Marcy’s Musings 2023 High Desert Black History Celebration

IT WAS A FULL HOUSE AT THE 2023 HIGH DESERT BLACK CELEBRATION at Apple vVlley Town Hall Sunday Feb. 26. Organized by community leader Barbara James and presented by Jae Chanel and Off the Chain Alliance, and the High Desert Inland Valley News, the event featured live music, dancing, food trucks outside, a catered meal inside, local vendors, and tables representing local non-profit organizations. The Delta Kappa Gamma Sorority was out in full force in their eyecatching new red attire. NAACP Victor Valley Branch 1082 and NCNW (National Council of Negro Women) shared a table, displayed their banners, and spoke about the goals and accomplishments of each organization. Other participants included No Drugs America, Alpha Kappa Alpha interest group, Victor Valley College, and Encore Charter School. Local churches, restaurants, and other businesses also lent their support.

Awards were presented to seven local citizens, all of whom work tirelessly to make a difference in their communities. Their

Fieldtrip to Fort Irwin NTC

MARCH 11 MARKED THE DATE OF THE LONG AWAITED fieldtrip to the Fort Irwin Museum, now known as the “General Robert W. Cone National

Training Center and 11th ACR Heritage Center.” Organized by Pat Schoffstall from the Mojave River Valley Museum and led by Heritage Center Director Ken Drylie, the trip was attended by three MHS members (Dennis Hom, Carol Wiley and Marcy Taylor,) five Mojave River Valley Museum members, and one guest from Las Vegas. The entry into the base went like clockwork, as all attendees had completed and submitted background check paperwork in advance. Ken met us at 10:30 on the nose at the main gate, and we were off!

Like many of our recent fieldtrips to larger museums, we were overwhelmed with goals involve positive change in the areas of business, education, counseling, and spiritual growth. Bishop Reginald Randle, Apostle Rebecca Berry, Letitia Alexander, Elizabeth Kelly, Sir Duplechan, Lashalle Wiley, and Clarice Hankerson were the deserving recipients. NAACP members in attendance included LaKeisha Campbell, LaVern Scriven, Evelyn Glasper, Gloria Roberts, Maude Mitchell, and Marcy Taylor. more information than most of us could remember. The fast-talking docent with the photographic memory of names, places, and dates took us room to room, display to display, conflict to conflict, and around the world, loading us with information from the World War II era through the following decades. Some of the most interesting displays included six blue chairs salvaged (stolen?) from Saddam Hussein’s palace, costumed characters including a Middle Eastern soldier dressed as a woman, two steel beams from the World Trade Center, Vietnamese War and Iraqi Freedom exhibits, replica bunkers and meal kits, a sign warning against entering East

Thanks goes out to all of the individuals and organizations who participated, as well as all who attended. It was great to be back in full swing after a 3-year Covid break.

German territory 1 kilometer ahead, and a priceless vintage photo of the 11th Calvary parading on horseback and riding in horse-drawn wagons in front of the Smithsonian Institute building.

Thank you, Pat, for inviting MHS board members to join you on such an educational outing. We certainly value our partnership with the Mojave River Valley Museum.