A Scholar's Dance to Higher Ground

The Two-Step

Many times, the two-step is mistaken as a simple dance. However, depending on the dancer's rhythm, one could easily own the dance floor-A scholar’s dance.

The two-step from Littlerock, Arkansas, was a slow migration. The Thrower family is one of the oldest Black families on the north side of Pittsburgh, PA. Being a part of this family, Dr. Thrower was raised to wear her last name proudly. Coming from southern roots, she learned many traditions and remained family-oriented. Sunday dinners were a staple in the family at her aunt Cat’s home. Such dishes as fried chicken, collard greens seasoned with ham hocks, mashed potatoes with gravy, and other favorites were found around the dinner table. On holidays the dinners were more elaborate, with an assortment of meats and desserts with varying degrees of goodness. In my formative years, I learned that partaking in meals together was the lure to important conversations. The dinner table was also where new friends and boyfriends, also known as “uncles” would get vetted. Though a close-knit family, they had their share of dysfunctional issues.

For Dr. Thrower being around her aunt Cat and seeing how she took care of womanly affairs for her household served as a primer for womanhood, as her impressionable self knew it. Another influential member of the family was her grandfather Chester Thrower Sr. As the story goes, her grandfather was a veteran of World War II and a former sharecropper who created a garage business serving Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas. This man with a fifth-grade education was instrumental in moving his family from the south and other extended family members. His wife, Rachel Broom-Thrower, partially a Choctaw Indian, had no formal education but equally impacted the Thrower family. His business was built on grit and merit. Her grandfather exemplified what it meant to seek higher ground by the way he managed his life. Because of such individuals as him and his southern manners, Dr. Thrower learned how to respect other individuals, especially her elders. Regardless of low education attainment, her grandfather spoke about the importance of higher education to live a life of contribution. After his death, Dr. Thrower would reflect on his grandfather’s virtues. She knew he would want her and her other grandchildren to passionately pursue their personal and professional pursuits.