This is the first in a series of articles in the Cherokee Scout about local residents in recognition of February being Black History Month in America.
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Dawn Colbert volunteers at the Texana Community Center, where she is a regular presence.
Texana – Every day when her 17-year-old son walks out the door, Dawn Colbert says a little prayer. She prays he keeps his mouth shut and remains calm if he encounters law enforcement officials.
“The fear of having law enforcement knock on my door and say, ‘Your son has been shot’ or ‘your son has been killed,’ ” Colbert said. “I try not to think about it.”
George Floyd’s murder last year emphasized those thoughts, even though she believes local cops are good.
“I looked at him, and I did not want him to have to experience that,” she said. “I can’t trust every law enforcement person is going to act how our law enforcement acts.”
Colbert also saw how her son and other black children in the community respond to the accused murder.
“We have been very fortunate to live in Murphy,” she said. “Because they were seeing it on TV, they were affected by it.”
Organizing support
She started talking with other moms – some white mothers of black children, and one who is Native American – about things they’ve experienced with their children as a support group. She said just talking in an environment with no judging has opened up a lot of perspectives.
They became Mothers Of Black and Brown Sons, or MOBBS, and have held two community events with local children. The idea is to get kids involved in the community and build a relationship with law enforcement.
“It’s taken off a little faster than I thought it would,” Colbert said.
Their first event, Take a Break, was an opportunity to provide families with tools for breaks from the possible frustration of schooling at home. Cherokee County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Joe Wood met the children and let them go inside his car, run the sirens and even run someone’s tag.
“They enjoyed that,” she said.
Each child received a gift bag with a Colors of the World coloring book, Colors of the World crayons and classic box of crayons.
The second event was a Halloween party at the Texana Community Center that about 30 kids attended. They planned to have more events around holidays, but as COVID-19 numbers increased, they’ve taken a step back from organizing gatherings. She’s hoping the vaccine makes things better so they can have an egg hunt for Easter, then another event for Juneteenth.
Although they focus on the Texana community, Colbert welcomes other moms and sons to also get involved.
“The more the merrier,” she said. “And the more diverse conversations, the better we learn.”
Growing up
Colbert’s dad, Jerry Colbert, was in the military. When he got out, he moved the family back to Texana, where he and his wife, Judy, grew up. Dawn Colbert was about 12 years old then, attending military school before entering Murphy Elementary School.
“It was a really big change for me,” she said.
Colbert went from a racially diverse middle school class, in which everyone was pretty much equal, to a school where she was the only student who looked like her in her class.
“That one thing affected me more than anything else,” she said. “I honestly think kids of military families are more open-minded to inclusion.”
She explained that as part of a military family, she had to learn how to live in other places and other countries. She never really experienced racism until she moved to Murphy. It wasn’t anything serious,
Colbert said, just the ways she was being treated by others.
It was the mid-1980s when Texana became her home, too. She said the community center was very active then, but soon things changed.
“I’m not quite sure what happened,” Colbert said. “All through high school, it wasn’t used at all.”
By the time she earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Fayetteville State University and returned home, neighbors had cleaned up the center, getting it back up and running.
She hopes MOBBS can continue to help Texana thrive. She wants the Juneteenth event to be a fundraiser for the community club.
Getting involved
Over the years, Colbert has done a lot in the community. She’s worked in mental health and helped people go back to school.
One day, Ann Miller Woodford asked if she was interested helping the organization she founded, One Dozen Who Care Inc. Colbert had known about the organization since the late ‘90s, and even worked with them while at Reach of Cherokee County Inc. However, she was never in a position to get involved with the organization until the opportunity arose a couple of years ago.
“It feels great to know she supports me,” Colbert said. “It’s nice to know you have people you can count on and lean on.”
She served One Dozen Who Care as a board member and board secretary, but recently had to take a step back.
“I do plan to help in the future as a volunteer,” she said. “Their mission to empower young women and women in general was the reason I wanted to help that organization. I think their mission is one we need in this area.”
Colbert thinks others should get involved because the community deserves it.
“I feel like our kids deserve for adults to come together,” she said.
She doesn’t want the community to be at odds with each other.
“I look at the young kids, and they get it,” Colbert said. “If we could think like they think, we would be great.”