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Beloit leader honored at MLK Jr. event
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| Members of the Stateline Boys and Girls Club Spirit Squad perform a dance Saturday afternoon at the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration. The event, held at Blackhawk Technical College, celebrated the legacy of King’s dream to have a world where all people are created equal. Staff photo by Sara Siekierski |
By Sara Siekierski
ssiekierski@beloitdailynews.com
Community remembers the late Hugo Henry as a man who stood up for civil rights
If Martin Luther King Jr.'s spirit was with the large group of residents gathered to celebrate his legacy Saturday afternoon, he certainly had a big smile on his face.
Of that Karen Kennedy was certain as she looked out at the sea of attendees joined together at Blackhawk Technical College for one common purpose. The vice president of learning at Blackhawk Technical College kicked off the commemoration, which celebrated King's dream of a world where all people are created equal. Appropriately titled “Keeping the Dream Alive,” the commemoration brought together a diverse mix of local residents.
Kennedy began on a somber note, telling attendees there is “no way around the hurt that's in the community this year.”
“The economy continues to challenge us and our resolve,” Kennedy continued.
But if people continue to work together as a community, the greater Beloit and Janesville area will be strengthened, Kennedy said confidently.
Dozens of voices rang out in harmony during the singing of “Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black National Anthem.
The song was followed up with a special honoring of the late Hugo Henry, a prominent leader and educator in the Beloit community, who passed away last March.
Several of Henry's friends spoke of his legacy, especially his passion for helping the young people in the community. Henry was a retired social studies and history teacher, having been an educator for 34 years. He served on the Beloit City Council as well as several community groups.
“He'd leave one community meeting and move on to another one. That's how dedicated he was,” said friend Milton Brown.
Santo Carfora, a retired Janesville educator, met Henry while they were both taking a graduate African-American history course at UW-Whitewater. When they met, Henry asked Carfora why a white guy from Brooklyn, N.Y., was taking a course in African-American history. Their cordial relationship eventually evolved into a strong friendship, and the two educators held workshops to introduce their students to other cultures.
Henry embodied King's dream of trying to make a difference in the lives of young people, Carfora said. When the two men retired around the same time, they both pledged not to retire from life or King's dream.
John Odom, who went to high school and college with Henry, honored both Henry and King as men who stood up for civil rights.
“We remember Dr. King risked his life to stand up for civil rights, for justice, for equality, for fairness,” he said. “We honor people who stand up for civil rights like Hugo Henry.”
With only 6 percent of the nation's teachers being black and only 1 percent of those black and male, Odom questioned who will inspire the next generation of young people to become educators. Part of Henry's legacy, he noted, is to pass on that inspiration.
Awards were given out to prominent community leaders and volunteers. The Martin Luther King Service Award was given to both Carol Hendrix and Tom Evert. Hendrix, of Beloit, is a community volunteer who is actively involved with youth. She led the Beloit Community Choir on Saturday. She was very surprised to win the award and said she enjoys working with young people. Evert is the superintendent of the Janesville School District and has worked in public education for 38 years.
The YWCA Peace Award was given to Fred Shahlapour and Jaleh Dabiri of Janesville, while the Region 4 Civil Rights Scholarship Award was given to Katelyn Presti, a freshman at UW-Rock County.
If Martin Luther King Jr.'s spirit was with the large group of residents gathered to celebrate his legacy Saturday afternoon, he certainly had a big smile on his face.
Of that Karen Kennedy was certain as she looked out at the sea of attendees joined together at Blackhawk Technical College for one common purpose. The vice president of learning at Blackhawk Technical College kicked off the commemoration, which celebrated King's dream of a world where all people are created equal. Appropriately titled “Keeping the Dream Alive,” the commemoration brought together a diverse mix of local residents.
Kennedy began on a somber note, telling attendees there is “no way around the hurt that's in the community this year.”
“The economy continues to challenge us and our resolve,” Kennedy continued.
But if people continue to work together as a community, the greater Beloit and Janesville area will be strengthened, Kennedy said confidently.
Dozens of voices rang out in harmony during the singing of “Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black National Anthem.
The song was followed up with a special honoring of the late Hugo Henry, a prominent leader and educator in the Beloit community, who passed away last March.
Several of Henry's friends spoke of his legacy, especially his passion for helping the young people in the community. Henry was a retired social studies and history teacher, having been an educator for 34 years. He served on the Beloit City Council as well as several community groups.
“He'd leave one community meeting and move on to another one. That's how dedicated he was,” said friend Milton Brown.
Santo Carfora, a retired Janesville educator, met Henry while they were both taking a graduate African-American history course at UW-Whitewater. When they met, Henry asked Carfora why a white guy from Brooklyn, N.Y., was taking a course in African-American history. Their cordial relationship eventually evolved into a strong friendship, and the two educators held workshops to introduce their students to other cultures.
Henry embodied King's dream of trying to make a difference in the lives of young people, Carfora said. When the two men retired around the same time, they both pledged not to retire from life or King's dream.
John Odom, who went to high school and college with Henry, honored both Henry and King as men who stood up for civil rights.
“We remember Dr. King risked his life to stand up for civil rights, for justice, for equality, for fairness,” he said. “We honor people who stand up for civil rights like Hugo Henry.”
With only 6 percent of the nation's teachers being black and only 1 percent of those black and male, Odom questioned who will inspire the next generation of young people to become educators. Part of Henry's legacy, he noted, is to pass on that inspiration.
Awards were given out to prominent community leaders and volunteers. The Martin Luther King Service Award was given to both Carol Hendrix and Tom Evert. Hendrix, of Beloit, is a community volunteer who is actively involved with youth. She led the Beloit Community Choir on Saturday. She was very surprised to win the award and said she enjoys working with young people. Evert is the superintendent of the Janesville School District and has worked in public education for 38 years.
The YWCA Peace Award was given to Fred Shahlapour and Jaleh Dabiri of Janesville, while the Region 4 Civil Rights Scholarship Award was given to Katelyn Presti, a freshman at UW-Rock County.
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