February is Black History Month, and the Mount Vernon Rosenwald School Project Committee is hosting programs that begin this week and will continue through mid-March with local historian Rudolph Young.

For anyone not familiar, let us bring you up to speed. There was an effort begun several years ago to restore the Rosenwald school at Mt. Vernon (near Iron Station). Encouraged by the renovation of the former Oaklawn School, black community leaders including Ola Mae Foster wanted to see the Mt. Vernon School, which had been turned into a church fellowship building, restored to what it had been (architecturally) in the early 20th Century.

Recently, it appears that funds may be sought from sources that may help to fund the project, and a committee was formed to advance that idea.

Young, who lives nearby, has written multiple historical papers.

The committee invited him to present three Black History programs that concentrate on local black history. The first of those will be this Wednesday: "Confederates in the Blood-Line of African-Americans."

On Wednesday March 9th, he'll talk about what he calls 'Magnolia History,'about African-American families in eastern Lincoln County.

In the third program on Wednesday March 16th, he'll discuss the Great Migration, and tell about how for some black families, it stopped in Vale instead of making the trip to northern cities.

The programs will be presented at 3 PM at the former Mt. Vernon School, now an activity building for Mt. Vernon Church, located on Mt. Vernon Church Road between the NC27 & NC73 intersection and Iron Station.

The programs will be recorded and available on YouTube.