City Schools of Decatur recently issued the following announcement.
Every February, the U.S. honors the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who have helped shape the nation. Black History Month celebrates the rich cultural heritage, triumphs, and adversities that are an indelible part of our country's history.
Forty years after the formal recognition of Black History Month, Barack Obama, the nation's first Black president, delivered a message from the White House in which he said, "Black History Month shouldn't be treated as though it is somehow separate from our collective American history or somehow just boiled down to a compilation of greatest hits from the March on Washington or from some of our sports heroes . . . It's about the lived, shared experience of all African Americans, high and low, famous and obscure, and how those experiences have shaped and challenged and ultimately strengthened America."
In support of Black History Month, CSD would like to share with our community the stories of the unsung Black American heroes who shape, challenge, and ultimately strengthen CSD. These are everyday people who make a difference in the lives of our staff and students through their personal qualities and efforts.
Our first staff highlight goes out to two individuals: District Registrar Patrice Moore and Oakhurst Paraprofessional Craig Morgan. Craig and Patrice are living examples of Black History in CSD.
"Patrice is our queen of customer service at the Wilson Center as she welcomes and enrolls all of our new families," Dr. Fehrman shared.
Craig’s principal, Tanisha Frazier shared, “Craig is a breath of fresh air to work with. He easily relates to the kids and they love him.”
Patrice and Craig are siblings who have worked for CSD for 11 and 13 years, respectively. Patrice shared the story of the “Four Portraits in Black” documentary that her family was a part of in 1974. The Morgan family was featured in the segment that focused on “white flight” in communities. The documentary is an important piece of history for her family of eight children and two parents and their move to a suburban neighborhood.
“Our parents sat us down and talked to us about entering school in our new neighborhood and how we would meet new people that didn’t look like us,” Patrice said. “Our parents were great about explaining what was going on around us especially when we started to see all the for sale signs pop up in our white neighbors’ yards.”
Thank you Patrice and Craig for sharing your family’s story and for allowing us to share it with our community.
Original source can be found here.
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