Last weekend, my husband, a few select friends, and I attended a black-tie dinner dance party like every Memorial Day weekend for the previous two decades. Who does that? The Club Twenty-One social group has been a part of a longstanding annual tradition for the last 20 years.
My husband belongs to Club Twenty-One, which originated in 1946, made up of 21 African American men who found themselves barred from local professional organizations and formed a social club to play cards, hold outings with their families, and promote the black presence in the community. Adopting a name similar to a popular and highly respected club in New York City (all good things happen in the Big Apple, don’t they?), they named themselves The Club Twenty-One, which also denotes the maximum membership at any time. Membership is by invitation only.
Only when someone dies or resigns is another person considered to join.
Here is a picture of the original members below:
Over the years, the close-knit group boasted stellar names in medicine, law, education, government, and the military as members – men who broke barriers in their respective professions, set precedents and lent their financial and moral support to the struggle for equality for minorities in the Harrisburg community. The club selected red and gold as its colors and chose a keystone to symbolize its relationship with the community. The inaugural dinner dance date was November 22, 1946, in the Woodland Hotel in Susquehanna Township.
In 1996, the Club Twenty-One celebrated its 50th anniversary with the annual black-tie gala and special community observances. The golden anniversary celebration boasted over 300 invitation-only guests.
Around the end of April every year, many people look to receive their formal invitation in the mail to attend the annual gala. So last weekend, the 21 members continued the tradition at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center with nearly 500 invitation-only guests of who’s who in the Harrisburg area. The evening always includes a formal sit-down dinner, usually a jazz band with dancing and socializing into the wee hours of the morning. It’s an unusual annual tradition, but I look forward to getting all “gussied up.”
What Memorial Day traditions do you observe? Do you attend any black-tie yearly events?
YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL!!! Papa Hargrove doesn’t look to shabby himself lol. How amazing and exclusive is this organization? It only makes sense Papa H would be a part of that! I hope you all enjoyed yourselves that night 🙂
Thank you Serena, we had a wonderful time. You and Channing need to attend one year, I think you would have fun.
You look Maaaavelous!
Terri, thank you for your kinds words!! You and Ben must attend next year.