Those with ties to the Randolph-connected communities (Piqua, Sidney and Troy) and the additional Ohio Black settlement of Longtown, near Greenville, celebrated Juneteenth two months ago.
The PROD sponsored initiative known as “NEWS OR LOSE: A Randolph Connected Communities Competition,” was created by Larry Hamilton to draw attention primarily to the areas of Black settlement in Ohio prior to the Civil War and the ongoing need for minority educators in Ohio Public School Districts.
This Oprah Winfrey-inspired game which was developed by Hamilton, a 30-year teacher at Piqua High School and longtime Black activist. It covered topic areas of Black history and current events from an Afrocentric orientation.
PROD, which stands for Promoting Recognition of Diversity, was the sponsoring non-profit that was founded in 1999 and has raised scholarship assistance for minority students particularly interested in returning to teach in the Upper Miami Valley or secondarily within the state of Ohio.
In the inaugural competition, Sidney and Greenville (Longtown) became the finalist that resulted in an overwhelming victory by the Yellow Jackets of Sidney, who were represented by team captain Thomas Clark, Rich Wallace, Brett Bickel, James Daniel, James Whitman, Raymond Daniel, and Nish Golden.
Sidney coupled its PROD scholarship winnings with that of an existing scholarship in honor of Sidney’s former Black mayor, and Randolph descendant, James Humphey. The Longtown Greenville group led by Shari Petersime awarded their winnings to the Black History program of assistant professor Jazma Sutton of Miami University.
The $3000 scholarship later awarded to Jayon Golden, who became the inaugural Randolph Connected Communities Scholarship award winner. She used the winnings to finish paying her tuition fees at Wright State University; she has already become employed at Sidney Middle School as a fifth grade Intervention Specialist.
Golden has expressed her appreciation of Hamilton and her gratitude to the PROD board members for their assistance to minority students in becoming employed as locally home-based educators in the Randolph-connected communities of Piqua, Sidney and Troy.
