Black History Month is underway in the city of Brookhaven with tributes to trailblazing Black residents, artists, business owners, and leaders.
Brookhaven is steeped in Black history. Established in the early 1930s, Lynwood Park was the first predominantly Black subdivision in DeKalb County. Following years of discrimination and segregation, in 1968, a group of students known as the Lynwood Trailblazers entered the previously segregated DeKalb County School System.
Lynwood Community Center was once Lynwood Park Elementary and High School, home of the Lynwood Rattlers.
For more than 40 years, Lynwood Park Community Day has been held annually in May. It’s a community celebration of Lynwood’s history that brings together current and former residents of the historic neighborhood. In October 2020, the City of Brookhaven issued its first historical designation for Lynwood Park.
“Lynwood Park stands as a beacon of resilience and pride, marking the birthplace of DeKalb County’s first black neighborhood,” said Brookhaven Council Member John Funny.
Events celebrating Black History Month include a brunch hosted by Lynwood Park Foundation on Saturday, Feb. 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Lynwood Community Center, 3360 Osborne Road. The theme is “Music Through the Years.” Tickets are $25.
Cross Keys High School students will visit historic Lynwood Park on Feb. 27 to learn about the historic relevance of the neighborhood. This will be the second year that students are connecting with Lynwood Park Trailblazers to hear about their experiences, contributions, and legacies. The students will join the Lynwood Rattlers basketball players for a friendly match.
Explore Brookhaven is promoting Black-owned restaurants on from Sublime Donuts to Che Butter Jonez.
The neighborhood’s “rich history is a powerful reminder of a community that not only built a neighborhood but also laid the foundation for future generations to thrive here in the City of Brookhaven and beyond with unity and strength,” Funny said.
Black History Month first originated as part of an initiative by writer and educator Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who launched Negro History Week in 1926. Woodson proclaimed that Negro History Week should always occur in the second week of February, between the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
Since 1976, every American president has proclaimed February as Black History Month. Today, other countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom also devote an entire month to celebrating Black history.
