MOTHER GILYARD PASSES
 

The Malcolm X Commemoration Committee is sad to announce the passing of one of our most solid supporting members. On July 9, 2011, Sister Gwen Gilyard, author, educator and wife of our chairperson, Mani Gilyard, passed away.

She was 72.

Gwendolyn Akua Afriyie Gilyard was the author ‘Adventures In A Country Place’ and the groundbreaking work ‘A Rites of Passage For African-American Girls.’
 

Originally from Georgia, Gilyard received a full scholarship to go Florida A&M University for theater. Her excellence there opened up an opportunity to go to Ghana and teach theater there. Upon her return to Harlem, she taught in the public schools for years. But it was her relationship with the National Black Theater of Harlem (NBT) founded and led by the late Black theater innovator Barbara Ann Teer that truly opened her up. She was a founding member and performer at NBT and said once “that it did more than allow me to show my acting ability; It helped me develop my inner self.”

Early on in the course of her teaching in New York, she introduced African history into her classroom and came to be known as the ‘African teacher.’ It was then she met this quiet Aikido master who claimed that he just wanted to “check on her.” Mani Gilyard was that Aikido master and was her husband for over 40 years at the time of her transition.

When their daughters, Maisha and Thulani, were young, she literally created a ‘rites of program’ to insure that they had that very important grounding, gender and culturally-based experience. It led to her publishing the abovementioned ‘A Rites Of Passage For AfricanAmerican Girls,’ that quickly came into demand.

“A stately woman to the fullest, Sister Gwen was truly a ‘queen mother,’ said Zayid Muhammad, MXCCs press officer.

“Being the father of a young daughter, I was actually looking for her book (Rites of Passage) to see what I could organize when I learned of her passing,” he recalled ironically.

“She was always a most gracious host and has even donated her book ‘Adventures In A Country Place’ to our organization to help with our essay contest. We encircle Baba Mani with our love. She was such an enormous loving and empowering presence. She is going to be missed to the umpteenth.”

THE MALCOLM X COMMEMORATION COMMITTEE

PO BOX 380-122, BROOKLYN, NY 11238
718 512 5008

MXCC519@VERIZON.NET