Join the Cultural Awareness Commission for a special celebration honoring Black History Month on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m. at Village Hall. This event will celebrate the tremendous contributions of great Black Americans throughout history.   

A special keynote address will be given by Chris Blackshear featuring African contributions in North America, Latin America, and South America. Not only is Blackshear a speaker, actor, software test engineer and musician, he is also a Distinguished Toastmaster, a Six Sigma Green Belt and played the leading role of Martin Luther King in “Last Night as King.”

This commemoration features entertainment by the Funk Brotherz and the Hoffman Estates Majorettes. Light refreshments will be served.

Black History Month is an outgrowth of Negro History Week, an event created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, an African-American scholar and historian. In 1976, the annual event was extended to last for one month, during which achievements of African-Americans are honored. Black History Month takes place in February to commemorate the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, a former slave, intellectual and abolitionist. 

The event is free, but reservations are required. Call Hallie Karle at 847-781-2606 or email Hallie.Karle@vohe.org to reserve a seat.