Beaver Falls church prepares for annual Black History Month event
BEAVER FALLS – Members of Tabernacle Baptist Church will once again celebrate Black History Month with their 38th Annual Black History Month Speakers Symposium.
On Sunday, Todd Allen and Charles “Mick” Jones are the featured lecturers.
Founded in February 1985, the symposium was created by the late Clara Mae (Davis) Cox, one of the church’s former elders. “It was Mrs. Cox’s way of ensuring that our church membership properly gave homage to our ancestors during this special month,” said Linwood Alford Sr., the program's current administrator. Lonzie Cox Jr. continued administering the program until his death in September 2017.
Both Feb. 19 speakers stated they will deliver topics relevant to the African-American experience, specifically, how Blacks have managed to overcome insurmountable odds in the past 400 years ― starting with the notorious American Slave Trade.
Allen, who has a doctorate in philosophy, speech communication and rhetoric, is a Beaver Falls native and holds a position as vice president for diversity affairs at Messiah University, a private Christian institution in Mechanicsburg, Pa. He also is a former Geneva College professor.
In this senior leadership role, Allen said he “provides attention to institution-wide policies and practices that promote inclusive excellence through diversity across university channels.”
In the past 22 years, he has worked as a founder of the Common Ground Project, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching the history of the Civil Rights Movement.
In partnership with the PNC Foundation, Allen has led the "Returning to the Roots of Civil Rights" bus tour. “This initiative allows folks from throughout the nation to travel and experience many of the key Southern cities, critical to the Civil Rights success story,” he said.
“We also engage many of the still-living veterans of this historic struggle for freedom and to learn first-hand about the transformative power of civic engagement,” Allen said.
After graduating from Beaver Falls High School in 1987, Allen earned a bachelor’s degree from Geneva College and a master’s degree from the University of Akron. His Ph.D. was obtained from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh.
After graduating from Lincoln High School in Ellwood City in 1984, Charles “Mick” Jones set his sights on a path toward public administration and law enforcement.
He’s now city manager for the City of Beaver Falls, a title he has held for the past seven years.
Prior to his current role, Jones joined the city’s police department in 1994. While in that position he served as a captain, sergeant and K-9 handler during his 14-year stint, prior to being appointed police chief in 2008.
In that appointment, he became Beaver Falls’ first African-American police chief, a job he relished until taking his current position in 2016.
In addition to his experience having enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, Jones served in the Air Force Security Police Unit and Air Force Reserves from 1991-95.
He’s also a graduate of the Officers Training Academy and the Pennsylvania Deputy Sheriff’s Training Program in Carlisle, Pa.
In October 2011, Jones was selected by the Pittsburgh FBI field office and graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., in December 2011.
Jones has an associate’s degree from the Community College of Beaver County in criminal justice/police technology.
He also earned a bachelor’s of science and master’s degrees in organizational leadership ― both from Geneva College.
The Black History Speakers Symposium is scheduled for 3 p.m., at Tabernacle Baptist Church, 630 Third Ave., Beaver Falls. For more information, call 724-843-6319 or 724-847-0877.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Tabernacle Baptist Church hosts annual Black History Month Speakers Symposium
