Crystal Cauley - Part Two
"Grounded - A Mother's Love"
TITLE: Crystal Cauley – Part Two
AUTHOR: Crystal Cauley
PERMISSION: Fair use (Asheville Citizen-Times); permission to publish “Grounded – A Mother’s Love” granted by The Urban News
Crystal Cauley, a nonstop community champion in Hendersonville, North Carolina, was at the peak of her game in the early summe rof 2024. She was leading the preparations for a June 19 Juneteenth Celebration; she was clearing her way to run for the Henderson County Board of Education; and, according to her son as quoted in the Asheville Citizen-Times, she was planning “a July 27 celebration of Union Veteran Alexander ‘Alex’ Maxwell, to give the 40th U.S. Colored Infantry soldier a proper headstone marker.”[1]
But on June 14, Crystal’s father had a car accident. Four days later, he underwent heart surgery. [2]Two days after her father’s crash, and two days before her father’s successful surgery, Crystal Cauley collapsed in her bathroom and died at the age of 44 from a blood clot and hypertension.[3]
Following Crystal’s death, Ryley Ober of the Asheville Citizen-Times interviewed her son: "My mother was a great woman. She really enjoyed life and admired everything around her, no matter what it was, no matter how big or small it was…Once she got the ball rolling on something, she just never stopped. No matter what it was, she always kept going and didn’t let anything stand in her way."[4]
On June 26, 2024, the Hendersonville City Council appointed Crystal Cauley an honorary member of the Hendersonville Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee “in recognition of her tireless efforts promoting change and equality.”[5]
Crystal Cauley won two Wilma Dykeman Awards for Writers of Color. Her second award, presented to her by the Wilma Dykeman Legacy and by The Urban News, was for her article “Grounded – A Mother’s Love.”
Grounded – A Mother’s Love
The cost of ancestry tests on the market—and my budget—won’t allow me to open an envelope sharing the results indicating the “present day countries and tribes” I have roots with from a DNA swab.
The genesis of my lineage was forcefully uprooted from West Africa through being captured, enslaved,and countless exterminated. I learned how my mother, the late Marilyn Mills Cauley, creatively turned the potting processof plants into an outdoor history lesson. The oral stories of “back in the day” and Black Pride shoveled from one gardening pot to the next. I witnessed the strongest roots were not all broken; some remained deeply grounded.
This brilliant and talented maternal botanist would instruct me to study my genetic roots. The long days of sitting on the porch watching her work in colorful sundresses and sandals left us both mesmerized with her love of plants and being outdoors. My mother would always say, “Give me my flowers while I’m here on earth, I can’t smell them when I’m dead.”
Knowledge of root and plant anatomy is similar to enriching our lives with learning about our history. Roots of plants share similarity of how our brain absorbs learning. The root’s job is to anchor the above-ground part of the plant, giving it strength. The roots store food and absorb nutrients, helping with the photosynthesis process. Once the genealogy seed is planted in the younger generation, to have love for the rich history of our ancestors, great things begin to happen! When we know how strong our roots are, we can stand and hold ourselves even higher—similar to a strong stem needed to uplift a plant.
Repurposing the round terra cotta flower pots, transplanting the plants from the outside elements to indoor living spaces,was an annual tradition. The indoor aesthetic of our home was important to my mother, and using plants to utilize space was, too.
Marilyn would write poetic social justice in one subject and perforated personal notebooks. My mother did not keep the creative poetry of her creative masterpieces to herself. The variety of pots positioned appeared to fight for the best seat in the house. The audience included myself with massive green Elephant Ears, African Violets, Boston Ferns, Spider Plants, Begonias, and several air cleaning plants. The leaves of the plants stood out like human ears eager to listen to her words. The Philodendron Ivy hung around to listen while draping from the shelf to the floor.
Reminiscing, I know that I witnessed that the strongest roots were not all broken; some remained deeply grounded.
I am so very thankful that my mother intertwined her love for nature and my love for African history together. Creative writing, history, and plants are different, yet I find ways to keep my focus on learning important things—and that is the genius part of it.
[1] Ryley Ober, “Crystal Cauley, Hendersonville Black community activist, school board candidate dies,” Asheville Citizen-Times, 6/18/2024.
[2] Citizen-Times, 6/18/2024.
[3] Karen Chávez, “Crystal Cauley honored by City Council; funeral set, cause of death revealed,” Asheville Citizen-Times, 6/27/2024.
[4] Citizen-Times, 6/18/2024.
[5] Minutes, Second Monthly Meetings of the Hendersonville City Council, 6/26/2024.