This is for my Aunt Rosa B
by Terri L. Bailey, MA
This is for Auntie Rosa B
Ms. Williams is what she goes by
She short in statue and soft with words
But her power no one can deny
You see when my grandma died
My Momma was just more than a child
My Auntie stepped in to fill granny’s shoes
And gave my Mom some time to run wild
Now Rosa’s no joke, her word is bond
She’s too busy to play around
She’s busy as ever changing the world
But if you need her she’s easily found
My Auntie is the first person I knew
That ever published a book
Cooking with Rosa at Bell Nursery
Gave parents healthy meals to cook
Did you know that Ms. Rosa
Helped integrate Woolworth’s back in the day
When I was chomping on burgers at the counter
I didn’t know the price she had to pay
The parties she gave after the Orange and Blue games
The important folks that came you know well
Thank God most of those shanties are gone by now
Cause those walls had some stories to tell
I used to be mad, cause she was always working
And feeding rich folks black and white
I didn’t know at the time they were scarfing down food
She was filling them with ideas on what’s right
I would argue with her over the need
To associate with those conservative jerks
But she smiled real nice and said kind words
And made them approve liberal programs that worked
I used to swear to heaven above,
I would never be like Rosa B
She works too hard for too little cash
And leads an unnecessary life of poverty
The laugh is on me, cause guess what yall
I’m more and more like her each day
I love my hood, my race and to share
And the career I picked doesn’t pay
The riches she has given
Makes her much more wealthy
Than the Trumps, Rockafellas or the Gates
There’s no actor or athlete or politician alive
Whose name could hold up to Rosa B’s mighty weight
My Auntie is awesome and there aren’t enough words
To say what she means to me
You all are lucky she loves you so
And I’m blessed to say that she’s my family
I’ll never forget you, Auntie!
My auntie, Miss Rosa B Williams was a force to be reckoned with. When she got something in her mind, there was no stopping her. From giving folks equal access to the public library, to bringing affordable daycare to alachua county, Miss Rosa never let the word NO stop her from enacting change and forward motion in Gainesville’s marginalized communities. Her advocacy for Black neighborhoods had a ripple effect and often benefited ALL.
As I sit and look out of my living room window, I see the corner that turns onto the street and the house where she lived for more than 50 years. I recall how much life and legacy the little woman in the unassuming white wooden house has left for us all.
While she wasn’t a perfect person, she really tried to make decisions she thought would benefit the greater good. She didn’t always get it right, but she always stood in her truth. Miss Rosa was advocating through her last week on this earth. Her final, and most loved projects were the Reichart House and helping folks in the Pine Ridge community. Please give generously of your money and time to these programs and other communities and community members who are strugglIng to live a quality life, provide quality care for the elders and a quality education for the children. Remember, Miss Rosa gave freely without the expectation of any return and whenever possible, we should too.
While she rubbed shoulders with potentates and dignitaries, she remained in the neighborhood we grew up in. She took one of her last breaths on her porch in Pleasant Street, where she hung out in her youth, took care of her parents in their old age, and devoted her life to caring for not only her blood family, but her community family as well.