owe it all, let every breath I take rise to bring him praise, to the glory of one name. Jesus.
[SPEAKER_08]: Nail pierced hands are holding mine.
[SPEAKER_13]: A crown of thorns has freed my mind. Sin cannot exhaust the grace shown on that cross. Mercy brought back what was lost. I owe it all, all to Jesus. Oh, every part of me. ♪ Lying at His feet ♪ ♪ I owe it all, I owe it all ♪ ♪ Every breath I take ♪ ♪ Christ, I'll bring Him praise ♪ ♪ To the glory of one name ♪ Blinded eyes will one day see every loss made victory. There is healing in one name, one name. He has silenced every foe, every high thing brought down low. There is freedom in one Soon everyone will know There still is a blessed hope Our salvation's in one name He will one day come again to the praises of old man. Hallelujah to one name, one name. I'm singing about Jesus, Jesus. This healing is Jesus. We're leading on, Jesus, blinded eyes, blinded eyes will one day see every loss made victory. Every high thing brought down low. There is freedom in one name. One name. And soon everyone will know. And soon everyone will know. There still is a blessed hope.
[SPEAKER_09]: Our salvation's in one name.
[SPEAKER_13]: He will one day come again to the praises of all men. Hallelujah to one name, one name. I'm talking about Jesus. Oh, Jesus. We're leaning on Jesus We're leaning on Jesus We're trusting in Jesus There is healing in one name. There is healing in one name. He has silenced every foe. He has silenced every hope. Every high thing broken. Every high thing that's down low. There is freedom. There is freedom in the name that I know. And soon everyone will know, there still lives a blessed hope. And soon everyone will know, there still lives a blessed hope. And soon everyone will know There still is a blessed hope Our salvation's in one name, one name I'm talking about Jesus We're leaning on Jesus. We're leaning on Jesus. There's power in the name of Jesus. Healing in the name of Jesus. So much in the name of Jesus. Only one name, Jesus. There's only one name that ends in Jesus. There's power in the name of Jesus. There's healing in the name of Jesus. So much in the name of Jesus. Oh, Jesus, oh, Jesus, Jesus. He is the answer. He is the author of all things.
[SPEAKER_12]: We're going to switch to a Christmas song. You all are familiar with this one.
[SPEAKER_11]: would one day walk on water. Mary, did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
[SPEAKER_13]: Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new? This child that you deliver will soon deliver you.
[SPEAKER_11]: Mary, did you know? that your baby boy would give sight to a blind man? Mary, did you know that your baby boy would calm the storms with his hand?
[SPEAKER_13]: Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels stride? When you kiss your lip, baby, you've kissed the face of God.
[SPEAKER_11]: Mary, did you know what was inside of you? What was inside of you? Mary, did you know what was inside of you?
[SPEAKER_13]: The blind will see, the deaf will hear, and the dead will live again. The lame will leap, the dumb will speak the praises of the Lamb. The blind will see, the deaf will hear, and the dead will live again. The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the Lamb. Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? Mary, did you know that your baby boy will They rule the nations. Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect lamb? The sleeping child you're holding is the great I Am. He is the great I Am. He is a great I Am. He is a great I Am. Even as a baby, He is a great I Am. Did you know what was inside of me? He is a great I Am. Mary, did you know what was inside of me? He is a great I Am. He is a great I Am. He is a great I Am. He is a great I Am. He is a great I Am. He is a great I Am. He is a great I Am. He is a great I Am. He is a great I Am. He is a great I Am. He is a great I Am. He is the great A.M.
[SPEAKER_12]: Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We have one song that we want you to participate. Okay. How many of you know the 12 days of Christmas?
[SPEAKER_07]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_12]: So can I have 12 brave souls to sing a line of the song and we're giving you the words. Okay. You don't have to be a singer. We're having fun. We've done this with our family. We've done this with our church. And it's just fun. You don't have to be perfect pitch and all of that. It's just fun to do. Oh, we got one behind you.
[SPEAKER_04]: Here we go. We got 10 over there. And we got one more over there. Oh, we got one back there. All right. All right. You can do two.
[SPEAKER_12]: We got one behind you. We've got one.
[SPEAKER_04]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_12]: Now your verse is highlighted.
[SPEAKER_12]: Okay. So where's our first one? A portrait of the paratrooper. All right, there we go. Oh, that's you? Yeah.
[Lerner]: OK. Who's doing 12 cameras from here? Do we need cameras?
[SPEAKER_12]: You're doing it.
[SPEAKER_04]: No.
[SPEAKER_12]: I thought I was doing it.
[SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, you're doing it. Whatever the highlight, yeah?
[no3-vynR2mA_SPEAKER_10]: Whatever your highlight is. OK. Yellow. What's in yellow?
[SPEAKER_07]: OK.
[no3-vynR2mA_SPEAKER_10]: So you ready to have fun? We're just going to have fun, OK? And I'm going to start it in a key that I think will work with everybody, OK?
[SPEAKER_12]: On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me. A partridge in a pear tree.
[SPEAKER_10]: All right.
[SPEAKER_12]: On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me. Two turtledoves.
[SPEAKER_10]: And a partridge in a pear tree. All right.
[SPEAKER_12]: On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me.
[SPEAKER_10]: Three fat chance.
[SPEAKER_12]: Number two.
[SPEAKER_11]: two turtle dolls, and a partridge in a pear tree.
