Oct 24, 2018 Orange County Review
Note: On Oct. 20, 2018, the Orange County African-American Historical Society (OCAAHS) held its first awards banquet to a sold-out crowd.
The OCAAHS recognized five outstanding individuals this year for their extraordinary work in sharing and sustaining African-American history in Orange County. For each of the previous three weeks, this column has showcased one of the recipients. This week, we recognize Laura Russell Thompson.
Laura Russell Thompson grew up in Bowie, Md. Her progressive education began at Bowie State’s kindergarten and ended with graduation from Largo Senior High. The daughter of an artist and a genealogist, she was raised in a home filled with art and history.
After receiving her bachelor of arts from Hood College with a major in history and a minor in education, she worked as a preschool and secondary school teacher. She eventually left the field to join the design staff of a craft kit company where she designed quilt patterns. There, she had the privilege of traveling to Haiti to supervise quilt production. She describes the people as “some of the kindest and most heroic.” She later worked as a graphic artist and desktop publisher for 10 years, producing materials for an educational not-for-profit organization in Washington, D.C. In 1993, she married, moved to Orange and became a stay-at-home mom, horse breeder, shepherd and fiber artist.
In 2003, with her youngest heading off to school, Thompson worried and wondered what she was going to do with herself. What job description could she satisfy with her liberal arts degree, motley collection of life experiences and unrelated job skills? And then, her mother died.
Thompson gathered with her brother and sisters to come up with a fitting memorial. The idea of a memorial art exhibit was the only solution. She contacted The Arts Center In Orange with the proposal, and the idea was received warmly. While hanging the exhibit, Thompson learned that Aimee Hunt was leaving her position as director, and everything clicked. This was the job she had been preparing for all her life. For Thompson, The Arts Center In Orange is a tool—a tool to make sure that the arts are available to every child and that every artist has the opportunity to shine their light. Through the Arts Center’s grant funded outreach, African-American children learn of their culture through music and art in schools and at the Boys & Girls Club of Orange.
Partnering with the Orange County African-American Historical Society has given The Arts Center In Orange the opportunity to connect, offer gallery exhibits, share beautiful voices, establish Juneteenth as an annual celebration in Orange and fulfill the center’s mission. Until next week, be well.
(A special thank you to the Rev. Darryle Crump for his significant contribution to this article.)