In the name of Equality: Lowcountry honors Black History Month

By GEOFF ZIEZULEWICZ The Beaufort Gazette Bernie Wright has watched Black History Month evolve during his 57 years and remembers when the monthlong celebration of achievement in the black community was observed during more perilous times. In the middle of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Wright, now Penn Center's executive director, and countless others were so busy securing rights for future generations that honoring the black icons of America who came before them took a back seat. "There wasn't as much emphasis placed, because we had so many other issues to deal with," Wright said Monday. "There were sit-ins and demonstrations and more pressing matters." More than 30 years after the 1960s, a decade that marked the blossoming of the civil rights movement, Black History Month has evolved into a time for Americans across the country to learn and take pride in the black heroes of the past, who overcame countless adversities in the name of equality. Source: http://www.beaufortgazette.com/local_news/story/4508087p-4233665c.html