[SPEAKER_12]: On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle dolls, and a partridge in a pear tree.
[SPEAKER_11]: On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
[SPEAKER_05]: Five golden rings.
[no3-vynR2mA_SPEAKER_10]: Four calling birds. Three French hens.
[Carter]: Two dougals.
[SPEAKER_12]: And one pigeon a day free. On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me. Three swaying down.
[SPEAKER_05]: Five golden rings, four golden earrings, two jeweled bows, and a partridge in a pear tree.
[SPEAKER_12]: On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me seven swans that swing.
[SPEAKER_05]: Five golden rings.
[no3-vynR2mA_SPEAKER_10]: Four calling birds. Three red hens.
[o9F0qYH9Geo_SPEAKER_05]: Two turtle doves.
[SPEAKER_10]: And a partridge in a pear tree.
[SPEAKER_12]: On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Eight maids a-milking.
[o9F0qYH9Geo_SPEAKER_05]: Seven swans a-swimming. Six.
[SPEAKER_07]: Six.
[SPEAKER_05]: Five golden rings.
[no3-vynR2mA_SPEAKER_10]: Four cauliflower. Three French hens.
[SPEAKER_07]: Two turkeys.
[SPEAKER_12]: On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me.
[SPEAKER_10]: Nine ladies dancing.
[o9F0qYH9Geo_SPEAKER_05]: Eight maids a-milking. Seven swans a-swimming.
[no3-vynR2mA_SPEAKER_10]: Six geese a-laying.
[SPEAKER_05]: Five golden rings.
[no3-vynR2mA_SPEAKER_10]: Four cully birds. Three branch hens. Two new trees. And a heart in the tree.
[SPEAKER_12]: On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me.
[SPEAKER_10]: Ten lords a-weeping. Nine ladies singing.
[o9F0qYH9Geo_SPEAKER_05]: Eight maids a-milking. Seven taunters humming.
[no3-vynR2mA_SPEAKER_10]: Let me hear from your side. See the skis are laying.
[SPEAKER_05]: Five golden rings.
[no3-vynR2mA_SPEAKER_10]: Four calling for a drink. And a chance to dance. It's only coming on the left channel. You can hear it there.
[SPEAKER_12]: On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me.
[SPEAKER_10]: Eleven pipers piping. Ten lords a-leaping. Nine ladies dancing.
[no3-vynR2mA_SPEAKER_10]: eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swinging, six geese a-neighing, five golden rings, four calling birds, three branch-hens, two chimney-bells, and a five-winged ewe, and the last one of the twelve, on the twelfth day of Christmas might you look in to me,
[SPEAKER_10]: 12 drummers strumming, 11 pipers piping, 10 lords a-leaping, 9 ladies dancing, 8 maids a-milking, 7 swans a-swimming, 6 geese a-laying, 5 golden rings, 4 cotton birds, 3 French hens, 2 turkeys, and a partridge in a pear tree.
[Carter]: Renee and Raymond, thank you so much. That was a blast. So you kind of know that if you let a church boy run the program, there's going to be gospel music sooner or later. So we've danced around it. We've had little bits and pieces of it, but we never had a full program of it. And tonight, you got the full gospel from folks that sing the full gospel. Hallelujah. Happy Hanukkah, absolutely, happy Hanukkah. And peace in the Middle East, hallelujah. So that's a wrap for this new live edition of the WMCC's Monthly Words of Music program. We're so happy to be back here at the center and always visiting you in your living rooms and other household places. I want to thank Eileen Lerner for allowing me to sit on the passenger side for some of tonight's ride and for doing a great job steering the bus. Special thanks again to Renee and Rayma Haywood for bringing musical salt and light to the table. We are so happy that you accepted the call to come home and share with the community you grew up in. We're so proud of both of you, to your multi-talented daughter, but Dr. Renee Haywood, now that really has a nice ring to it. A virtual high five to Kevin Harrington and his new associate, right? from Medford Community Media for helping us to be live on the local cable and social media side. Thank you all for spending another enjoyable evening seeing what the WMC has to offer. If the stars are in alignment, we'll be back in January with another edition of First Friday's Words and Music. Before we fade to black, here's one more reminder about what's happening next at your WMCC. Once again, elders, 55 and up, join us each week, Tuesday through Thursday, for a nutritious lunch and vibrant fellowship. Lunch served at 12 noon. Call 781-483-3042 to make a reservation. Thanks again to the participants in our annual Black Vendor Fair. We also want to thank everyone who contributed to the census coffers on Giving Tuesday last week. And save the date, Monday, January 15, 2024, the WMCC will once again be leading the city's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday observance in collaboration with the city's Office of Diversity and the Human Rights Commission. We hope for an even bigger celebration than last year's standing room only event here at the WMCC. So stay tuned for more details on that. We also have, again, Zumba back at the WMCC on Wednesday evenings for a quick 30-minute sprint starting at 5.45. Come on out and dance. Thanks, as always, to the great sponsors of WMCC First Fridays, the Medford Arts Council, a member of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and to our friends at Medford Community Media. That's all for now, folks. Join the Center in January for another cup of conversation and great music on a new edition of First Friday's Words and Music. Send us your email addresses if you want to be included in our regular constant contact connection. You can also call us at 781-483-3042. That's our story, and we're sticking to it.