-Ralph Ignatius Butler, Sr. (1915-2003)
Teacher, Ralph Butler with 4th, 5th, and 6th
grade classes, Banneker Elementary School, Hollywood Maryland, 1949
Unified Committee for Afro-American Contributions is excited to announce The Southern Maryland Equity in History Coalition Website, a valuable new online history resource UCAC partnered in creating! Please visit the link below and check it out for yourselves. You may see some familiar names and places!
https://www.equityinhistory.org/
This searchable website celebrating the diverse history of Southern Maryland was launched on May 1, 2024 at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The website will enable our community, students and teachers, and all those interested in accessing this rich and extensive history, including information on notable individuals, places to experience, events and institutions that interpret the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color. The website is aligned with the Maryland State Department of Education’s Social Studies Framework.
Southern Maryland History Coalition Mission: To connect and empower community-based organizations, and educational and public institutions throughout Southern Maryland to elevate access to the collective and multi-perspective history of the region.
UCAC partnered with NAACP #705 and the Lexington Park Library to present “Soul of Langston. The excellent performance by Daron P. Stewart, who embodied poet Langston Hughes, was enjoyed by young and old!
UCAC’s Annual Members meeting was held at Leonardtown Library on January 27, 2024. Guest speakers were Dr. Travis Parno, Director of Research & Collections at Historic St. Mary's City, Karl Pence of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, and representatives of the Quilts of Valor;
Current Board members were re-elected and a new member, Daryl Holland, was elected to the Board. Music was provided by Roy Johnson and friends.
The UCAC bus trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.on September 9 was a great success!
A generous grant from the Unified Committee for Afro-American contributions helped the Carol E. Parker Foundation send a group of Spring Ridge Middle School eighth graders to the Kennedy Center to experience an Alvin Ailey Dance Company performance, explore the upcoming Kennedy exhibit and enjoy fine dining at Tony & Joes Seafood Place, located in Washington, DC. on Saturday, 11 February 2023
Beatrice Wingate Ellis (1935-2023)
Loved, Appreciated and Admired Educator
Beatrice Wingate Ellis graduated from a Historically Black University, North Carolina Central during the era of segregation in 1957 and started her teaching career in St. Mary’s County Public Schools at Benjamin Banneker High School, the first high schools for African American students in St. Mary’s County. Two years later she transferred to George Washington Carver High School, the high school for African Americans in the southern part of the county and taught Business Education. During her years there, she was responsible for the success of many African American students.
Organizations around St. Mary's County created Bitmoji classrooms* to showcase local history resources and to encourage more visitation from our schools and community. Content aligns with 4th and 5th grade curriculum, but the Bitmoji pages have resources for students of all ages!
*A Bitmoji classroom is a virtual classroom where educators can deliver content to students in a fun and engaging way.
UCAC & NAACP volunteers worked with the Museum Division to develop sections on Drayden School, the UCAC monuments.
For more information, contact:
Adrianne” Dillahunt, Equity Assurance Coordinator for SMCPS
301-475-5511
Also, learn more about Elmer Brown Freedom Park
Marked 21 Historic Sites of African American in St. Mary's began in 1934.
Logged 175+ Oral Histories of African American life in St. Mary's County.
Created an Online Depository for African American Experiences.
Host the Annual African American Heritage Celebration Family Event in St. Mary's County.
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The United States is in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic. Opioids (including prescription opioids, heroin, and fentanyl) killed more than 33,000 people in 2015, more than any year on record. Nearly half of all opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid. Drug overdose deaths and opioid-involved deaths continue to increase in the United States. The majority of drug overdose deaths (more than six out of ten) involve an opioid. Since 1999, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids (including prescription opioids and heroin) quadrupled. From 2000 to 2015 more than half a million people died from drug overdoses. 91 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. We now know that overdoses from prescription opioids are a driving factor in the 15-year increase in opioid overdose deaths. The amount of prescription opioids sold to pharmacies, hospitals, and doctors’ offices nearly quadrupled from 1999 to 2010 yet there had not been an overall change in the amount of pain that Americans reported. Deaths from prescription opioids—drugs like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone—have more than quadrupled since 1999.
The CDC Community Health Improvement Navigator (CHI Navigator) is a website for people who lead or participate in CHI work within hospitals and health systems, public health agencies, and other community organizations. It is a one-stop-shop that offers community stakeholders expert-vetted tools and resources for:
St. Mary’s County Health Department promotes a healthy community by:
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