Davie County Celebrates Black History Month

In 1976, President Carter officially recognized Black History Month, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”*

In celebration of those accomplishments, Davie County Senior Services and the Dorothy Graham family will co-sponsor the annual Black History Month program. This year’s program is  titled “1619 to 1865: Our Journeys, Our Songs.” 

Speaker, Alice Brown, and soloist, John Quincy Steele, Jr. will be headlining this year’s two-part event. Part one of the program will be a video that will be posted on Davie County Senior Services’ Facebook Page on Wednesday, February 10 at 3 p.m. This program will feature musical selections by Steele, who has lent his rich baritone voice to the Twin City Choristers for the past 22 years.

Part two of the program will be a parking lot event at Davie County Senior Services (278 Meroney St, Mocksville) on Wednesday, February 17 at 3 p.m. During this event, participants will remain in their cars and the program by Brown will be broadcast via the car radio. This event is open to the community of all ages.  Please contact Davie County Senior Services to reserve your space in the parking lot.

For more information or to register for the program, please contact Davie County Senior Services at 336-753-6230.

The Origins of Black History Month

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” established by noted historian Carter G. Woodson, prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland, and other prominent African Americans. They chose February to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history.*

*Information from the History Channel

Alice Brown and Kim Shuskey contributed to this article