May Meeting Notes
Saturday May 31, 2025
Mitchell/Langston Meeting
5/31/2025
Organizers: Jamie Parker, Motonia Messan
Summary
Motonia Messan and Jamie Parker welcomed attendees and
outlined the meeting's purpose: planning the 2026 Mitchell Langston family
reunion, emphasizing the immediate need for core leadership. Jamie
Parker and Motonia Messan were nominated and agreed upon being president (Jamie) and vice president (Motonia), while the selection of secretary and financial secretaries was deferred. Discussions included fundraising ideas, such as hosting families, and a sponsorship model proposed by Alando Mitchell. The
traditional reunion timing was also discussed. Additionally, the
scheduling of future meetings was addressed, with meetings set for the
fourth Saturday of each month at 5:00 p.m. The development of a new
website, managed by Jamie Parker, and social media management by Brittany Stokes and Roneka Grantham, as well as the eventual formation of subcommittees, were also discussed.
Meeting started with opening prayer by Carolyn Bowman, Jamie Parker referred attendees to the Facebook group for Google Meet usage tutorials.
Meeting Purpose and Initial Actions Jamie outlined the agenda, focusing
on future goals for the 2026 Mitchell Langston family reunion. Motonia
emphasized the immediate need to establish core leadership positions:
president, vice president, secretary, and financial secretary.
Opening Prayer Jamie Parker asked Carolyn Bowman to open the meeting with a
prayer, which Carolyn Bowman did, asking for guidance and the continuation of
family gatherings.
Nomination and Agreement for President and Vice President Motonia explained that she and Jamie had initiated the reunion efforts but were open to others taking leadership roles. Alando Mitchell suggested Jamie Parker and Motonia Messan were perfect for president and vice president. Sharlena Best seconded this. After discussion and affirmative responses from several
family members including Melody Whitfield, Betty Rhoe, Brittany Stokes, Roneka
Grantham, and Frances Marks, Carolyn Bowman made a motion for Jamie Parker
as president and Motonia Messan as vice president, which was seconded by Norita and agreed upon by Motonia Messan and Jamie Parker.
Discussion on secretary and financial secretary roles Jamie Parker stated the
need for a secretary and two financial secretaries for backup access to funds.
Alando Mitchell proposed deferring the selection of these roles to the next
meeting to allow more participation. This suggestion was agreed upon.
Hosting families fundraising Idea Jamie Parker shared an idea from their
Stewart family reunion, where designated families volunteer to host and fund the
reunion each year to build up funds, while other family members still pay yearly
dues. This approach would give the hosting families more control over planning.
Elders Cabinet concept Jamie proposed the idea of an "elders cabinet" consisting of experienced family members like Aunt Carolyn, Aunt Betty, Aunt Francis, and Uncle Earl to serve as advisors for the younger leadership. This would ensure their continued involvement and guidance.
Sponsorship fundraising alternative Alando Mitchell suggested a sponsorship
model where family members could voluntarily pay $100 per year to support the●
reunion fund. Sponsors could be recognized, and this approach could potentially
replace mandatory yearly dues for all family members.
Discussion and Next Steps for Fundraising Ideas Motonia and Jamie discussed the sponsorship idea, raising concerns about commitment and
the need to ensure sufficient funds. Linda Etheredge supported the sponsorship
idea and suggested alternative contributions for those unable to pay the $100. It
was decided that a vote on both the hosting families model and the sponsorship
model would take place at the next meeting.
