One day in January 1989, a group of northwest suburban mothers got together to talk about how they could improve their children`s knowledge of history.
That`s not such an unusual undertaking for suburban parents who pay dearly in property taxes to ensure a good education for their kids.
In this case, however, the mothers were black, and their concern was teaching their children something they weren`t going to learn in the local public schools. They wanted to teach the children black history, to celebrate their heritage and to develop a sense of racial pride and identity.
``We want to take responsibility for what our children are missing,``
said Earline Barnes of Schaumburg, a teacher and a parent leader of the African American Heritage Association formed as a result of the meeting.
Living in an overwhelmingly white suburban area, the mothers also wanted to give their children an opportunity to meet and socialize with other black youths.
``It fills a big void,`` Barnes said. ``It keeps their morale high. The idea is to build self-esteem through cultural enrichment.``
The mothers organized a picnic several months later, and 17 families came from throughout the northwest suburbs. They agreed to pitch in financially to hire teachers and begin classes in the fall.
Since then, the association has grown to more than 40 families, including 60 youths in preschool through high school. Classes are held twice a month in the Schaumburg Township Hall.
In addition to learning about the history of Africa and blacks in America, the children are taught various crafts and take field trips. There are overnight retreats and observances of Kwanzaa, a seven-day tribute to black family and culture held around Christmas.
The association is one of several organizations formed recently by minorities in the suburbs to overcome feelings of isolation and tie community members together.
For example, new chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) were formed recently in Palatine and Glencoe to give blacks a unified voice in civic affairs.
The need for cultural education was underscored a few years ago when several mothers collaborated in decorating a bulletin board at a Schaumburg elementary school in honor of Black History Month (February). School officials objected when the women wanted to post the words to the black national anthem alongside other informative displays.
``The principal said that there was only one national anthem,`` said Jarnett Dill, another member of the African American Heritage Association.
``We respect the national anthem. We tried to explain that the black anthem is an uplifting song of black identity.``
When the principal disagreed, ``we left the song off,`` Dill said. ``It was no big deal.``