By Kay Wolfe

News from the North

Anne Walker and I went to Cistern Hill M.B. Church in Como to worship last week.In celebration of Black History Month, Dorothy Kerney Wilbourn decided to shift the emphasis from the major activists like Martin Luther King or Medgar Evers to more local individuals who have made a difference in the black community.  

Shardae Thomas was one of the speakers. I had known of Shardae through a friend who did her master’s thesis on Folk Music in North Panola county many years ago.  

Blues musician Othar Turner was her grandfather. Othar and Napoleon Strickland put Como on the Blues Trail for their Fife and Drum Band. 

Shardae has taken her band to the next level branching out into other genres. She tours all over the world and has received two Grammy nominations.  

She spoke at the Ford Center in Oxford Monday and was on her way to NYC. She is a very poised and gracious young woman who is a positive role model for children.  

The men’s chorus led the music for the worship service. They were dynamic to say the least. Of course, there was food.  All the ladies were given a takeout lunch prepared by the men. 

Dorothy hit another grand slam with her twist on the Black History.