HANFORD, CA -- As the month of Black History winds down to a close, Hanford, CA's King's County Black History Month Committee presented to a packed house in downtown Hanford's Civic Auditorium featuring keynote speaker, Jerome Avery, a track & field guide runner for the U.S. Paralympics since 2014.

Avery has guided world-class visually impaired sprinters and was a top runner at Lemoore High School, moving after high school to become one of the top 20 in the 2000 Olympic Trials.

Emceed by community activists and leaders Paula Massey and Joseph Anderson, the celebration included gospel song selections from army uniformed singers The Edwards Family; spoken word by Jayvon Wheeler; a host of awards were also presented to outstanding members of the community: The Kings County Black History Scholarship Awards presented $6,000.00 worth of scholarships to graduating students of color. Other awards included the Wanda Williams-Hinton Community Service Award, presented to dedicated members of the community who go above and beyond their job description or community action for a greater good.

Watch short clip of keynote speaker Jerome Avery:

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