‘We are kings and queens:’ Meet the woman behind Coast’s new black history series
She hasn’t been on the Coast for very long, but she’s already using her platform to make a difference and “protect the narrative” of her community.
Rudy King is the education and community outreach coordinator at the Mary C O’Keefe Cultural Center.
King focuses on increasing the organization’s relationship with local schools, scheduling field trips and leading their annual summer camp.
She’s also taking the lead on their 2020 black history program, “The Code,” a three-part series that references a secret, cultural language that stretches back for generations in the black community. The events will also feature art, music and traditional African cuisine.
King was tasked with leading the event shortly after she was hired in October 2019. She moved to the Coast from Memphis because she wanted a change of scenery.
Initially, she was “really excited” to get started on the black history series, but then she realized how heavy the assignment would be.
King would have to pull on her childhood experiences, educational background and her international travel memories to make this series a success.
‘It was very sad.’
King attended programs almost every year while growing up in New York. They were always interesting, she said, but they all had the same overall theme.
“It was very sad. It was more about what the Europeans did to us and I’m like ‘we are kings and queens’ where’s that message?’”
She wanted to know more about her history outside of slavery and racial injustices.
That desire led her to Savannah State University, an HBCU, where she attend college and further developed her love for history, culture and art.
There, she was surrounded and embraced by many people who looked like her and understood her, but that changed when she went on a mission trip to Georgia, the country, after graduation.
It was there, in a country nearly 90% white, where she really understood the importance of “The Code.”
‘Only people in our community would understand.’
King was in Georgia in 2015 when the Charleston church shooting happened, and she was one of the only people on the mission trip deeply affected by it, she said.
“There was only two black people including myself. We understood what this meant and we were able to be there for each other. We discussed the injustices that black people face, that only people in our community would understand.”
She also remembers the discomfort she felt during her time in Georgia.
“We even had people come up to us who wanted to touch our hair and our skin because they had never seen a black person before.”
But those feelings of discomfort went away every now and then, whenever she saw a person who looked like her.
“Whenever we saw another black person, all we would do was a silent nod and it meant everything. It meant ‘I see you’.”
That was “the code” in action, she said.
‘Protect our narratives.’
The idea to name the black history series “The Code” was solidified while King was watching “Harriett.”
“Throughout the film, I saw how the slaves used songs and tried to find different ways to communicate with each other within the underground railroad.”
The idea further developed in her readings of “We Were Eight Years in Power” by Ta-Nehisi Coates and “Becoming” by Michelle Obama.
She said the books “spoke about code language and how we had to use this language for generations not only to protect ourselves and the black community, but also to protect our narrative.”
Her duty to protect the black narrative is what made this series so important, King said.
“We have to show that we are kings and queens and all of the beautiful aspects of our history,” she said. “We’ll discuss where we came from, and what things were like before the Atlantic slave trade, through different events and performances that communicate to all generations and different walks of life.”
She’s hoping that every person who attends one of the events, and especially African Americans, will leave feeling empowered and better informed on black history.
“We, as African Americans, need to learn more about our history and how to protect our narratives so that no one else is trying to narrate our stories... because they’re not going to get it right.”
The first event is an art reception featuring local black artists.
Here is the events list for “The Code.”
- 6-8:30 p.m. Feb. 7 Art reception
- Noon - 4:30 p.m. Feb. 15 Market event showcasing local black businesses
- 6:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 Live performance featuring Coast singers, musicians and dancers
All events will be held at the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center, 1600 Government Street in Ocean Springs.
This story was originally published February 7, 2020 at 10:28 AM.
