It is hard to believe we kicked off the third Rock Financial Detroit Pistons’ Black History Tour. Each year it is harder and harder to choose a winner, the kids do an excellent job on presenting what Black History means to them. And I gotta say, we (the judges) love it.

On Tuesday, February 5 a group of us came together to listen and watch 5 students from 5 different Detroit high schools compete for a $1,000 scholarship and a Detroit Piston Fathead. We heard raps, poems, and essays. We had one young lady perform a dance to express what Black History meant to her.

The students have three minutes to present. We went back and forth for a while before we decided…it was not easy. The upside is that all of the participants receive a $100 Visa gift card for participating. No one goes home empty handed.

There are a few people that think the competition is just for African American students, but that is not true. We have had presenters from all backgrounds and races, and yes, we have had some winners that are not African American. This to me depicts the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr., celebrating our differences and respecting one another as equals.

There is always something new to learn and Patrick McInnis, Brian Stevenson and Rick Mahorn gave all of the students sound advice that I hope they will follow throughout their life. Thank you Patrick, Brian and Rick for an excellent job and for being a part 2008 Black History tour.

Watch out Romulus, we are headed your way on Thursday, February 14 to hear what you have to say…

Did you know? Black History Fact – Detroit inventor Elijah McCoy (1843-1923) invented the first practical automatic lubrication cup for steam engines. There were many lubricator cups, but McCoy’s was considered the best. Railroad engineers would refer to it as "the real McCoy". Wow, who knew…now that is the Real McCoy!

W Kemp
Community DIFF