The first weekend of Black History Month will encompass celebrations and honor successful African Americans from Taylor.
The day will start with the mural dedication for “the fastest man in the world,” Fred Kerley.
At 10 a.m. an event will be held at the Ford Ground Storage Tank, at 1601 N. Main Street, the site of the Fred Kerley mural. “I think it’s a wonderful thing page 1
that Taylor is doing for my son, and it’s well appreciated,” said Kerley’s father Rickey Kerley.
Kerley has become a decorated track athlete earning a gold medal at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in the 4x400-meter relay and a silver medal in the 100meter relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he ran a personal best 9.84 and was only four tenth of a second behind the gold medal winner.
Kerley added another gold medal to his resume at the 2022 World Championships in the 100-meter relay to further solidify himself as the fastest man in the world.
Councilman Gerald Anderson said this is a great opportunity for Taylor, and an inspiration to students following in Kerley’s footsteps.
“A lot of people are going to look up to Fred and are going to strive to be just as dominant if not more on the track because he proved that it is possible if you put the work in,” Anderson said.
Connecting excellence banquet
Later Saturday evening, a banquet hosted by the Dickey Museum and Multipurpose Center organization, will honor and recognize excellence in the local community. The Connecting Excellence in Business, Community & Education banquet will be held at 6 p.m. at Main Street Intermediate school.
“Black History Month is a celebration, but it is also a reminder that black history is American history, and black culture is American culture, and we should honor the trials of African-Americans,” said Jennifer Harris, board president. “Proceeds will go towards the reconstruction of a replica of the Dickey House.”
Although the event is a fundraiser to support building a replica of the home of Dr. James Lee Dickey, which burned to the ground in July, Harris said it is not just about money, the banquet has a deeper purpose.
“It’s about celebrating and recognizing the achievement of the African-American entrepreneurs in our community and bringing them to the forefront,” she said.
Two Entrepreneur of the Year Awards from the 2023 Connecting Excellence Cohort, an organization being created by Nakevia Miller, vice president of the Dickey Museum board, will be presented to black-owned businesses in the area.
“The core space is going to be listening sessions and storytelling sessions about their experience as entrepreneurs, just for the sole purpose of asking them how they want to be helped,” Miller said.
The banquet will also feature a soul food dinner, music and a vendor fair from 6 to 7 p.m.
Tickets are $15 each and $5 for ages six to 18. For more information, call Harris at 512-2966109.
