Malia Riggs
Elmore Autauga News
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The City of Prattville celebrated the 23rd annual Black History Program commemorating Black History Month at the Doster Memorial Community Center, where over 300 people attended the standing room only celebration Friday night.
The program consisted of numerous local black artists showcasing their work, songs from the Autauga County MLK Choir, African dances, history and more. Scholarship winners of prominent high school young adults were also awarded Friday night, with over 15 scholarships from various local chapters and organizations awarded to black youth seeking higher education after high school.
Guest speaker, and Prattville native, Ricardo Bates gave a compelling and inspiring speech during the program where his love and respect for Prattville shone bright throughout Doster Memorial.
Bates attributed his success to the village that raised him, from his family, coaches and the community that shaped him. Now Bates is a prominent film maker, entrepreneur in starting his own multimedia company, and currently an assistant principal in Richmond, Texas.
“I didn’t come here to motivate anybody, this is a call to action. I see it on the daily, kids are lost. The only thing that they see are ball players, entertainers or rappers and aspire to be that. But for every Lebron James or Steph Curry, you have millions of black kids that will never be that. That’s the reality. We need to get involved in the lives of the young black men and women,” Bates said.
Bates stated that kids that make the honor roll need to be celebrated. Kids that are excited about film, the arts, engineering or medicine need to be celebrated, and celebrated just as much as athletics.
Throughout his talk, Bates referred to his family and experiences within the Prattville community that shaped his journey to where he is now.
“I was supposed to be dead or in jail by the time I was 21. I’ve never seen the inside of a jail cell and I’m 35. God saw fit to not only give me one, but two degrees, to have a media production company where I now pay people; to not only have one, but three films on Amazon and PBS. I’m here standing strong no matter the circumstances, no matter the condition. That’s not the conclusion, when God has the final say,” Bates said.
Bates recalled memories as a child with his grandmother, who was present Saturday night. He said she would tell him about growing up in Prattville, in times of segregation.
“We’re on the shoulders of giants,” Bates said in reference to his family and influential people in his life that paved the path for today.
“They keep trying to kill us and we continue to rise. I know I’ll be ok because of my grandmother’s prayers. I know what hard work looks like because I saw it on the daily with my mom. I carry that eight-year-old boy with me that used to walk to practice, get tired for what? I don’t want to hear excuses,” Bates said.
Behind the scenes to make this event happen, the city of Prattville Black History Program Committee members Latricia Gardner, Princess Harper, Sacha SMith, Cassandra E. Morris, Sandra Hill and Yolanda Thomas orchestrated the event Friday evening, in conjunction with the City of Prattville.
In attendance was Mayor Bill Gillespie, Council Elect Michael Whaley, Larry Stoudemire among other elected officials of the City of Prattville.
