The first Saturday of Black History Month was celebrated in Aurora over the weekend at the Prisco Community Center as the Quad County Urban League hosted its annual Black History Month Pancake Breakfast.
The two-hour event, a scholarship fundraiser, was touted “as being more than a meal,” according to Theodia Gillespie, president and CEO of the Quad County Urban League.
“It’s an opportunity to celebrate Black history, uplift our students and invest in their future,” Gillespie noted in a press release.
Gillespie said the event is an opportunity to showcase the Tomorrow’s Scientists, Technicians and Managers program run by the Quad County Urban League.
According to the Quad County Urban League’s website, the program exposes minority middle and high school students to STEM and business fields while also offering tutoring sessions, field trips, supervised projects and summer programming.
“The biggest thing is to really showcase the program to the community – have them come out and really support this education program that’s kicking off Black History Month and to network with some of our community leaders,” she said of Saturday’s event. “It’s a great thing to hear about those who have been part of the program in past years and the benefits of the program for them. It really incorporates the leadership development of students involved in the program.”
Over the years, the breakfast has drawn anywhere from 100 to 200 people, organizers said.
Waubonsee Community College’s basketball team attended the event on Saturday “to showcase positive role models and images and leadership within the community,” Gillespie said.
Food preparation for the event was handled by the Urban League staff as well as some of the parents and past parents that have been involved in the educational program who donated their time, Gillespie said.
Melissa Oquendo of Oswego was helping prepare food and said she has worked in the kitchen the past five years at the event.
“I know this raises money for teens and I love being part of the Quad County Urban League, and helping these students and empowering them and seeing how it’s going to help them in the future,” she said. “I look forward to this every year, showing up and seeing them and how they light up getting the scholarship and how they feel supported.”
Denel Phinn, 18, of Aurora, was one of the many students at the breakfast.
“My future plans are to become a pastor and go into the ministry,” Phinn said. “To have this organized for us, it’s really special how much Quad County cares about its students and wants them to strive for excellence and become who they want to be in the world and pursue a career. It’s really special.”
Cynthia Bailey of Gilberts and her husband Ed said they came for the first time to the event.
“For me, anything to help kids for the future is important,” Cynthia Bailey said on Saturday. “We want to help them further ahead and have that advancement.”
“It’s important to support the next generation,” Ed Bailey added. “It’s exciting to see so many young people come together and family come together to support this particular cause.”
The morning concluded with an announcement from students in the Tomorrow’s Scientists, Technicians and Managers program who unveiled their student-created board game, Legacy Lane, according to a press release.
“Our game, Legacy Lane, was created by us to honor Black History Month,” said Kai Williamson, a student in the program, in the release. “This game helps players learn about real-life experiences faced by African Americans today. As players move through the board, they explore opportunities, face challenges and learn about teamwork to lead to success.”
The Legacy Lane game will be available for purchase on Juneteenth 2026, the release said.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
