Allyson Berry felt surrounded by love and support despite being in a room of strangers.
At a recent Spicy Ladies luncheon, Berry received a warm welcome of open arms, a champagne toast and cameras poised to snap photos.
During the luncheon, the tri-county social group that meets monthly at Glenview Country Club celebrated Berry’s election as Leesburg mayor.
Elsa Connor, co-chair of Spicy Ladies and resident of the Village of Piedmont, said the organization is a safe space for women to fellowship with each other, share information about their respective organizations and spend time together.
“Today, we are showing support to the honorable mayor of Leesburg, Allyson Berry, who recently became the first African-American woman elected into the role. Personally, she is kind of like family,” said Connor, who is a friend of Berry’s family.
“As an organization, we are proud to have here in our community and achieve great things with us,” she said. “We want to let her know that we support the work she’s doing 100% and let her know that we’ve got her back. That’s what this group is about. We are about supporting each other in our endeavors. This is a place you can come tell us who you are and what you’re trying to accomplish and be heard.”
With a clink of a drinking glass, the luncheon began with Connor welcoming the guest of honor.
Louise Berry, of the Village of Hemingway, said, as Allyson’s aunt, a Leesburg native and a member of Spicy Ladies, she felt immense pride while looking around the room as the luncheon got started.
“When my niece was running for office, some people in The Villages gave donations and showed their support,” Louise said. “I wanted to show my appreciation for what they did when she was running for office and introduce her because she hasn’t met some of these people. I was very proud (when it was announced she won). My husband and I helped work on her campaign and I felt like from the very beginning she was a winner in my heart. Even though she had a tough opponent, I felt I knew she would win.”
Louise brought a three-tier, chocolate, vanilla and red velvet cake and non-alcoholic champagne to toast to her niece’s success.
“Elsa and I are good friends,” Louise said. “She’s one of the first people I met when I moved to The Villages. When I told her about Allyson’s election win and that I wanted to do something, Elsa said let’s honor her at one of the Spicy Ladies luncheons. Allyson’s already a strong woman, but we want to make her stronger and help her know that she is appreciated. Whatever she wants to do in this life, she should just go after it.”
After a short biography on the Leesburg mayor was read, Connor read a proclamation from the Spicy Ladies in honor of Allyson and her “spicy pride.”
Hugging and taking a photo with Connor, Allyson said that was the first proclamation she had ever received and she wished she could start her day with the love and support the Spicy Ladies showed her.
She went on to explain that her political journey began in 2020 with concern for the state of the community she was raised in.
After moving back to Leesburg from Atlanta, Georgia, to help take care of her mom, Allyson said she would share her concerns with her family during virtual Zoom calls.
“People often ask me, ‘How did you get into politics?” But the truth is that it found me,” Allyson said. “I started sharing what I was seeing and the issues in the community that concerned me. The more I shared, the more my siblings started asking questions like, ‘What are you going to do about it?’ Those questions really pushed me.
“What started as concern turned into action and that turned into passion,” she said. “This pathway wasn’t particularly planned. For me, politics is about stepping up when others step back. I like to say I’m not a politician, I’m someone who cares.”
After Allyson’s speech, the cake was cut and passed to guests and the glasses were passed out to toast in Allyson’s honor.
With heads bowed and eyes closed, the room of more than 30 women were then led in a group prayer for the mayor’s freedom, security and peace by Ivory Gray, of Oxford.
Connor said the social club, which gathers for lunch at 11:30 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month, is an essential support system for some tri-county residents.
Joyce Spillers, of the Village of Calument Grove, said the support and community the group gets is what keeps her returning to the meetings month after month.
“I’m from New York City, where everyone tends to just get along,” Spillers said. “This group provides that for me. What I like about this organization is it is a social organization. You can see all these people and just enjoy each other’s company and have a good time.”
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
