thought was really nice because very often, our women of color aren’t celebrated and honored. There was a plethora of other folks whom we could have chosen to be panelists. Through the stories of these four women, they provided some uplift. They provided inspiration. They empowered those who attended and not just the women, but the men as well. And they were really intentional and authentic in their answering of my questions, which I really appreciated.”
On March 30th, HER Story was held at the Fitchburg Community Center
“Our goal was to have 150 people turn out and we had about 130-135 attend,” Hughes said. “It was a very good turnout. People registered, so it was an indication that they wanted to hear the stories. And the four panelists that we had were amazing. They are truly history makers. We had Frances Huntley-Cooper, Pia Kinney James, Margarita Avila and Gloria Reyes. They have done some amazing things and have paved the way for a lot of us women. I was glad to be able to provide a platform for them to tell their stories.”
Wright, a former media host, served as the moderator, asking the women a broad range of questions.
“The mix of questions was intentional,” Wright said. “I stayed up all night and what I was doing is putting things together. And that goes more to my radio days than my TV days. I was kind of known for engaging and compelling interviews. I had the pleasure of knowing three of the panelists. I did not know Margarita Avila. But I did a little research on her. It’s always about knowing not just the folks whom you are interviewing or asking questions of, but also your audience. The questions were by design. Some were serious questions and some that were what I would call fluff questions. ‘What song would be walking into the room?’ ‘What is your best friend’s name and what would they tell me about you?’ And I wanted to begin the interview with, ‘What four words describe you,’ because the audience did not know the folks on the panel and I thought it was a good opportunity for them to kind of get to know them in ways that were just not your standard line of questioning.”
And the mix of questions — as well as the ambience of the event — brought out a lot of things that people didn’t know about the panelists.
“Many of these women were history makers,” Wright said. “Frances Huntley-Cooper and Pia Kinney James. I’m still getting phone calls from folks who were just so in awe of Pia’s journey as the first Black female police officer for the city. Far too often, our stories are not told by us. And we really allow other folks to dictate what is shared and they control the narrative.”
And it was the little added touches that Wright put in place, helped by Jeannette Arthur, her assistant, that made it a special day.
“My daughter tells me, ‘Mom, you do too much,’” Wright said with a laugh. “When I decorate and plan for my granddaughter’s birthday party or put together gift baskets for folks, I hear my daughter, ‘You’re doing too much. You’re just so extra. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect.’ And my answer is, ‘There is no such thing as perfect, but let’s do it as close to perfect as possible.’ I like the aesthetics and I like things matching. I really find joy in that. Many nights during preparation for the program, I was up literally all night with no sleep. In fact, the night before the program, I slept zero hours. I remember putting a Facebook post out and people said, ‘Zero, seriously?’ But that is me. I’m a late-night person anyway. I made the cupcake toppers. I thought it would be cute to have these persons on the toppers. It was the first time making a retractable banner. I designed the program and the flyer. We didn’t really come up with the color scheme. I was doing a little research and found that the color of Women’s History Month is purple. We decided to put it with gold because how majestic that is to celebrate these women. I got a little push back from the team. Team members thought I was going a little overboard matching the table cloths and making sure the head table looked good. I get into that kind of thing. That is ‘my thing.’ It was all in an effort to highlight these women and to bring the community together,”
This is not a one and done for Hughes. On May 1st, she will take her place on the city’s aging commission.
“I will make sure they know what is going on with seniors of color,” Hughes promised. “Sometimes it’s out of sight, out of mind. Nothing is done intentionally. If the awareness is not brought forward, then there isn’t any attention paid to it. I’m going to try and do my best to be that voice. Even at that event, a lot of the residents were from Fitchburg and they were so excited by us bringing some things to Fitchburg. That doesn’t happen too often. You hear about people renting the center for activities like Men Who Cook. But on a daily basis, the citizens and the residents who live here and pay taxes weren’t aware that it was available. All I can do is help them to do outreach and let people know that it is here so that we become more inclusive. I’ll do my best to do that. I’ll be the first and only person of color on the commission.”
And HER Story was the ideal event to get the ball rolling for it attracted a very diverse crowd of men and women and people of different ethnic backgrounds.
“I think HER Story was a big step to move it forward out here in Fitchburg and in this senior center,” Hughes said. “I hope that is the first of many, many activities that will occur here in the Fitchburg Senior Center.”
With Hughes drive, McHone’s facilitation and Wright’s expertise, there is no doubt that the move to involve more seniors of color will continue.