Littlestown resident attracts Black influencers to Gettysburg
After marrying my husband in 2017 and moving to his Littlestown farm, I pondered how best to contribute to the community meaningfully. I joined the Gettysburg Garden Club and served on several boards, notably the Gettysburg Hospital Foundation board, a perfect fit for my health communications background. The more I engaged with people in Gettysburg, the more I considered unique features that would interest Blacks in my professional and social circles.
At that point, I had an aha moment: to create weekend experiences in Gettysburg for Black women. Most of my friends have demanding jobs; the small-town feel, history, unique businesses, and calm and serenity would be appealing. One group came in August, and another in September 2022. They saw Gettysburg in ways never imagined. Local Black historian Jean Howard Green’s Lincoln Cemetery tour attached contributions to those buried there. The women were also fascinated by their purchases at Lark. Add that experience to lunch at Mason Dixon Distillery and a tour as well as wine sorbet at Adams County Winery. The women left Gettysburg ready to create a buzz in their networks about the best small town in America.
This year, I invited couples. They were here August 25-27 from Pittsburgh, Hanover, Washington, D.C., Alexandria and Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Los Angeles, California. They represented diverse professional sectors. Among them were Judge Dwayne Woodruff, a retired Pittsburgh Steeler and the first player in the history of the NFL to attend law school full-time while still an active player, his wife, Joy, Dr. NaNotchka Chumley, a Los Angeles doctor and author, Eveldora Wheeler, Ph.D., a college professor, and Flo McAfee, who served in the Clinton Administration as a Special Assistant to the President.
WellSpan Health’s Harvey Green, Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, spoke at a soul food dinner my husband and I hosted. Harvey also spent the weekend with the group and addressed WellSpan’s commitment to community health, particularly that relative to disparities.
In addition to the Lincoln Cemetery tour, I added two more this year. Matt Moon, the Majestic Theater’s Director of Patron Services, led a group throughout the theater, sharing its vivid history. Curt Musselman of Historic Gettysburg-Adams County led the Underground Railroad tour. He offered an appreciation for the lived experience of enslaved people seeking freedom.
Retired FBI agent Don Wheeler felt the weekend was moving. “It provided the opportunity to learn about the Black experience in Gettysburg in the company of other couples with whom we could fellowship and share,” he said. His wife, Dr. Wheeler, said, “The truth is here. History reveals the truth when it is shared. It is an attempt at remembrance. We are forging a continuanceof the path that has the remembered footsteps of our journey,” she concluded.
Thank you to the sponsors who supported my vision: WellSpan Health, Adams County Winery, Biggerstaff’s Catering, Destination Gettysburg, and Dr. Smitha Nair. Inviting a niche group of Blacks to Gettysburg and customizing their experience in consideration of what resonates with them culturally is a step toward increased visitation among Black traveler segments.
To learn more, contact Patricia Green at patricia@stoneofsconefarm.com or 301-526-1089.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Littlestown resident attracts Black influencers to Gettysburg
