During PAWS on Friday, Tullahoma High School students will be afforded the opportunity to delve deeper into Black History Month, including hearing from prominent locals who have had a tremendous impact on the community.
Pastor Elmore Torbert of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Tullahoma will open the 2022 Tullahoma Trailblazers Panel by sharing the origin story of how Black History Month came to be in February. He will then discuss the legislation that changed Black History Week to Black History Month.
Several additional speakers will be on hand to address students. Members of this year’s panel attended Davidson Academy, were among the first African Americans to integrate Tullahoma City Schools and have all witnessed and risen from the challenges of racial disparities in Tullahoma while also building the community.
This year’s Tullahoma Trailblazers Panel includes: J.T. Northcutt, Tullahoma’s first black alderman; Jackie Duncan, a former two-term legislator, Coffee County commissioner, historian and poet; J.C. Dunlap, an AEDC retiree and historian; Dr. Samuel Northcutt, engineering tech III at AEDC for National Aerospace Solutions; and Juanita Dunlap, an AEDC retiree and historian.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our students to hear from local leaders and learn more about the history from pioneers of this community as we celebrate Black History Month,” said THS Principal Jason Quick. “Each one of these trailblazers has had an amazing impact on Tullahoma, and we are so excited to have them be on hand to share their experiences, stories and messages with our students.”
The 2022 Tullahoma Trailblazer Panel gets underway at promptly 1:15 p.m. inside the THS auditorium. Members of the community are welcomed and encouraged to attend.
