Epiphany XX: And yet, she persisted

 

Good Wednesday morning, good citizens of the remains of The Epiphany Season. I have two bright Epiphany lights for you today - two uppity women, centuries apart, who "wouldn't do what the man say do," even if it meant injury, and in one case, torture.

The first is the woman on our Calendar of Lesser Feasts and Fasts, St. Agatha of Sicily, one of my grandmother's favorite saints. Agatha was born to rich and noble parents, around 231. She was beautiful, but from an early age decided that she would dedicate herself as a virgin to the service of Jesus.

That, however, did not stop the Sicilian men who are notorious for their ... pursuit ... of beautiful women. One of them, a man of high noble ranking named Quintianus, became obsessed with turning her away from her vow and forcing her to marry him.

Quintianus had her arrested and brought before a judge - him - where he sentenced her to imprisonment ... in a brothel. There, she successfully and gracefully spurned all of her...customers... and made her her vow to the most high.

Quintianus then had her imprisoned where she was tortured. She was stretched on a rack to be torn with iron hooks, burned with torches, and whipped. Yet, the story goes, she endured everything "with good cheer".

Enraged, Quintianus had her breast cut off and sent her back to prison with no medical attention and no food or water. And yet, still, she persisted. She is often portrayed holding a platter which displays her breasts.

She is believed to have passed into heaven around 251. St. Agatha is the patron saint of Sicily, bellfounders, breast cancer patients, Palermo, rape victims, and wet nurses. She is also considered to be a powerful intercessor when people suffer from fires.

The second Bright Epiphany Light is one, Ms. Annie Lee Wilkerson Cooper (June 2, 1910 – November 24, 2010), a member of the African Diaspora who was a Civil Rights Activist.

I first learned of Ms. Annie Lee when I worked in Newark, NJ. I was picking up one of Cooper Deli's almost world-famous hot pastrami sandwiches on the West Side. The Cooper family owned one of the best delis in town. Their son was married to one of the women who was a member of my church.

I don't think I ever paid full price for one of those sandwiches, which was enough for at least three hearty meals.

The Coopers were very proud of Ms. Annie Lee as "the woman who punched Dallas County, Alabama Sheriff Jim Clark in the face during the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches.

Now, I searched history books to find an account of this story, but - at least at that time - it was not an event any historian found worthy of print. However, I did find the story - told and recorded with great relish - at the offices of my local NAACP.

Apparently, this is how it went down, according to an article in the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education: "On January 25, 1965, Cooper went to the former Dallas County Courthouse in Selma, Alabama to register to vote as part of the Selma to Montgomery marches. While in line, Cooper was prodded by local sheriff Jim Clark with a baton. Cooper turned around and hit Clark in the face, knocking him to the ground. Cooper proceeded to jump on Clark until she was pulled away by other sheriffs."

She was held in jail for 11 hours - singing spirituals at the top of her voice the whole, entire time - before the sheriff's deputies dropped the charges and released her.

Her incident, as well as Bloody Sunday, which occurred six weeks after Cooper's encounter with Clark, were critical steps in passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Though considered a key player in the voting rights movement, her efforts were often relegated to the background because of her gender. She was misrepresented in the media, especially in newspapers, which often presented her as an "aggressor." Some popular headlines in newspapers such as the Lodi News-Sentinel included: "Selma Sheriff Slugged by Hefty Negro Woman."

Ms. Annie Lee Cooper became a registered voter in Alabama.

In June, I am going to be part of the pilgrimage from Selma to Montgomery, led by Bishop Carlye J. Hughes. I am looking forward to learning more about Ms. Annie Lee, who died of natural causes at 100 years of age on November 24, 2010.

I thank God for the courage and persistence of these two "uppity, onery, willful, stubborn" women, who inspire the qualities I think we'll all need "for the living of these days" when the ancient demons of sexism, misogyny, and racism have returned full force.

God grant us the strength and courage to know when to endure and when to turn and slug someone right in the face, no matter the cost.

I hope something good happens to you today.

Bom dia.