Kids hear about notable black Americans at Warren library tonight

WARREN

They sat before her on the floor in the children’s section at the public library, where she asked them to “put on their listening ears.”

“Thank you for coming,” said Madonna Chism Pinkard, a self-proclaimed history geek who also happens to be director of community relations for WFMJ/WBCB Television and an adjunct professor at Youngstown University.

She also has a show, Community Connection, which airs at 6:30 a.m. Sundays.

Thursday evening, however, her focus was on connecting with the past for the children who’d gathered in front of her. It was entertainment, yes, but they would also learn for Black History Month that there are many black people in the country’s storied past who overcame a lot of obstacles to make great contributions to society.

She started with a story from the childhood of astronaut Ronald McNair, who at age 35 died on the Space Shuttle Challenger when it exploded shortly after launch Jan. 28, 1986.

Read what she said about McNair and other notable black Americans who helped shape the nation in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.