Black History Month gets its proper due

In Freeport, the Town of Hempstead, Hempstead and Uniondale, celebrations of Black History Month illuminated histories of Black heroes of the health and medical fields.

The Freeport celebration honored Michael Williams, appointed in 2020 to become Freeport’s first Black deputy police chief. The ceremony was held in person at the Freeport Recreation Center on Feb. 23.

Over at Town Hall, the Town of Hempstead arranged an extensive display in the lobby of the Nathan L.H. Bennett Pavilion. Because the national theme for this year’s Black History Month is Black Health and Wellness, the lobby was ringed with posters depicting Black men and women who broke racial barriers to succeed in the medical field, and developed pioneering techniques in blood storage and heart surgery.

One full table held literature and photos of Harriet Tubman, in honor of her 200th birthday. Though Tubman is best known as the “Black Moses” because she courageously led more than 70 slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad, she was also a nurse, soldier, and spy for the Union Army in the American Civil War. After the war, she settled in Auburn, NY, which became her base of advocating for woman suffrage as well as community health and wellness.

The town mounted a virtual Black History program on Friday evening, which was appropriately hosted by Senior Councilwoman Dorothy L. Goosby—not only because she is a Black civil rights icon in her own right, but because she is licensed by the State of New York as a certified nutritionist and dietician. She introduced keynote speaker Brian L. Harper M.D., the New York Institute of Technology’s Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and its chief medical officer.

Harper used visual aids to discuss the high rates of cancer in the U.S. Black community compared to other races and ethnicities, and how the disparity could be addressed. Then Councilwoman Goosby introduced a World War II hero, Major Nancy Leftenant-Colon, retired from the U.S. Army/Air Force Nurse Corps and the first woman president of the Tuskegee Airman.

Leftenant-Colon herself spoke on the video, age 101, thin and gray but with the force of personality that strengthened her against World War II-era racial bias to give distinguished service to her country.

Interspersed with powerful solos by singers and dancers were brief explications of each of the heroes in the posters, delivered by middle and high school students. Rheinai Bailey, Majestic International Pageant Queen for the Junior Division, started the talks by donning a wig cleverly imitative of Councilwoman Goosby’s hairstyle. She articulated aspects of Ms. Goosby’s civil rights achievements and life philosophy from behind a table displaying nutritious foods.

Kevan Abrahams, Nassau County legislator for Legislative District 1, also produced a virtual program, on Saturday, Feb. 26. U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer spoke for some time to express his appreciation and his promises for the Black community on Long Island.

Actor Kene Holliday helped host Abraham’s show; he is best known as Tyler Hudson on the mystery drama “Matlock” in the 1980s. With humor he guided the viewers from one segment of the show to another, commending Ketanji Brown Jackson, the Black woman nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Joe Biden, and then moving through an impressive roster of singers, dancers, facts about lesser-known figures like Yankees player No. 32, Elston Gene Howard, and citations of area Black educators and community activists. Long Island Historian Georgette Grier-Key gave out prizes for answers to trivia questions on Black history.

In Hempstead, at Kennedy Memorial Park, dancers, drummers, and village poet Ruth Roberson supplied the artistic component for a program that honored Latriecesa Branch, a North Babylon business owner, and Dr. Anthony Boutin, the President/Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer for NuHealth (Nassau University Medical Center).

Dr. Errol D. Toulon, Jr., became Suffolk County’s 67th Sheriff and the county’s first African American to be elected to a nonjudicial countywide office on January 1, 2018. He has more than 30 years of criminal justice experience. His doctorate in education supports his knowledgeable approaches to youth in the criminal justice system. He has launched multiple initiatives to address gangs, human trafficking, and many other aspects of crime reduction.

Life-sized figures of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Rosa Parks, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and former First Lady Michelle Obama smiled down from the stage, while posters of other Black champions reminded the audience of the tremendous contributions made by Black people to American life and culture.