Pictured above are for members of the Ponder family member: (left to right) Reginald Ponder, Alvina Ponder, Sharon Ponder and Erik Ponder.  Also pictured above is Carrie Ponder, their mother.

by Dan Perkins

A filmmaker knows that he or she has done “a good thing” when the credits roll, the lights come up, the audience applauds enthusiastically and begins asking when and where they can purchase home copies of the film.

That’s precisely what happened at the second screening of the documentary, ONE ORDINARY WOMAN, ONE EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY, which took place on the last Sunday of the 2006 Black Harvest Festival of Film and Video in Chicago.

The documentary tells the story of Carrie Ponder, an African American woman, who single-handedly raised eight highly-accomplished children while living in some of Chicago’s toughest Southside neighborhoods. 

The last screening of the documentary was scheduled late enough in the day for most people who go to church on Sunday to attend services and enjoy an early supper.  Fortunately for those audience members who didn’t get enough of the Good Word in church, the documentary packed an extra serving of inspirational messages.

Tracie Dean Ponder, the director of the documentary, tells the story of her mother in eight chapters. Her siblings, along with other relatives and family friends, provide poignant and often funny accounts of life with their mother.  The most powerful stories, however, are told by Carrie Ponder herself.  She is the clear star of the documentary, not just its subject.

Tracie Dean succeeded in capturing her mother at various moments, discussing memorable moments from her remarkable life with clarity and focus.

What makes Mother Ponder such a noteworthy person is not only the fact that she raised eight seemingly-well adjusted and well-educated children under the most trying of circumstances, but that she succeeded while enduring all of the emotional highs and lows of a tumultuous life. 

Despite all of the difficulties in her life, the spirit of Carrie Ponder clearly shines through in this documentary.  Tracie Dean aptly captured the sheer the force of her mother's personality, her humor, wit, steely resolve and her sense of fairness.

The Good Book commands believers to honor their mothers and their fathers.  Tracie Dean and with her siblings clearly do that - not in response to the Biblical mandate, but out of genuine love and respect for the woman who gave them abiding hope in moments of despair; inner wealth in the midst of outer poverty; and bright futures despite a difficult past.

Such fortitude did not come easily, nor did it begin with Mother Ponder. In the documentary, Carrie Ponder credits her grandmother from many of the values and perspectives that enabled her to weather great difficulties.

Carrie Ponder's achievements dispel the all too prevalent notion that to be poor and black is to live life without hope, education or ambition.  She disproved that lie with each of her eight children.

Following the second screening of the documentary, four of the Ponder siblings entertained questions from the audience.  The four, shown in the graphic at the top of this article, Reginald, Alvina, Sharon and Erik, represented Tracie Dean, who had prior commitments in Los Angeles.

During the post screening session, Sharon Ponder told the audience that her mother believed in taking advantage of available resources.

She also stated that she would like for her sister’s documentary to serve as a source of hope for families facing hardships.  “I think the film will help to provide hope for parents, especially those that feel disconnected and disenfranchised, and feel there is no assistance or resources available to them,” explained Sharon Ponder who said her mother actively sought help from their church.  “We lived next door to a church (Hartzel United Methodist Church) and many times, church members would put together (holiday) baskets for us,” she continued.

But the church was more than a source of holiday meals; it was also a place where the Ponder children had access to reading programs and Bible school.  “We had different outlets,” said Sharon Ponder, “but we also had people who gave us a very good outlooks.”

The four Ponders freely shared their joy, love and positive outlooks with the Black Harvest Festival audience and proved that the fruit born of Carrie Ponder did not fall far from the tree.

The End