SAN ANGELO, TX — Sherley Spears is a local business owner, community advocate and the founder of The Britt Institute, an educational, research and development organization dedicated to African American history in the western part of Texas.
The mission of the Britt Institute is to research and provide symposiums and workshops to inform and educate the general public about contributions of African Americans in the western Texas region.
I sat down with Spears to get details on The Britt Institute and the role she plays in moving The Institute forward.
Q: What motivated you to establish The Britt Institute?
Spears: I've always had an interest in Black History from the time I was very young. I guess growing up during the Civil Rights era helped to create that interest because I was experiencing so much of the movement.
Living here in San Angelo, and visiting various cities in the western region of Texas, I've become more knowledgeable about Black history in this region. But I couldn't find one source that contained the rich history, so I imagined The Britt Institute to record that history, and created a magazine, The Legacy Magazine, to share it with the public.
Q: What's in the content of the Legacy Magazine?
Spears: Each publication contains examples of great contributions made by Black people in those targeted regions, and trending topics including health, criminal justice, social and civic engagement, politics and, just about any subject that has a glaring impact on the Black community.
The magazine is published quarterly on the first day of the new month. It is distributed digitally on a publications platform. There is a small fee to receive the full version of the publication, and an additional fee for the printed version.
Q: What do you want to achieve with the Institute?
Spears: We want to inform and educate others about ancestors and people in general who made great strides in history despite the barriers that existed. We also want to create the legends of tomorrow and design events that help motivate the African American family to come to know their history.
Q: Who would you say is your target audience?
Spears: Our target audience is anyone who appreciates history, especially Black History. Our focus is on the larger cities in the west and their surrounding cities, i.e., Abilene, Amarillo, El Paso, Lubbock, Midland, Odessa and San Angelo.
Q: Do you have any events coming up?
Spears: Yes. The Britt Institute is hosting its first family conference, entitled The Family Gathering, on Aug. 10-11, at Fort Concho. There will be age appropriate workshops for youth ages 8 and above. Our special After Hours event takes place Friday evening, Aug. 10, and features internationally acclaimed Motivational Speaker and Author, Johnny Wimbrey.
There are so many activities for young and old on those two days including a visit to the San Angelo State Park, sponsored by the State Park. Our website has all the details.
In September and October, The Britt Institute will focus on the upcoming mid-term elections in November. The goal is to inform people about the various statewide candidates, hopefully hear from some of them, and register as many citizens to vote as possible.
Q: Who are your sponsors for the two-day event on August 10 and 11?
Spears: All American Chevrolet, San Angelo State Park, and Fort Concho.
Q: What is the website and email address for those who want to know more about the Britt Institute and your events?
The website is: sherleyspears.com Phone: 888-789-4711, and email: [email protected]
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