Composing a Climate
By Linda deMello
"An Evening in Conversation with Dr. Maya Angelou", was held on February 9, 1999 at the Masonic Auditorium.
Every now and then, if we are fortunate, we have an experience that deepens our appreciation for our individuality while celebrating our commonality and our responsibility for each other. I hope my reflection on the evening will capture the experience for those of you who were not able to join us and encourage those of you who were to remember the powerful words, the elegant language and provocative thoughts we shared. At six p.m. on February 2, after one of the stormiest days of the season, 2,600 people began lining up at the Masonic. Our reception for program donors began with friends arriving with friends, newcomers being welcomed and introductions being made. Almost too quickly the program began. The exuberance of the music and dance of Loco Bloco engaged the audience. Introductions by Rayona Sharpnack, President of the Board of Professional BusinessWomen of California and Dana Serleth, Chair of Alumnae Resources Board of Directors, demonstrated how alliances, such as this co-sponsored event, exponentially expand our reach, influence and ability to fulfill our mission.
With KGO-TV's Spencer Christian's gracious introduction, Dr. Angelou arrived on stage, filling the hall with her presence, touching individuals with her eyes. She created a work of art, drawing on her wisdom, her poetry, the poetry of others, this work and other roles she has pursued. Dr. Angelou spoke of women as composers of our own climate, our environment and the lives we live.. She admonished us about the need for courage to live our lives with integrity, to inspire to be virtuous every day, and to excel, rather, than just to reach our potential. She spoke about being a mother and about her son, and she spoke of masks - her own and ours.
What a richly diverse audience it was. Young women from Thurgood Marshall High School ushered. Women in the San Francisco Works Welfare to Work program and over 100 high school women from throughout the Bay Area attended as our guests. In acknowledging the presence of men in the audience, Dr. Angelou suggested that increased leadership of women in the workplace is a prerequisite to achieving equality. She challenged young people in the audience to read and to learn from the wisdom of people who came before them. She encouraged them to have as their heroes and heroines not the glamorous movie and music stars who care nothing about them, but people in the community who want to help them grow. Like many in the audience, I found myself renewing my commitment to do more for the young women I know. As Dr. Angelou concluded her remarks, the audience spontaneously rose to express their appreciation for her poetry, wisdom, support and inspiration.
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