Schriever holds African-American Month kickoff breakfast

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Don Branum
  • 50th Space Wing Public Affairs
It was a central question the guest speaker for the African-American History Month kickoff breakfast asked the 150 people in attendance Feb. 1 at a dining facility here. 

“Can a neighborhood be a community? Absolutely,” said Dr. Jacqueline Taggart, a business professor at a community college in Colorado Springs, Colo. “But an even more important question is, does your neighborhood serve as a community?” 

The theme of African-American History Month 2006 is, “Celebrating community: A tribute to black fraternal, social and civic institutions.” 

“(The African-American community) is dynamic; it’s extremely large; it’s powerful; it has a variety of colors and shapes; it is one of the oldest in the United States; it has endured struggle and defeat but has also reveled in triumph,” Dr. Taggart said. 

The professor grew up in Northport, Ala., just north of Tuscaloosa. 

“Growing up there, I realized we come from a proud culture of people who are capable of doing anything we want to do,” she said. “Our community was poor but was built on a solid foundation.” 

The community center there lived up to its name as a center of the community. It was a kindergarten during the day, sometimes served as a medical center for children in the community and was an adult education center in the evening. 

“Our pastor was heavily involved in the community as well,” Dr. Taggart said. “The church was then and still is a very influential social institution.” 

When tragedy in the form of a terminal illness struck a mother of three, the entire community stepped forward to help. 

“Everyone was poor, but everyone gave a little,” she recalled. “When everyone gave a little, it added up. It added up to enough to take care of three small children.” 

Colorado Springs exhibited a strong sense of community when evacuees from New Orleans came to the city, Dr. Taggart said. They arrived with nothing, but with the help of residents and support from local organizations, many former New Orleans residents are now prosperous members of the Colorado Springs community. 

“Evacuees have houses that are now homes because we gave them furniture, but more importantly, because we gave them a helping hand,” she said. 

The professor encouraged members of the audience to join communities.
“Every person in this room has a unique set of skills and talents. When we gather everyone and pool their skills and talents ... much can be accomplished,” Dr. Taggart said. 

Col. John Hyten, 50th Space Wing commander, added a community to the examples Dr. Taggart had given. 

“In 1981, I joined a special community. It’s a community that I love a lot. It’s the U.S. Air Force,” he said.