Black History Month photo montage courtesy of Maricopa Community College District. Top Row from left to right: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Thurgood Marshall, Dr. Mae Jemison. Bottom row from left to right: Nat King Cole, Rosa Parks, Barack Obama, Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, George Washington Carver.
Rose Treml, our first "in-person" speaker at our first "in-person" meeting in a long while.
Sycamore Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rose Treml gave a shout-out of “Happy New Year” to Rotarians at this week’s meeting and then gave an optimistic outlook of last year’s adaptation to COVID-19 challenges and hopes for a productive 2021. Declaring that Sycamore businesses are resilient, Treml noted how Upstaging adapted from an event staging company to a manufacturer of various types of counter and stand-alone shielding while Whiskey Acres turned out hand sanitizer. She also remarked on the big uptick in on-line sales. Restaurants faced many obstacles (Treml said she even took a call from a chamber member afraid she might be arrested for not specifically following COVID-19 directives from the state) but she said the chamber worked hard at keeping members informed of guidelines and best practices.
Espousing a “Here to Stay” mentality, Treml said the chamber created an annual meeting video featuring 2020 board president Rotarian Sally Bruch and incoming board president Samantha Slagle. Although some members dropped out, Treml said the more important proof of the chamber’s value was the addition of 38 new members as 2021 began. The chamber was even able to take videos created to promote events in 2020 and use them as a promise of things to come in 2021 such as: Cruise Night, Ribs-Rhythm-and Blues, Pumpkinfest, and Chocolate Walk. Treml said live in-person events are already being planned so STAY TUNED.
The February Student of the Month is Sycamore High School senior Chelsea Smith. Appearing via a video, Smith was introduced as a Math Team member, math tutor, and a core value video presenter for North Grove School. Last year she was named winner of a prestigious Bausch and Lomb Science Award. Academically, she ranks third in her class. Smith hopes to pursue a biochemistry major in college. She identified Opportunity House as the charity recipient for her Rotary check.
February 3, 1894 – American artist and illustrator Norman Rockwell is born in New York.
February 6, 1895 – Baseball legend George Herman “Babe” Ruth is born in Baltimore, Maryland.
February 6, 1911 – 40th U. S. President Ronald Reagan is born in Tampico, Illinois. His family soon moves to Dixon where Reagan spends his childhood and young adult years before embarking on a career as a broadcaster, actor and later, a politician.
January 31, 1919 – Baseball great Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in major league baseball when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, was born in Cairo, Georgia.
February 3, 1870 – The 15th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution is ratified guaranteeing the right of citizens to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
February 3, 1913 – The 16th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution is ratified granting Congress the authority to collect income taxes.
February 1, 1960 – In Greensboro, North Carolina, four African American students sat down and ordered coffee at a segregated lunch counter inside a Woolworth’s store. They were refused service but did not leave, instead they waited all day. The scene was repeated over the next few days with protests spreading to other southern states.
February 1, 2003 – Sixteen minutes before it was scheduled to land, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart over west Texas, killing all seven crew members.
Posted by Melissa Kelly, ThoughtCo. on Mar 08, 2017
The roots of Black History Month can be traced to the early part of the 20th century. In 1925, Carter G. Woodson, an educator and historian, began campaigning among schools, journals, and Black newspapers calling for a Negro History Week to be celebrated. This would honor the importance of the achievement and contributions of Black Americans in the United States. He was able to institute this Negro History Week in 1926 during the second week of February. This time was chosen because Abraham Lincoln's and Frederick Douglass' birthdays occurred in that month. Woodson was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP for his accomplishment. In 1976, Negro History Week turned into Black History Month which we celebrate today.
