O.V. Brantley and Mayor Chuck Shaheen with "Martin's Dream"
Yesterday, I presented Would You Act Like That in Front of Your Grandmother? at the Warner Robins City Council retreat. My presentation focuses on the importance of Council/Staff relations and illustrates my points through quilts.
I am a huge proponent of civility and professionalism in the work place. Often in political environments people forget the basics of good manners, or they decide that good manners are not necessary in the rough and tumble world of politics.
While I was Fulton County Attorney, one of my quilts hung in each conference room. I observed that quilts seemed to have a calming effect on people as they reminisced about their grandmother’s quilts. That is how I came up with the title of the presentation.
Whether my audience agrees with me or not, they always love the quilts.
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Today is the first Monday in October, one of the most important days of the year. Why? Because the United States Supreme Court convenes on the first Monday in October.
The cases that reach the Supreme Court impact all of us for many years. What do you think is the most important issue of the day? Health care? Immigration? Campaign contributions? Privacy?
Whatever the issue, I hope that wisdom prevails. My quilt Subtle Struggle Toward the Dream #1 reminds that there remains much work to be done to make the United States a more perfect union.
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Recently I was honored to be asked by City Attorney Nina Hickson and City Manager Crandall Jones to make a presentation to the East Point City Council during its annual retreat. I spoke to the Council on the topic of Council / Staff relations. I titled my paper Would You Act Like That In Front of Your Grandmother?! (How Good Council/Staff Relations Can Minimize Public Risk and Improve Public Image).
I illustrated my presentation with quilts to show that each person is part of a bigger picture. Shown here is my quilt Fulton County Attorneys which is a signature quilt made during my tenure as the Fulton County Attorney. Each staff member signed a block in the quilt.
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Jamala McFadden
The annual membership drive of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA) is underway. The organization is led this year by Jamala McFadden who practices law at Sutherland.
GABWA provides many mentoring opportunities for young attorneys, as well as networking opportunities for attorneys of all ages. It also sponsors an annual gala which raises money for scholarships for female law students. Each year I donate a quilt that is auctioned to benefit this cause.
To learn more about GABWA’s activities, visit the web site.
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Congressman John Lewis receives Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama
Congressman John Lewis was recently awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It was a poignant moment for people like me who are children of the Civil Rights Movement. Every day of my life I give thanks for courageous people like Congressman Lewis who followed a dream and made all of us better. I am proud to live in his district.
In July of last year, Congressman Lewis received a quilt from the Brown Sugar Stitchers Quilt Guild (a guild of which I am proud to be a past president) to honor him for his distinguished service. Just shows that great minds think alike.
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Fulton County Attorney Stars by O.V. Brantley
Last week we celebrated the life and accomplishments of a great man — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We were reminded that the best way to honor him is to serve others.
Dedicating your life to the service of others is hard. After all, as someone said on my twitter feed, it is easy to make a pay check, but can you make a difference?
A total dedication to the service of others is too much for most of us, (I could never imagine doing what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. did.) but there are as many ways to serve as there are talented people in the world.
Service can be big — saving a life, curing cancer, changing a nation, for instance. Service can be small — ushering at your neighborhood theatre, tutoring a student, donating blood to the Red Cross. Whether big or small, service can make a huge difference in another person’s life. The side benefit is that it sets you on a path to receive even more than you gave.
The quilt featured here is called Fulton County Attorney Stars. This is one of several quilts I made to honor the incredible lawyers in the Fulton County Attorney’s office. (Each staff member signed a block in the quilt).
It’s easy to make a pay check, but can you make a difference?
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Win is What We Do by O.V. Brantley, 2007.
I always tried to instill in my staff that it is possible to win without being angry, to win while having fun, and to win while having balance in your life.
Win is What We Do was the last signature quilt I made for my staff at the Fulton County Attorney’s Office. Each staff member signed a block.
This quilt is part of my personal collection of heirloom quilts. It serves as a reminder that winning with joy is far better than winning wth anger.
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Networking is important in all careers, and the legal field is no different. Whenever I can, I combine networking, quilts and the law.
Recently, I had the opportunity to catch up on the lives of several young women who are former staff members of the Fulton County Attorney’s Office. They joined me for Wine and Words at Hammonds House Museum. The Wine and Words program features an opportunity to network and to meet a featured author up close and personal.
On this particular occasion, the author was Irene Latham, author of Leaving Gees Bend. The program was part of the 2010 Atlanta Quilt Festival and was a collaboration between Written Magazine, Hammonds House and the Clara Ford Foundation. What a surprise when, in addition to other close friends, former staffers June Green, Rolesia Dancy, Brenda Woodard, Valerie Ross, Paula Nash, and Carmen Alexander. All of these people own quilts I made for them, so you know they must be special.
Seeing them, I could not help but reminisce about the early days in the Fulton County Attorney’s Office. They graciously allowed me to practice my quilting on them and always acted as if everything I made was beautiful. Shown here is my quilt Fulton County Attorneys, the first of many office signature quilts that graced our conference rooms. All of these ladies signed a block in this quilt.
Fulton County Attorneys, by O.V. Brantley
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By ovbrantley
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Posted in People, Quilts
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Also tagged Brenda Woodard, Carmen Alexander, Hammonds House Museum, June Green, O.V. Brantley, Paula Nash, Rolesia Dancy, Valerie Ross, Wine and Words, Written Magazine
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