When Julius returned from his trip to Cape Town, South Africa last February, the first thing I asked him was (of course) “How was your trip?”  His response was unexpectantly, “You must see the world.” Every encounter, each time our presence graced the same room, it was never about him.

       “Community” comes to mind whenever I think of our past conversations. It was always about his extended family. It was through his work with the numerous youth in the Pioneer Valley that we came to know each other. I remember to this day our first chat.

       It was in late March of 2008. I was still with New WORLD Theater and we were preparing to present a remount production of the 2007 Project 2050 show “The Love in Revolution.”  Considering Julius’ impact, there was no greater time to meet than then. He called the office to speak with me about arranging for a group of young people from Springfield to see the show. A few days after the performance, I received yet another phone call from Julius. This time it was to inform me of how impactful it was for the youth to see others like themselves conversing about ways to reach across the table as a way to make change. The youth from Springfield gathered for dinner following the performance to talk about what they needed to do in order to reach across the table to make a better world for themselves. This led to the fruition of the Springfield Youth Coalition, a combined effort of the staff and youth from the Dunbar and Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Centers and Northern Educational Services—centers that were located in the same neighborhood yet whose paths rarely crossed. Along with the Mason Square Drug Free Task Force, the Western Massachusetts Center for Healthy Communities (Julius’ organization), New WORLD Theater and faculty from UMass Amherst, a way to unthread the “tofu curtain” came into being. 

       I remember the meetings, the long hours, the weekend gatherings, the art-making, the community building, the sharing. Julius, being so thoroughly connected to these many communities, was the thread that held us all together.

       At a time when I was finding my way through the work in which I was called to do, Julius was my thread. He connected me to so many people (including getting me this column with POV). Julius saw something in me that took me a while to realize. I have a voice stronger than I seemed to acknowledge. It was he who saw the strength behind the prose that flowed from my soul, to veins, to ink, to paper, to people. I am the writer that I am today because of Julius. Watching him perform and speak to people was the perfect classroom for me. I connect to communities in this way because of Julius. His mentorship to me was to show others the “love in revolution,” the importance of relating to everyone, no matter their differences. And as that writer who knows the impact of a voice, a story, and a way to communicate, I believe that change can happen. I’ve always had a life mission. My life mission now has goals and objectives because of working with Julius. 

       Though I may mourn an untimely loss, I celebrate an abundant gain. Julius Joel Ford, I will miss you dearly. Your work becomes even more important now. Rest in peace, Dear Mentor. Please know that the work continues and that you left it in good hands. And, by the way, I understand why you wanted me to see the world. It’s about time that I do that.

 

To donate: The Julius J. Ford Memorial Fund, c/o Citizen’s Bank, 228 King Street, Northampton, MA 01060 n