Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1466725
12 maconmagazine.com | APRIL/MAY 2022 Editor's Letter CLAPPING WHILE WAITING OUR TURN "W e go through valleys so that other women may see the horizon. We feel our way through the night so that other women may see the dawn … that's how we can clap for others, even as we wait our turn." Georgia Supreme Court Justice Verda Colvin, the first African-American female appointed by a Republican governor to the state's high court, evoked a poignant vision during her keynote speech at Rising Tide: Women's Leadership Brunch to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Georgia (BGCCG) in March. The focus of the morning was mentorship and their SMART girls program, a small-group health, fitness, pregnancy prevention/education and self-esteem enhancement program designed to meet the developmental needs of girls spanning ages 8 to 18. Indeed, mentorship is important. If we want to strengthen our young, as well as both attract and retain talent in Central Georgia, it's imperative. "Will you be my advocate?" The BGCCG youth pose this question to all of us. Thanks to the organization's call to action for the youth they support, I've decided that's a focus I need to get behind. Advocacy for our people is a deeper call. Choose a cause for which you can show up and show out. You'll find worthy options in these pages, starting with our cover feature. Tracie Revis, who has returned to her ancestral roots as the new director of advocacy for the Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative (ONPPI), tells the truth: we can't tell Macon's story without naming the Muscogee (Creek) people. Reliable, trustworthy journalism is an advocacy opportunity we should all get behind. I am grateful to our managing editor Renée Corwine for her supporting role for Macon Magazine over the last five years. She changed careers as we went to press, but her commitment to doing the work to ensure that this publication stands up to the reputation of delivering quality local journalism with integrity is worth acknowledging. "Don't wait. Why do we wait? … I didn't show up. People pushed me to show up." Justice Colvin further engaged the audience. Who are you pushing to show up? susannah@maconmagazine.com @susannahcmaddux TOP LEFT PHOTO: ME WITH RENEE, AS WE CLOSED DOWN SECOND STREET TO PHOTOGRAPH MACON MAGAZINE'S 5 UNDER 40 YOUNG LEADERS IN 2020. TOP RIGHT PHOTO: MEMBERS OF THE MACON MAGAZINE EDITORIAL TEAM AND I WERE PROUD TO SUPPORT THE RISING TIDE WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP BRUNCH. BOTTOM PHOTO: I WAS HONORED TO BE INCLUDED ON THE PANEL DISCUSSION ALONGSIDE MODERATOR ERIN KELLER AND PANELLISTS ALIAYAH SIMMONS, SARAH MACCONNELL SCHANCK, DISTRICT ATTORNEY ANITA HOWARD, DR. ANSLEY BOOKER, DR. KEITTA EVANS AND RACHEL MOORE. JUST AFTER THIS, I ALSO MADE MY FIRST TIK TOK APPEARANCE AFTER QUICKLY LEARNING THE CHOREOGRAPHY THAT TWO OF THE BGCCG YOUTH TAUGHT US. FOLLOW THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA FOR MORE WAYS TO ENGAGE AND ADVOCATE: @BOYSANDGIRLSCCG.