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Edison State
Celebrates Black History Month
Keynote Address from Former Piqua School Teacher
The Diversity Committee at Edison State Community College is presenting
three special events to celebrate Black History Month. The events,
which focus on Unity, begin Wednesday, February 17 and conclude Monday,
February 29 with a keynote address from Mrs. Elizabeth “Liz” Stafford.
All events will be held on the Piqua campus and are free and open to
the community.
The first event is a viewing of the historical documentary, “Ties that
Bind: From Swastika to Jim Crow.” The one-hour documentary tells the
previously untold story of the many German Jewish professors who,
expelled from their homeland by the Nazis, found new lives and careers
at historically-black colleges and universities in the South. The
viewing will be held on Wednesday, February 17 at 12 p.m. in the
Robinson Theater with a brief discussion following.
The second event will feature Shane Carter Executive Director of the
Lincoln Community Center in Troy, Ohio, during a special town hall
discussion titled, “Reflection on Unity.”
Mr. Carter will speak to the value of acceptance and moving forward in
today’s quest for unity. Carter’s presentation will include excerpts
from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the relationship he had with
Piqua’s own, William McCulloch. Carter will provide ways in which the
ideas fostered by Martin Luther King, Jr. have helped shape his life.
The discussion will be held on Wednesday, February 24 at 12 p.m. in the
cafeteria.
The third and final event will be held Monday, February 29 from
5:30–7:30 p.m. and will begin with a social hour that includes
refreshments, followed by featured performances from African-American
and gospel dance groups, musicians, poetry readings, trivia, and a
special keynote address.
The keynote address titled “Unity for All People” will feature Mrs.
Elizabeth “Liz” Stafford, of Troy, Ohio. Mrs. Stafford, as she’s known
throughout the Miami Valley, has spent the majority of her career in
education. Although she is now a retired teacher, she has never stopped
giving back to her community.
She began her career as the first African–American female to teach
health and physical education, including swimming in the State of Ohio.
In 1977, she joined the teaching staff at Piqua’s Bennett Junior High
School where she taught eighth grade Language Arts and Social Studies
for 15 years. Outside of teaching, Mrs. Stafford’s passion for helping
youth led to founding a youth program called N.U.B.I.A. (New Union of
Blacks Improving America) and starting a clothing business, which she
used to help students with self-esteem issues.
Today, Mrs. Safford is a committed member and one of the founders of
New Life Baptist Church in Troy, Ohio. Her philosophy can be summed up
in one phrase, “If I can help one somebody, my life would not have been
in vain.”
The Diversity Committee at Edison State Community College is committed
to advancing the College’s academic mission and goals in the areas of
diversity, equality, inclusion and human rights by leading efforts to
define, assess, and cultivate diversity as both an institutional value
and an academic priority.
The Black History Month events are offered free of charge thanks to
sponsorships from Edison State Community College, Unity National Bank,
and U.S. Bank. For more information, contact Marva Archibald by calling
937-778-7908 or by emailing marchibald@edisonohio.edu.
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