Traditional timing of the family reunion Jamie mentioned the tradition
of holding the reunion on the fourth weekend of August. However, Motonia and Alando pointed out that this time often conflicts with other family reunions and school schedules, suggesting the need to consider alternative dates. It was agreed that potential dates would be discussed and possibly voted on in the next meeting. Scheduling future meetings Jamie initiated a discussion about the best
day and time for future meetings, suggesting Saturdays to avoid conflicts with
Sunday church services. There was agreement on Saturdays, and a time of 5:00
PM was favored by several attendees, including Brittany Stokes, Carolyn
Bowman, and Melody Whitfield, to allow people to complete their Saturday
activities. After, the group agreed to hold the next meeting on Saturday, June 28th at 5:00 p.m. and regular meetings would be held every fourth Saturday of the month at 5:00 p.m. Jamie Parker expressed a desire to keep meetings to no longer than one hour to maintain engagement. It was acknowledged that some
meetings might exceed this time as the reunion approaches and more decisions
need to be made. Frances Marks proposed Sister Linda Etheredge as
secretary, and Motonia seconded the nomination. However, Linda
Etheredge suggested considering other positions. Betty Rhoe suggested needing at least three secretaries. Jamie Parker mentioned considering Sharlena Best
for financial secretary. Betty Rhoe nominated Sharlena for financial secretary and
Alando for assistant financial secretary. However, Norita later reported that
Orlando respectfully declined the nomination due to work commitments.
Motonia suggested using a poll for officer nominations, allowing private submissions. Frances Marks questioned the voting process without initial nominees. Roneka Grantham proposed a system where interested individuals email their interest by a certain date, followed by a poll with those names and an "other" option. This approach was supported by others as a fair way to include everyone. Jamie emphasized using multiple communication channels, including Facebook, email (jasmine8779@mitchelllangstonreunion.com), and text messages (if individuals provide their numbers). Sharlena stressed the importance of including those not on social media. Jamie Parker and Roneka Grantham are managing the new Mitchell-Langston Family Reunion website (www.mitchelllangstonreunion.com),which is currently under construction. Jamie clarified that this is a new website, distinct from any previous ones. Jamie outlined initial ideas for the website, including tabs for family photos (past, present, future), deceased family member biographies, event information, meeting links, and reunion recordings. Motonia suggested categorizing information for future generations and adding a chat function. Carolyn Bowman and Carlton inquired about the website's security, and Jamie Parker stated that security is the goal. Jamie is personally covering the website costs, which will be approximately $16.50 for three months initially, then $22.50 per month.
Social media management Brittany Stokes and Roneka Grantham volunteered to
manage the family reunion's Facebook group. Jamie agreed to send them
information for posting. Roneka inquired about forming
subcommittees for reunion activities, food, etc. Jamie expressed
enthusiasm for this idea, citing their positive experience with committees in
another family reunion for better organization and involvement. Motonia emphasized the need to involve younger generations in the reunion planning and leadership for its long-term continuation. Betty Rhoe supported this, suggesting that younger members, who are more familiar with social media, should take the lead. In response to Betty Rhoe's suggestion of needing three secretaries (secretary, assistant, and second assistant), Jamie sought clarification on the responsibilities of each role. Betty Rhoe explained this structure, based on their church's practice, ensures coverage if one person is unavailable. Jamie stated that a recurring part of each meeting will be allowing elders to provide final thoughts, questions, concerns, or advice to close the meeting. Betty Rhoe and Carolyn Bowman offered comments and questions in this capacity. Jamie emphasized the importance of staying within assigned committees to maintain organization. They supported a structure where each committee focuses on its responsibilities and reports back to the family as a whole. Roneka inquired about Brittany potentially coordinating committees, with Brittany Stokes
expressing willingness. Brittany clarified that the "Activities" committee
would focus on engaging activities for all age groups during the reunion.
Brittany suggested that she and Roneka could handle social media management effectively, citing Brittany large follower base and their combined skills in content creation and marketing. They proposed being made admins of the reunion Facebook page to independently manage postings and maintain engagement. Jamie agreed to grant them admin access and affirmed that she and Motonia would no longer directly post, communicating only with Brittany and Roneka
regarding social media. Roneka suggested waiting to advertise subcommittee opportunities until the necessary subcommittees are
identified. Jamie agreed that subcommittee formation is further down the
line, emphasizing the immediate priorities of securing funds and a location for
the reunion. All meeting are AI note taking. Meeting questions before concluding the meeting. Frances Marks then closed the meeting with a prayer, thanking for the meeting and asking for guidance in
planning the family reunion.
Next Meeting
July 28, 2025 at 5pm