Election 2026 Candidate Statements
OFFICERS
Augusta Ann “Gigi” Pines
Office sought: President
Scout ancestors: Joseph Phillips and Joe Remo
I have been a volunteer with SISCA for more than half of my life. I started volunteering when I was a teenager. Helping Miss Charles get the Carver School Grounds ready for Juneteenth and Seminole Days was something I always looked forward to. Through the years, I’ve held just about every position that is available. As president, I believe that it is my duty to help SISCA grow. When I was first elected president in 2013, I helped to make sure that SISCA’s paperwork was correctly submitted to the Secretary of State and that we were reinstated as a 501(c)13. In 2015, one of the biggest goals I had – opening the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts Museum – materialized. This year, we celebrated the museum’s eleventh anniversary. During my latest term, we received a grant that benefited both SISCA and La Casa of the Black Seminole Diaspora of Coahuila, Mexico, AC, our sister organization in Mexico. Because Miss Charles has always been an important figure and guiding force in my life, I was so happy that we were able to have her birthday (May 16) made a county holiday this year. I would like to initiate a reading program for children and adults to help them learn more about our history. I’ve dedicated my life to the cemetery, the Carver School, the history of the Black Seminoles and the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts, and I feel like I still owe my ancestors so much because I know that their sacrifices made our lives a little easier. I am forever grateful to them for the lives they led and the lessons they left behind. I hope that by doing the best that I can as president, that I inspire others the way that I have been.
Windy Goodloe
Office sought: Secretary
Scout ancestors: Joseph Phillips and Joe Remo
There are a number of things that have inspired me to become an officer or board member. SISCA has been a part of my life for my whole life. I had the privilege of watching Miss Charles, along with several friends and family members, work hard to clean the cemetery, prepare for our events, and govern this organization. The love that they had for keeping our history alive was very clear to me, and I wanted to be a part of it. For the past ten or so years, I’ve volunteered with SISCA. I’ve helped plan Juneteenth and Seminole Days, and I helped found the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts Museum, along with Augusta “Gigi” Pines and Rocio Gil. We recently had Miss Charles Emily Wilson Day (May 16) made a county holiday here in Kinney County. I want to help SISCA continue to grow and thrive. I would love to continue the projects that I have initiated such as our Afro-Seminole Creole Language Revitalization and our Monthly Zoom Presentations.
Corina T. Harrington
Office sought: Treasurer
Scout ancestors: Dallas Griner, William Miller, Isaac Payne, Caesar Payne, and Adam Payne
My inspiration to continue serving as an officer comes from my commitment to preserving and honoring the history, legacy, and contributions of the Seminole Indian Scouts and their descendants. Serving as an officer is more than holding a title, it is a responsibility to protect what previous generations worked so hard to preserve and to help ensure that this history and organization remain strong for the future. What I hope to help accomplish is to strengthen its foundation so that it can continue its work for many years to come. I would like to see us build stronger participation among our members, encourage younger generations to become involved, and develop a plan for future leadership and volunteers. A particular project I would like to initiate would be to focus on succession and volunteer development. Organizations such as ours depend heavily on volunteers and we need to be intentional about preparing the next generation to take on leadership responsibilities. The skills and interest I bring to help SISCA flourish are the many years of experience serving as a volunteer and Treasurer with knowledge of financial responsibility, experience in historical research, genealogy, cultural preservation, and organizing educational and cultural activities. My personal interest in Seminole history and the Negros Mascogos experience has also given me a strong appreciation for preserving our stories and making sure they are accurately passed on to future generations. Most importantly, I bring a willingness to serve that comes from my heart, and that is the reason I have been with our organization so many years. I am the founder of our nonprofit in Nacimiento Mexico, La Casa of the Black Seminole Diaspora of Coahuila Mexico, so that we may begin to work with each other like Miss Charles always wanted. She wanted to help Nacimiento and to have a connection with the Negros Mascogos, That is what I have been working on to accomplish aside from volunteering my time to SISCA. Thank You.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Bertha Benson
Scout ancestor: Adam Fay
I have observed how things have been done in the past and I see improvements have been made. We’ve come a long way; however, we’re not quite where we need to be. There is still more to be done, especially if we want to be on the path to becoming great, recognized, and taken seriously. I am putting myself out there to help in the next step of our journey. I hope to help SISCA build a broad enough foundation for the next generation to build upon. I hope to see representation of the Black Seminole Indians on a podium on the White House lawn talking about us, finally being recognized in these United States. I am particularly interested in the beautification of the complex. I’d like to see all buildings painted looking uniform, grass planted, paved area for parking, for example. What I bring to SISCA is the Black Seminole language, my membership in the Historical Commission, and my affiliation with the Whitehead Museum.
Renalda Bly
Scout ancestors: Bill Warrior and Carolino Warrior
I want to serve on the SISCA board because preserving our history and making sure the next generation knows where they come from are very important to me. Our cemetery is more than a place--it holds the stories, sacrifices, and legacy of our families. I would love to help SISCA grow its outreach, get younger family members more involved, and continue preserving and sharing our history. I'm especially interested in projects that document family stories, improve our online presence, and help with fundraising and grants for future preservation efforts. I bring strong research, organization, communication, and planning skills, but most importantly, I care deeply about our community and our history. I want to help SISCA continue to grow while making sure we never lose sight of why the organization exists in the first place.
Jerry Fay
Scout ancestors: Adam Fay
What has inspired me to become a board member is that I believe in the goals of SISCA to preserve our history, cemetery, and our school property for future generations. What I hope to help SISCA accomplish is strengthening the organization and to be a force in the local community and to help reach out beyond the community. The projects I would like to initiate are first and foremost to get grants to help restore the historic buildings and better the cemetery so that we may be able to use these buildings for more events. Also to get more funding from other sources. The skills I would bring to SISCA to help flourish are knowledge of working with many other nonprofits and volunteer groups and knowing the pros and cons of volunteer organizations, and knowing how to get people motivated.
Arthur “Arkie” Goodloe
Scout ancestors: Joe Remo and Joseph Phillips
I was born and raised in Brackettville, lived there until I was 19 years old. I always try to attend Juneteenth and Seminole Days. I am proud of my heritage and want to be of service.
Richard “Ricky” Goodloe
Scout ancestors: Joe Remo and Jospeh Phillips
I was born and raised in Brackett. I have grown up being part of SISCA events. I would like to see it grow more. I am retired now, live in San Angelo with my wife, and would like to be a part of it. It is important that we all work together to make it what our previous ancestors made it. There is a lot of history in Brackettville, especially at the Carver School and Seminole Cemetery
Sterling “Smiley” Goodloe
Scout ancestors: Joe Remo and Joseph Phillips
I’ve always wanted to be more involved with SISCA. Since I retired last year, I now have more time. I have always worked alongside my sister Augusta “Gigi” Pines for each event, helping her set up and clean up afterward. I do this because we both grew up helping Miss Charles prepare for events. I was fortunate enough to see how hard Miss Charles worked to get ready for Juneteenth and Seminole Days, and without holding a position, I have always happily volunteered. I also learned a lot from Mr. Warrior. I’ve always wanted to see SISCA grow, and as a board member, I would serve with pride. Because I’ve spent so much of my time at the Carver School before, during, and after events, there are several improvements that I would like to see implemented there. The skills and interests that I bring to SISCA that would help it flourish are my communication and organization skills.