As we celebrate Black History Month this year, we remember so many trailblazers. From William Flora’s heroism during the American Revolution, to Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, the contributions of black Americans throughout our nation’s history are great. But they are not limited to the names and stories we all know — every family has their legend, their groundbreaker.
Growing up in North Charleston, South Carolina, my granddaddy, Artis Ware, was my hero. He passed away last month at the age of 94, leaving our family saddened by his loss, but truly blessed by his life. I wanted to take this opportunity to share what my granddaddy meant to us, and how his legacy shows the true meaning of Proverbs 13:22 — “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.”
My granddaddy was born in 1921 in Salley, South Carolina. He grew up picking cotton, and left school after the third grade. He did not let the lack of a formal education hold him back though, and as he grew up he moved to North Charleston, and eventually secured a job with the South Carolina Ports Authority.
As a young kid, this was the granddaddy I knew. Not one that let his circumstances hold him back, or let his frustrations overtake his love for his family. After my parents’ divorce, my mom, my brother and I all moved into my grandparents’ house — about 800 or 900 square feet and 1 bathroom. The three of us shared a bedroom — and were happy to do so.
What I remember most about my granddaddy from this time was so many days he would sit down at the kitchen table, have a cup of coffee, and leaf through the newspaper. He wanted us to see him reading, reinforcing the importance of doing well in school. It wasn’t until years later that I learned he couldn’t read.
My cousin also loves to tell the story of how granddaddy would wake up to do the laundry at 4AM, and make sure everyone else got up and started working as well. That work ethic and dedication started to funnel down through the rest of our family, and showed us all the importance of hard work.
Granddaddy’s messages worked — my brother recently retired as a Command Sergeant Major after 30 years in the Army, my cousin is a preacher in North Charleston, and I eventually got my own act together as well. My nephew, grandaddy’s great-grandson, has earned his undergrad from Georgia Tech, his masters at Duke, and is now headed to medical school at Emory.
That is the power of a strong role model, someone who knows there is a better future out there for his family. In his lifetime, our family went from cotton to Congress, and I could never even pretend to thank him enough. He was the rock for our family — our trailblazer.
