'Homegrown Heroes' exhibit to honor Black alumni of Long Island high schools

Some students are struggling in school and losing their sense of history, and cellphones and social media are partly to blame, a 91-year-old Westbury resident says, but she's not about to give up on the next generations.

To help inspire youngsters to stay focused, Shirley Darkeh created "Homegrown Heroes of Long Island," a photo exhibit that recognizes 38 Black alumni of the region’s high schools who are working professionals making contributions to their fields or communities, some of which are outside New York State.

"And I felt that it was necessary for our young people to see African Americans who are successful, especially since the goal right now is to eradicate our history. And these young people are making history," Darkeh said.

She is the curator of the exhibit, which will be presented, along with a networking event and book showcase, at Adelphi University’s Performing Arts Center, 1 South Ave. in Garden City, on Saturday. The free program, which will be held from 3 to 8 p.m., is open to the public.

The "Homegrown Heroes" honorees include judges, attorneys, educators, doctors, social workers, entrepreneurs, a nurse, a choral director and others. The honorees, all of whom graduated from public or private Long Island high schools, were selected based on recommendations from community members, Darkeh said.

The honorees range in age from early 20s to early 60s, she said.

"Listen, I call them young because I’m 91," Darkeh said.

"Homegrown Heroes" is being presented in partnership with the 100 Black Men of Eastern New York Inc., Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce Inc. and African American Small Business Foundation Inc.

Baldwin resident Valencia Saint-Louis, a graduate of Baldwin High School and Adelphi University who was tapped by Darkeh to assist with setting up the program, was surprised to learn a few weeks ago that she was going to be among the honorees, she said.

"I really came in to help Mrs. Darkeh with the mission of this because I see, you know, she’s a lady who’s always promoting others ... who’s always wanting to promote our history, too," said Saint-Louis, an assistant program coordinator for in the Office of Pipeline Programs at Hofstra University’s Zucker School of Medicine. "So, for her to turn to me and say, ‘I want you to be one of the honorees,' it was amazing."

A longtime community advocate, Darkeh has held several roles, including as a past director of what was formerly called the African American Museum of Nassau County in Hempstead. (It was renamed the Julius and Joysetta Pearse African American Museum of Nassau County in 2021.)

Darkeh is also the former longtime host of "Community News and Views" on WHLI AM Radio, through which she amplified African American history and civic engagement.

By Tory N. Parrish

tory.parrish@newsday.comToryParrish1

Tory N. Parrish covers retail and small business for Newsday. She has worked at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y.