Mayoral Aide Shenell Ford joins with students from Rebecca Johnson Elementary School for a community read along in celebration of Black History Month

Ford stated, “It was a pleasure to join with the wonderful students in Mrs. Sears’s third grade class and read to them one of Mayor Sarno’s favorite books, A Homerun for Bunny.  The book is about a true Springfield story about the American Legion Post 21 baseball team that stood up in solidarity for one of their teammates, Ernest ‘Bunny’ Taliaferro, who was African-American and experienced racial prejudice in North Carolina while the team was playing in a baseball tournament in 1934.  On that day in 1934, the entire team stood in support of their teammate, ‘Bunny’, and took a stand for equality, loyalty, sportsmanship and friendship.  I want to thank Principal Sutton, Mrs. Sears and all the students, staff and teachers at Rebecca M. Johnson for inviting me to read to the students on behalf of Mayor Sarno and celebrate Black History Month.  The students are our future and it was so nice to spend some quality time with them.”