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    The Westside GazetteThe Westside Gazette
    You are at:Home » A MESSAGE FROM THE FAMILY
    Religion

    A MESSAGE FROM THE FAMILY

    June 27, 20243 Mins Read4 Views
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    A MESSAGE FROM THE FAMILY

    Per Family’s Request: Please Wear Bright/Vibrant Colors, No Mournful Colors (Black and White).

    OBITUARY

    Ernestine Augusta Ray

    FEBRUARY 13, 1952 – MAY 18, 2024

    IN THE CARE OF

    Star of David Memorial Gardens

    Cemetery & Funeral Chapel

    “Bold, Brilliant, and Beautiful” are words that rightfully describe the personality and life journey of Ernestine Ma’at Ray. Fueled by her intrigue about her African roots and childhood labels that she fought to dispel, Ernestine traveled to multiple countries on the continent of Africa, 44 countries globally, and worked in 33. “I was understanding who I was and where I came from. I felt like I was reborn,” she stated in an article written about her work in the Sun Sentinel.

    Ernestine, an innovative and creative educator, has over 30 years of experience in her field. She served as the superintendent of the American School System for the U.S. State Department in Ghana and worked in an educational capacity for domestic-based organizations as well. After returning from Ghana, Ernestine converted the historic colored school of Fort Lauderdale into the renowned Old Dillard Museum as the Curator and Director. In this role, she was responsible for curating multiple exhibitions centered on the richness of the various cultures and communities that make up the African diaspora. Ernestine also founded Ancestral Rays and Ancestral Legacies, two cultural and educational organizations in Fort Lauderdale. “Not enough people realize that the cultural arts are a great way to reach children when other methods have failed,” Ernestine has said. Throughout her life, Ernestine has served as a curator of many “spaces” and “places” that she converted into vibrant “classrooms” and her contribution to educating the local and global community is undeniable and profound.

    As Ernestine’s family, we know the valuable role she has played in the lives of her students, mentees, colleagues, friends, and communities throughout the world.

    After a hard fight, our Ernestine passed away on Saturday, May 18, 2024. Currently, the family is making arrangements for her home-going celebration at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, June 30th from 1-3pm with the repast to follow. We welcome and appreciate your contributions and prayers.

    https://www.gofundme.com/f/kp3aze-rays-of-hope

    Please feel free to forward this to mutual friends and acquaintances in Ernestine’s network/community. You may contact Ernestine Ray’s niece, Makeda S. Crane for any additional information by using the go-fund me messaging Contact button under the Organizer section underneath this message. There is usually a delay in the receipt of messages but it will be returned as soon as possible. Thank you.

    Wishing you blessings and abundance in 2024!

    Appreciatively,

    The Family of Ernestine Ray

    Services SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 2024

    Memorial Service 1:00 pm – 3:00 p.m., at AFRICAN-AMERICAN RESEARCH LIBRARY AND CULTURAL CENTER at 2650 Sistrunk Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311

     

     

    2024. Currently After a hard fight June 30th from 1-3pm with the repast to follow. We welcome and appreciate your contributions and prayers. May 18 our Ernestine passed away on Saturday the family is making arrangements for her home-going celebration at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday
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    Carma Henry

    Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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I’m sure many of them still like to party hearty over the weekend. So they have a good chance just to kind of refocus, recali-brate, get themselves lunch, and then come over to the chapel for service. When I started in November, maybe 20-25 students came, but now it’s over 200 that come every Sun-day, and it’s pretty cool. So now we’re repositioning ourselves to go after the freshman class this year. If we have the same success as last year, there’s definitely not going to be any room. Word in Black: Tell me about pastoring on a college campus. Lawrence Lockett: Morgan actually started as a biblical institute, so the Christian traditions have al-ways been here. As a pastor or shepherd, I’m walking students through their questions, not always just trying to preach answers to them. It’s about being vulnerable. I tell them I was in their same position, just trying to figure it out. And it’s not me just trying to give them answers. Having been there helps me really walk with them and anchor them in the storm of life that’s going to come. I want them to understand that their soul really matters. A lot of students focus on mental health, but they really need to focus on spiritual health as well. It should be one and the same. So I’ve been trying to preach that, if anything, spiritual health is just as important as your mental health. But we do encour-age the use of the counseling center, for sure, if there is a mental health crisis. WIB: What does Monday through Friday look like for you? LL: Mondays, we are usually off because of Sundays. On Tuesdays, we have Bible studies, so I’ll host a Bible study at noon along with my colleagues that work in the chapel. And then, I’m teaching a class called Hip-hop and the Gospel on Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m., dealing with mixing culture and religion. On Wednesdays, we do something called “breath and balance,” which is just a meditative type of pro-gram with breathing exercises as stress relievers. We work with the School of Nutrition Science and the food resource center so that the students get a nice free meal and practice breathing exercises and meth-ods to feel good about the day. For Thursdays, we started something called the mosaic, in which we have different campus ministers gather in small groups, just like a mosaic painting. So the students who come on Sundays then get plugged into small groups on Thursdays. And on Fridays at 1 p.m., we do prayer for Muslims.. We have an imam lecture and then lead in corporate prayer. It’s a good mix. WIB: What is “Spend a Block?” Didn’t you receive an award for it? LL: That started last year. We just basically do services outside: outside the residence halls, in the quad, wherever it may be. Honestly, worship on a college campus looks different than it did 20 or 30 years ago. Students want something real and authentic, something they can gravitate to, and something that’s convenient. So when we’re outside, people are like, “What’s all the noise outside? What’s all the music?” Then they come outside, and there are chairs, so they grab one and sit and enjoy the service. We come to them. They don’t have to come to us. At the very beginning of the semester, we do services outside the four resi-dence halls. And that kind of gives us a steamroll into homecoming week. And we’ve seen a lot of success because of that. WIB: What should I expect when I arrive for Sunday service? LL: You’re gonna see a lot of involvement with students. I’ve learned that students like to feel invested, and they want to participate in what’s going on. They don’t want to be told by adults what they should and shouldn’t do. So when you go to the service, you’ll see our praise team full of students. You’ll see a choir full of students. You’ll see students reading scripture. You’ll see students giving testimonies. And then I’ll come in and give a sermon, or I’ll have a guest friend or a guest preacher come in to do the sermon. But you’re gonna see a lot of student involvement, and I think that also assisted with a lot of the growth be-cause when they see fellow students, they understand they’re just like me, and if they can do it, I can do it. WIB: What about musicians and choir? LL: The musicians are also students. They say, “Hey, I love to play. I wanna use my gifts in some way, shape, or form.” And they’ll ask whether or not there’s a spot for them. And we say absolutely. And there is a chapel choir. Some of the members are also members of the university choir. WIB: What is the “next” you see for the chapel? LL: I want the students to know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and make a difference. The chapel really is the heartbeat of the campus, and I want students to know more about where faith, hope, and belonging really stem from. 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