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WARREN — Black Americans were spotlighted in Warren’s City Hall atrium Feb. 15, in spite of particularly harsh Michigan winter weather.
The celebration’s theme was African Americans’ contributions to labor in America. The event featured vendors and a slate of guest speakers accomplished in their fields, ranging from veterans to a firefighter to a teenage martial arts student.
Jackie Kelly-Smith, chair of the Democratic Black Caucus of Macomb County, was the master of ceremonies for the event. Warren Mayor Lori Stone kicked off the proceedings.
“Black History Month is a powerful reminder that the story of Black Americans is not just one of struggle, but one of resilience, innovation and contribution,” Stone said.
Stone mentioned A. Philip Randolph and Ella Baker as historic examples of the contributions Black Americans have made to the labor movement.
“Throughout history, African Americans have been at the forefront of labor movements, advocating for better wages, working conditions and civil rights for all workers,” she said.
Following Stone’s speech, R&B duo Love Struck performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Drummers led by Baba Shomari played throughout the event and featured dancers. Shomari spoke in favor of DEI initiatives and advocated for attendees to boycott larger businesses on Feb. 28.
At the center of the event were two generations of Tuskegee Airmen: Robert Tillman and Bill Welborne. Tillman was a major in the Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade, serving during the Vietnam War. Welborne was a chief master sergeant who joined the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1948.
“If it had not been for the Tuskegee Airmen, we’d all be speaking German,” Tillman said about the original group from World War II.
Tillman said the pilots had to overcome assumptions that they had inferior brains.
“It doesn’t matter what size it is, it’s what knowledge the brain has,” he said.
Tillman spoke to the importance of not putting restrictions on your dreams and encouraging the next generation to become pilots.
Welborne talked about the dwindling number of Tuskegee Airmen from the original group, citing the recent passing of Harry Stewart Jr. and Russell Nalle. He also discussed the injustice of the airmen who won the U.S. Air Force’s inaugural Fighter Gunnery Meet “Top Gun” in 1949 not getting recognized for their win until recently.
Former Detroit Tiger Ike Blessitt, who played for the team in 1972, spoke and praised the airmen. He stressed the need for role models in today’s world.
“They made me an honorary Tuskegee Airmen,” Blessitt said. “The difference between me and them is they flew planes, and I was on the ground swinging a baseball bat.”
Olu Jabari introduced Charles Caldwell, a 13-year-old internationally ranked martial arts student.
“He’s number two in the world,” Jabari said. “Not number two in the city, not the state, not national, he’s number two in the world.”
Caldwell did a Kata demonstration, which Jabari said was not a series of moves to hurt others, but to avoid conflict. The atrium fell silent as Caldwell went through the series of precise moves.
Following Caldwell’s demonstration, Warren’s mayor stepped up for a demonstration of her own. Stone, after a bit of instruction, broke through wooden boards with her fist.
Former Detroit Fire Department Operator Teresa Singleton spoke to her 27 years of service, her role as a union official and her work as president of the nonprofit Phoenix of the Detroit Fire Department in the community.
“I’m pretty visible in the community because I believe that young people have to see you to know that they can be you,” Singleton said.
She also works on recruiting young people to become firefighters through her nonprofit Project 100.
“I believe all that I have become I owe to those who came before me and those who are coming behind me,” Singleton said about her career.
Speaker Robyn Murphy discussed her role in recruiting commercial airline pilots for Endeavor Airlines. She highlighted the role the Tuskegee Airmen played in her career.
“Those who have gone before us have paved the way for me to be able to sit with you today,” Murphy said. “That same job has afforded me the opportunity to be on the board of directors for the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals.”
Murphy said there are currently less than 200 African American female pilots in the world and less than 4% of all the pilots in the United States are female. She added that African Americans pilots make up less than 10% of the aviation industry.
“If you know a young person that wants to be a pilot, because I found out in our community, we don’t even realize that is an opportunity, come see me,” Murphy said. “They make millions of dollars and that alone could change the trajectory of a family.”
President of Nail-Right Construction Company Kimle Nailer was the final speaker and discussed her work in the building industry. She also served as the president of the National Association of Black Women in Construction. She advocated for African Americans to get more involved in the building trades.
“We have to celebrate ourselves if we want the next generation to see us,” Nailer said.
