Last Sunday, the HerShe Group invited over 75 guests to witness the first annual HerShe Bridging Ceremony designed and written by Hattie Winston, Lynn Claire Stuart and Kenadie Cobbin Richardson. This year, three HerShe girls will be transitioning from adolescence into adulthood; however, the ceremony honored one young lady – Erika Jones.The ceremony began with all of the girls dressed in all-white entering the room. Twinkie Byrd was the regal mistress of ceremonies, director and also the one-on-one mentor of the young lady “bridging” into the adult world. As Twinkie began speaking from the podium, she held back tears as she contemplated the road that was completing and the road that was just beginning for her mentee.
As famed musician, Munyongo Jackson, played a determined drum beat, the younger girls who have yet to reach emancipation age showed their HerShe sister love by placing symbolic artifacts in a decorative box. In this box, Erika received silver ribbons that represented each person in the HerShe community, a glass slipper symbolizing her ability to take her place in the world, an ankh symbolizing her faith and femininity, and a butterfly representing her transformation from a girl to a woman.
After all of the girls presented the HerShe prayer, pledge and song, Erika Jones was “sworn in” to adulthood by HerShe Group founder, Kenadie Cobbin Richardson. Erika promised to leave childish things behind and embrace all that it means to be a young adult woman.
Finally, the time came when she would physically bridge into society. With the HerShe community behind her and the community at-large in front of her, charismatic Rev. John Cager spoke words of wisdom and encouragement on behalf of the world she was now entering. He reminded her that her HerShe family would always be there and it would be up to her to include and involve her HerShe family with her new life as an adult. It was truly an amazing moment.
Kenadie would like to send a special THANK YOU to LYNN CLAIRE STUART who was the catalyst for this ceremony taking place. She worked tirelessly in her effort to create, perfect and format the ceremony especially for HerShe girls. She deserves all of the love and adoration from all 75 guests and especially HerShe Group’s founder, Kenadie Cobbin Richardson.
