On Saturday, March 2, a celebration honoring Claudette Colvin, an icon of the American Civil Rights Movement, will occur at St. Helena’s. Several distinguished speakers and public officials will be in attendance as well as representatives from Interfaith communities, the United Nations, and African Union affiliations. The event will be held from 11AM – 2PM. Following a networking session, ceremonies will begin promptly at 12PM. Ms. Colvin, who has lived in Parkchester since 1957, will be in attendance. On March 2, 1955, the American Civil Rights Movement was accelerated through the singular act of a courageous 15-year old girl. Claudette Colvin was the first person to stand up for her Constitutional Rights and not give up her seat to a white person on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This happened 9 months before Rosa Parks, whose arrest on December 1, is widely taught in schools worldwide. It was Claudette Colvin’s actions that changed the status quo, that grabbed the attention of the NAACP in Alabama, and that kickstarted the timeline that followed. Ms. Colvin is historically credited with “accelerating the change in the plight of colored people” and it was her lawsuit, Browder v. Gayle, that went up to the Supreme Court and changed the law. In 1957, unable to get a job and branded a troublemaker, Claudette. Colvin moved to Parkchester in the Bronx where she still lives today. In 2009, she retired from her career as a nurse’s aide and has recently limited her public appearances due to some health-related issues. In 2015, Mayor Bill de Blasio enacted an enduring Proclamation commemorating every March 2 as Claudette Colvin Day in the City of New York. Jose Rivera, Assemblyman from District 78 in the Bronx, has written a Resolution to henceforth make March 2nd Claudette Colvin Day in the State of New York.
OMARA SANTIAGO IS RACING AGAINST CANCER AND INVITES YOU TO JOIN HER. The First Annual Bay Plaza 5K Run-Walk to benefit Cancer Research and programs at the American Cancer Society of the Bronx will take place on Sunday, March 31: Registration begins at 8AM; The Start time is 9AM. You can either register to participate in the event yourself and raise money for cancer research or you can support St. Helena’s very own Omara Santiago (ID 448475) who is running to honor her mother Carmen Hernandez, who is a breast cancer survivor. The race will begin at the Bay Plaza Mall. To register or to donate for a particular runner such as Omara, go to: www.ACSDetermination.org/BayPlaza5K
Boy Scouts of America has officially launched their Scouts BSA program, offering girls ages 11 to 17 years old the opportunity to join all-girl troops. The parent organization name will remain the Boy Scouts of America and the Cub Scouts program will keep its title as well. Scouts BSA and Boy Scout troops will have common characteristics, but they will remain separate and will not be co-ed units, according to a release. To maintain the benefits of a single-gender scouting model, each separate troop will have their own Scoutmaster, patrols, and youth leadership tracks. Troops will share some resources for families for the sake of convenience, but they are in fact separate troops, according to BSA officials. The new girl's scout handbook, which came out last week is the exact same handbook; it's just changed to where you see girls in the pictures. St. Helena has had a traditional Girl Scout Troop in the past and has had an active Boy Scout Troop for 66 years. We are now looking to see if there is any interest in forming a girl's Scouts BSA troop or pact. To do so, we need females over the age of 21 who would be interested in being trained as leaders. If you are interested, please call the rectory at 718-892-3232 and leave your contact information.
The Knights of Columbus is the largest Catholic men's fraternal organization in the world. Membership in the Knights is NOW available to most Catholic Men through our NEW Online Membership. If you are a Catholic Man at least 18 years of age and would like access to the Membership Benefits available to you and your family, go to kinghts.net or KofC.org/JoinUs to become an Online Member. For questions, call 914-420-6836 or Email: [email protected].