Delaware County Celebrates Black History Month

Council Vice Chair Dr. Monica Taylor speaks to students
at Drexel Hill Middle School

Delaware County Council Vice Chair Dr. Monica Taylor spoke to students at Drexel Hill Middle School’s Black History Month Kick-Off Assembly on Feb. 3.

“African Americans and The Vote” is this year’s theme and was selected by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the founders of Black History Month. The theme is built around two important anniversaries — the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment, and the right of black men to vote after the Civil War, and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

Dr. Taylor spoke to the students about the leaders who paved the way and fought for equality and she encouraged the students to remind their family about the importance of exercising their right to vote. She shared with the students her grandmother’s stories about fighting for equality and the importance of democracy. “My grandmother was always a firm believer that one of the most important rights we have in this county is the right to vote,” Taylor told the students. She recounted stories of her grandmother growing up in the south and the struggles many African Americans and women had. “Just because people have the right to vote, doesn’t mean they always can vote,” explained Taylor.

Middle school students, Shaniya Rigby and Chloe Jackson presented an essay and poetry on black history and the democratic process and the Middle School Drill Team led a performance filled with inspirational quotes from African American leaders and icons.