Our Two Rivers

 

Queen Esther “Rae” Franklin    1932 - 2016

Photo courtesy of her family

 

Our Two Rivers

Queen Esther became a member of our new small family 50 years ago in the late 1960s – Tanne and the children and I called her Rae. Rae quickly became our friend. It was a joy to watch Rae and Tanne and then Cile all work together like sisters. I have heard Tanne say that Rae was her best friend during those years, and that the hardest part of leaving the Place in 1984 was to leave Rae. I am sure that Cile would have said much the same. I wish that Cile could have written this piece.

Queen Esther is a wonderful name for her as it would have been for earlier kinswomen of hers such as: her Mother “Miss Julia” Muck Franklin; and her Aunts and Cousins Rhoda Franklin James, Emma Franklin Hilliard and Blanche Franklin Spell – tall, generous noble women.

Here in the Edisto Fork where Cooper Swamp, Snake Swamp and the Two Rivers get together to help form the ocean, families of all colors have toiled together for progress, hopefully (although slowly) progress for all. At times like this you might be tempted to quote William Faulkner about the past, and Dr. M. L. King about the future, but I would rather say that the love and friendship of Rae and her ancestors changed the lives of our families, that her molding of our children’s character has changed their lives and the lives of some of those around them, so that Rae in her life has contributed to Dr. King’s prophesy “. . . the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice”.

Queen Esther Franklin was a tall noble generous woman loved by Cile and Tanne and the children Penina, Oliver, Deaver and Tatum. We like to think that she loved us.

We will never forget her.

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 Adapted from reflections offered August 19, 2016 as part of the celebration gathering for Rae at Edisto Fork United Methodist Church.