Macon Magazine

74 maconmagazine.com | APRIL/MAY 2020 CHOOSING MACON Alice Bailey Par t of a series that features individuals from our community who, after some time away, have returned to share their skills and talents here. BY RACHELLE WILSON I f ever you have the honor of being a guest in Alice Bailey's home, do not refuse the glass of sorrel she will offer you. Originating from the Caribbean, the deep burgundy drink is at once spicy and sweet, much like Alice herself. Only a few moments of acquaintance with Alice will reveal a hospitality that is almost other-worldly. Her genuine tone, patience to listen to others and willingness to share herself create a perfect foil to the hustle and bustle of our modern era. I had known her only minutes before she was offering me a vibrant, thriving plant – one of the many found flourishing in her home. In fact, sharing is the way in which Alice moves through life. It's a trait she learned in Macon from her mother. "My mother was a fantastic human being who taught us how to live in the world with other people as partners with them – not better than they or less than they. I'm very, very blessed to have been born to her and my father," Alice said. "My mother never gave anything to anybody; she shared. She said, 'When you give, you say, "I don't want this anymore. I don't need it, so I'm going to give it away." But when you share, you say, "I like this. I want someone else to enjoy it, too."' So, you share." Listening to Alice, glowing with generosity and love for her mother and, more surprisingly, for Macon, is almost unbelievable. Growing up during the 1940s and 50s, Alice must have experienced an upbringing surrounded by hatred. e South, with its reputation, was particularly difficult. However, she reflects on her childhood with warmth and no resentment toward what opportunities were deprived of her. "I went to St. Peter Claver, a school that my mother and her four or five brothers and sisters had attended as well. I'm a staunch St. Peter Claver parishioner. I believe in the mission of the school and the mission of the order of nuns, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. ... ey taught us about being people as well as being academic. From there, I moved to Ballard Hudson," Alice said. "At the time, it was just an excellent, excellent, excellent education. We had teachers who were special human beings, dedicated to the profession, who taught us a great number of things – both what was in the books as well as how to be adults and people." Alice went to New Orleans to study at Xavier University. By that time, her mother had relocated to Philadelphia near some relatives, which is where Alice ultimately settled. But before Alice was 21, her mother passed away. And despite being heartbroken by the tremendous loss, Alice did the only thing she knew: She poured herself into her community. During her time in Philadelphia, "I STILL KNEW THE NEIGHBORHOODS; KNEW WHERE ALL THE STREETS ARE. I KNEW THE PEOPLE. IT WAS MY BEGINNINGS." -ALICE BAILEY PHOTO BY MARYANN BATES

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