Fayetteville 100 Professional Black Women photo shoot; my sideline on history

I got a chance to be on the sidelines for a historic event.

More than 150 Black women of all ages, all dressed in Black, convened for a photo shoot on Saturday afternoon in downtown Fayetteville.

The event, 100 Professional Black Women in Black, was the brainchild of Tiffany Campbell, a youth counselor and community activist. She wanted to give women a chance to meet other women going through the same struggle, and a chance to network, to fellowship, to just lay eyes on each other.

More: Fayetteville-area photographers share images from 100 Professional Black Women in Black

I did not know how powerful it would be.

I brought my own daughter, Helen Ann, dressed in black, and made it clear to her that this was her day. Me and my son, Sam, played the background, which suited him just fine.

Gathering at Segra Stadium

The women in black, many of whom were accompanied by daughters or younger female relatives, gathered in a luxury suite at Segra Stadium overlooking the ballpark where the Fayetteville Woodpeckers play. It was just after a big rain broke.

More: Professional Black women event in downtown Fayetteville draws more than 150 to network, inspire

They were photographed by multiple photographers, including The Fayetteville Observer’s Andrew Craft, at the stadium, then at the Market House further down Hay Street.

Campbell told me on Sunday that she had received many texts and emails from women who had enjoyed the event but wanted more time to chat and meet others.

This was the kind of reaction Campbell wanted. She is already organizing a reception.

“For a lot of them, the 20 minutes they had to connect with each other just wasn’t enough," Campbell said. “So they want to be able to recreate that moment and be able to connect everybody.”

She said she had heard from men, too, which prompted her to immediately began organizing a similar event for Black men on Feb. 10.

Meanwhile, here are few of my other takeaways from 100 Professional Black Women in Black ...

Rain ain’t nothing but a weather event

Forecasters predicted heavy rain for Saturday and the weather delivered. Around 12:30 p.m., I clarified with Observer reporter Joey Pierre that 100 Professional Black Women, scheduled for 2 p.m., was still on.

Moments later, as we were loading the family into our car and fixing to leave our house, Helen Ann, peering through our storm door said, “There’s a rainbow!” A right strong bow had broken through the clouds. We were going to go anyway, but that rainbow was still welcome.

More: Fayetteville event seeks 100 Professional Black Women, and more, for empowerment photo shoot

The suite at Segra filled up rapidly. I remarked to Angela Tatum Malloy, a doula, small business owner and community activist, who was in attendance, that I was glad to see people were undeterred by the rain.

She said she thought the event was one where women would want to be there, despite any rain. I thought that’s very true.

The show went on as well for another event downtown Saturday, Legacy of a Woman, a prayer event at the Stadium Event Center. It was part of a celebration of the new movie musical, "The Color Purple." Guests had earlier watched a private screening of the film at the Omni Cinemas on Sycamore Dairy Road.

Several women attended both events.

A desire to get together

As more women filed in, Campbell encouraged everyone to meet at least two people. I escorted Helen Ann as she met two girls around her age; one of the girls was photographing the day’s activities.

There was a hum of conversation, and women taking selfies and group photos. No one seemed in a hurry and that was the vibe, almost as if this was a weekly event they had been doing forever.

I felt fully then that Campbell’s hunch had been correct — that there was a desire for Black women to congregate and share, unwind and just be cool with one another.

Blue can stand out

On a lighter note: I learned from Ayana Washington, founder of Book Black Women Inc., that blue hair pops out even in a photo with more than 150 other people. She can easily be picked out.

A long way

During the rest of the photo shoots at Segra Stadium, I heard several women remark, impressed, that they had not been in the facility before.

They walked down toward the Market House, which is southeast of the Stadium. I would not say marched, exactly, more like a confident stroll and stride that had the same force. Real professional.

A powerful moment came when the women and girls joined hands and encircled the historic building that had once been the city’s symbol, and in the distant past, was the site of auctions of enslaved people. They sang songs like “Lean on Me,” and “We Are Family.”

It has become almost cliche to say Black Americans have come a mighty long way but the truth of the matter is that we have. That moment on Saturday, of which there is not another in city history, serves as a symbol of that journey.

Do it again

As we were headed to the car, Samuel, who is 10 and who I assumed had not been paying too close attention, remarked casually: “They should do this every year.”

I would say Campbell should at least do it again because I can envision many other women will want to take part in a future photo shoot. Maybe 500 next time, or 1,000. Or more.

As a reminder that history can be made at any time and rests on decisions each of us make.

Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Rain, go away: Fayetteville photo of 150 Black women one for the books