BLACK
HISTORY
MONTH
Chuck McGhee continues to make a difference in the black community by raising funds for scholarships.
Civil Rights Movement Ve to Help Aspiring College BY MARGARET MILLER
The month of February has been recognized as Black History Month in America since 1970. Prior to that, beginning in 1926, only a week — the second week in February — was devoted to the study and the observance of Black history. Why the second week? The birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and Frederick Douglass (Feb. 14) were during that week. The purpose? To teach the neglected history of Black people in the public schools in the United States. In 1970, the observance was expanded from a week to Black History Month. During this month, emphasis continues to be placed on the people, places and things that Black people have contributed to the world. Local retired attorney Charles “Chuck” McGhee is a strong advocate of this observance. “Black History Month is an opportunity for young people to learn about the accomplishments
of people of color that did not manifest itself in our traditional history,“ McGhee said. In fact, the Birmingham, Alabama, native is a part of this history. He participated in many marches, sit-ins and other forms of civil disobedience during the 1960s. “I was personally involved with the demonstrations that Birmingham was known for because of fire hoses and dogs. I was among those arrested and jailed, but later released, because of lack of capacity in the jail,” said McGhee, a former Allstate manager. “In 1963, I lived in walking distance from the infamous 16th Street church bombing in Birmingham, where four young girls were killed. The bomb shook our house when it exploded. The girls who were tragically killed were students in the same school that I attended.” McGhee brings that same passionate fervor that he had in the civil rights struggle to helping minority students finance their college education. Each year, he devotes countless hours to helping organize a fundraiser, the ATC Golf Tournament, the proceeds from which go to the Allen Temple AME Church MLK JR. scholarships. For the past 20 years, the Canton resident has worked untiringly to see that those high school graduates in Cherokee County who are college-bound receive some financial assistance. Originally, this was the idea of the retired Allen Temple pastor, the Rev. Carl Moore Sr., who wanted to establish Golfers, from left, John Foster, and Walter Robinson with tournament organizer Chuck McGhee. Photo by Martha Hayden.
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AROUND WOODSTOCK | February 2021
