Dianne Caesar, one of the 50 women featured in the book, Jewels: 50 Phenomenal Black Women Over 50, gives credit to her aunts and mother for being known as “phenomenal”. Caesar said that they taught her how to be self-efficient, and proud of where she comes from.
“When it came to sending girls or boys to school in a family, girls always went first. My mother had a great education, considering the times that she was brought up in, but after she finished her options were limited. My mother is and was very intelligent, and with the help of aunts, helped shape me into the woman you see today.”
Caesar also has close ties with Winston-Salem State University.”I grew up at Winston-Salem State University campus. My house used to be where the Old Nursing Building is now,” Caesar said. “My roots are here.”
Caesar has been Executive Director of the Delta Arts Center for more than 10 years. She said that the picture was taken at the Delta Arts Center and that the exposure that she has received with her job has surpassed any expectations, and that it is a joy to go to a job that she loves everyday.
Caesar gave much of the credit for her being acknowledged in Jewels to her relationship with photographer Michael Cunningham, author of the best-seller book Crowns. When Caesar found out that Cunningham was seeking out women 60 and up, she jumped at the opportunity.
“This was my mark on the world, and my one attempt to be remembered in the future,” Caesar said.Caesar said that she hopes current and future generations pay attention to their elders and learn from them.
“Believe in your self,” she said. “Look to the lessons from the older generation and take care of your body because it is your temple.”