A Snapshot of Asbury Park’s 20th Annual Black History Month Celebration
Honorees included the Cazzeek Brothers, Neptune's Rev Tommy D Miles and LB's Coach Donald C Covin
The Asbury Park community came together Wednesday at the Berkeley Oceanfront hotel in celebration of Black History Month.
“Cassandra and I were honored to once again plan the City’s Black History Month celebration,” Floyd said. “This year marks our 20th annual black history event. What a tremendous milestone! We would like to thank the Mayor, Council and City Manager for always recognizing the importance of this event to our community, as well as the Police Department for their support. We also would like to thank all of our sponsors, city employees, residents, and community leaders for attending our event and making it the success it was.”
The 20th annual event, which celebrates area residents who have made their mark, is organized by Leesha Floyd and Cassandra Dickerson, two long-running city employees who have been the driving force behind many city events, including the Mayor’s Rodeo for Recreation, the annual city clothing drive and distribution for the homeless population, and the annual Easter pageant and community Halloween event.
Among those honored were the Cazzeek Brothers, a group of 12 local men who pledged [as teenagers] not to fall victim to negative obstacles in their community. The original boys, now men, included Van Western, Byron Young Sr, Roger Wilson, Tyrone Smith, Neil Henderson Sr, Montgomery Wright, Kenneth Foster, Richard Suit, William Young Sr, Harry Hampton, Abdulsaleem Hasan, and Stewart Thomas.
“Truly humbling and grateful,” Young said in social media post. “Our brotherhood was honored during Black History Month for our efforts throughout years in our communities. My soul was fed as I entered the room being amongst great men and woman of my community and recognizing and honoring our true and living heroes. Ms Dickerson and Ms Floyd presented a class act; our ancestors’ legacies are still alive and growing.”
In 1982, the 14- to 17-year-olds named themselves the Cazzeeks, based on an edict of Class, Ability, Zeal, Zenith, Equality, Everlasting, Keen, and Strong. They vowed to inspire and uplift people within their community before setting about to establish, and subsequently achieve, long and short term goals that included policing their community, mentoring, providing scholarships for the community’s youth, refurbishing the then Prospect Avenue Courts, hosting basketball competitions, and annual cookouts, to name a few.
The fraternal, community-service brotherhood has since grown to include over 100 men residing across the nation, with seven of the original 12 still active.
Also honored was Rev. Tommy D Miles, a Neptune bred pastor who returned to serve his community after graduating from Kean University and studying at the New York Theological Seminary and the Eastern Theological Seminary School of Christian Ministry in Philadelphia. Miles, the pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church in Neptune, has served as chaplain at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, also in Neptune.
The celebration also recognized Long Branch educator and coach Donald C Covin, who returned to his alma mater after receiving a bachelor’s of science in industrial technology from Trenton State College and a master’s of art in urban education, administration and supervision from Jersey City State College.
“Throughout the community, Mr Covin is revered as a well-respected educator and humanitarian for his ability to connect with and act as a positive role model for all children,” Councilwoman Eileen Chapman said.
Covin, who served as an assistant principal at the Long Branch High School and principal of the middle school before retiring in 2012, coached not only football and basketball but also cross country and track and field. He led a number of girls’ track and field teams to state championships and, during the 1996-97 school year, led the Long Branch varsity boys basketball team to Group II title and subsequent participation in the Tournament of Champions semifinals.
“So honored to attend the City of Asbury Park’s 20th Annual Black History Celebration today,’ Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sylvia Sylvia Cioffi said in a social media post. “Special thank you to the dynamic duo, Leesha Floyd and Cassandra Dickerson for, once again, knocking it out of the park with today’s event. Ladies, nobody does it better when it comes to showing the love to Asbury Park.”
[Photos courtesy of Donna Royal Holland, Jessiemae Ricks, Erick Aguiar, John Napolitani, Teko Hammary, Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, and Sylvia Sylvia-Cioffi
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