Bev Hammond: So much more than a secretary

Beverly Tipton Hammond is the administrative secretary for Ramsey County Commissioner Rena Moran.

Bev Hammond: So much more than a secretary

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Beverly Tipton Hammond is Ramsey County Commissioner Rena Moran’s Administrative Secretary. But that’s just one side of her rich and multifaceted life. Just a few weeks ago, Hammond was singing the national anthem in front of a crowd of 16,000 people at the Olympic Gymnastic Team Trials in Minneapolis.

Hammond says she is working to uphold the legacy of her remarkable family. 

Beverly Hammond's grandmother, Dr. Lucille Banks Robinson Miller (Photo courtesy of Beverly Hammond)

‘‘My grandmother, she was the first African American [gospel] disc jockey on the East Coast. And she ran it! I mean, it was very important to have her voice. For Christmas, she would gather toys and food for families and children. She had a music school. She had a huge choir - the Banks Seminary Choir - that my dad sang in when he was nine. He was a boy soprano." 

Hammond’s father, Tom Tipton, went on to build his own legacy.

‘’My dad was a politico. He was a close confidant and friend to Senator Hubert Humphrey. And worked with Hubert Humphrey when he was trying to run for president. He went around the country to help Senator Humphrey get the Black vote," Hammond recalled.

"The history and the legacy that is on me and my sisters is just something we try to carry on.’’

Beverly Hammond (right) with a friend and the Clinton family at the White House. (Photo courtesy of Bev Hammond)

The Olympic trial wasn’t Hammond’s first time in the spotlight - she also sang multiple times at the White House with her sisters during the Clinton administration.  Beverly has more than just a song in her heart  - she has faith in her soul. She credits God with all the amazing opportunities she’s had, including singing at the Olympics.

Bev Hammond singing the national anthem at the Olympic gymnastic trials at Target Center in Minneapolis in June.

‘’The executive director of Minnesota sports, who knew my dad and also knew I sang, just asked if I would be interested," she said. "It was that simple. It came out of nowhere. It was not something that I was looking for or would ever have expected to happen to me. But I wanted to share with people that when you have an assignment, God given assignment, God will equip you to do it. You don't even know how He equips you but he does. And so I get there like, Oh, my goodness, this is it! And I felt the mantles of my parents and my grandparents.’’ 

Like her grandmother and her father before her, Hammond is racking up accomplishments, including getting her masters degree in public health.

‘’So my dad - we moved here to be with him. Thank God he was here to see me walk across the stage and get my master's degree in public health. That was quite a day.  My focus for my master's degree was the public health of women in Mombasa, Kenya, because in Africa, there's so much disparity in public health. It was devastating to meet some of these women who didn't know so many things about their bodies and didn't have access to proper care. ‘’

Then, in 2018, Hammond co-founded an art gallery with her husband of sixteen years. It’s called Tipton Hammond Arts.

‘’We're doing a lot of art festivals. But we're focusing on taking our art to another level. We've been given an opportunity to do an exhibit for another artist's work - and it was unexpected - so it's an exciting opportunity. We're getting ready to get a 501(c)(3) status for Tipton Hammond Arts.  That's very important and exciting.” 

Hammond says she looks forward to hosting both art classes and dance classes in the gallery space. That’s right - Hammond is a dancer, too. 

(This story was reported as part of the Center for Broadcast Journalism's Summer Journalism Intensive, a training program for young aspiring reporters from diverse communities.)