Ebony Awakening Celebrates Black History Month Event at the Clearwater Community Volunteers Center

CLEARWATER, USA, 2020-Feb-21 — /EPR Network/ — On February 16^th, the Clearwater Community Volunteers (CCV) Center was host to an event in honor of Black History Month. The event was organized by Ebony Awakening, a nonprofit organization that seeks to assist African American communities to exist in peace, safety, prosperity and happiness. Several speakers took to the podium, inspiring the audience with messages of revitalizing the African American communities in the Tampa Bay Area by tackling social ills such as illiteracy, drug addiction and crime.

“This event brought together many members of the community, including several people who ‘sat’ for equal rights during the famous sit-ins of the 1960’s, for a brief talk on the state of our communities.” said Michael Soltero, Manager of the CCV Center. “Bringing awareness of current problems in our neighborhoods is the first part of addressing them for a positive change.”

Milton James, who organized several protests and marches in the 60’s as part of the Civil Rights Movement, spoke at the event and told his story of how he created what was known colloquially as “buy-ins”. James detailed how he got several hundred African American college students to continuously shop for, but never buy, from a chain of shoe stores whose owner was discriminating in his hiring practices. His efforts in Atlanta resulted in those businesses practicing fair employment.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said in his now iconic “I have a Dream” speech addressing a crowd of millions at the Washington DC Mall in 1963, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’”

February, being Black History Month, has become a time of year when awareness of equal rights for all comes to the forefront. The first formal recognition of Black History Month by a Unites States President came with President Gerald Ford in 1976 where he stated “…seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

At the event in the CCV Center, Ebony Awakening encouraged other charities in attendance to form partnerships that will create a stronger community.

Soltero said, “The efforts of Ebony Awakening bring to life what Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard once wrote, ‘and when civil rights and personal rights are not immediately recognized and enforced, all justice has lost its point, which is the safeguarding of the individual in the society.’”

The CCV Center provides its facilities as a no-cost meeting space and event venue to volunteer organizations and non-profits like Ebony Awakening in an effort to promote the growth of community oriented groups.

About the Clearwater Community Volunteers:

The Clearwater Community Volunteers (CCV) has over 27 years of community service under their belt with over 150,000 families and children helped since their founding in 1992. Sponsored by the Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, they stay true to their reputation of helping others with their center located on the corner of Fort Harrison Avenue and Drew Street in downtown Clearwater.