The first Black families of Tyler honored at the Black History Month Gala were given certificates for participating in the research project. The four families honored were the Brooks family, the Choice family, the Dean family and the Douglas family. (Raquel Villatoro/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Tyler resident Clara Brooks-Newberry, 78, was one of four recipients honored for their family’s legacy in building Tyler during the Black History Month Gala honoring the arts, community members and the first Black families in Tyler.

“It’s a special feeling that you get when you talk about and learn about your family history. It has been phenomenal,” Brooks-Newberry said at the gala held Friday night at Willow Brook Country Club.

The honorees were the Choice family, the Brooks family, the Douglas family and the Dean family. Each family was presented with a plaque which recognized their contributions to the community and the City of Tyler. They were also presented with certificates from the East Texas Genealogical Society.

“Your compassion, love, caring attitude, Black brilliance, and skills in the field of entrepreneurship are unmatched. Your ethics, mild temper, and your contributions are honored,” the plaque read.

In addition, awards and scholarships were given out to young Black students in the arts. Caldwell Arts Academy principal Bobby Markle handed out awards during the gala.

Joslyn Swinney, a dance student at the University of Oklahoma, received the Pamela Erwin Award; Tyler Legacy High School student Jace Love received the Willie Marvels Hospitality Award; Germani Reed received the John Samples Award and Konner Jeffery received the Star Service Award. Reed was unable to make it due to a family emergency. He was given $250 as part of the initial scholarship gift and an additional $750.

After receiving her award, Swinney thanked Erwin for the support, opportunities and encouragement.

“Being an aspiring artist is hard because you are not guaranteed a lot of things. But when you have someone who believes in you, it makes you feel capable,” Swinney said.

Community members were also honored for their various community roles. The Shirley McKellar Award honored Rubye Kendrick for her leadership. The Prof Williams Award honored Christolyn Milligan for her role in paving the way in leadership in the arts. Pastor Marcus Johnson received the Willie Neal Johnson Pillar of Faith Award. Lastly, ReNissa Wade was awarded the trailblazer award for her work at the City of Tyler and Jacksonville.

The first families of Tyler honored were part of the third phase of families awarded for their contributions.

Brooks-Newberry was able to trace a grandmother born in 1790 to Georgia with the help of Tyler resident Dorothy Franks. Brooks-Newberry has been working on a book for five years of her family history. The Brooks were carpenters. She is the daughter of a carpenter and the youngest of seven kids. Her father was self-taught, stern and a Christian man.

“He was loving, he wanted the best for his family,” Brooks-Newberry. “He worked hard for it because he grew up and his father was a sharecropper and they moved from place to place. And he vowed that if he ever had a family, he would not move them from place to place. He wanted to own his own, and someway, somehow he was able to buy acres.”

Brooks-Newberry grew up in the Bullard area on a farm her dad bought. He was able to pass the land to another family member. Many of their family members made various contributions to East Texas and worked in various professions including as engineers, nurses, speech and language therapists and carpenters.

“I wanted them to be able to tell their children and their children exactly where did it all start? Who did it start with? What are some of the struggles? What are some of the things that they had to overcome? And hopefully they will be inspired to continue with the history because after we are gone. That’s it,” Brooks-Newberry said.

Franks’ work in researching the first Back families’ history was certified by East Texas Genealogical Society President Michele Bailey and Dorinda Henderson-Williams, president of the ETGS African American research group.

Franks’ love of history began at a young age when she used to listen to her grandfather’s stories. When she started working to get her family’s cemetery recognized, she brought her granddaughter along to help document the grave sites.

“It’s a calling,” Franks said. “God gave it to me … You’re going to do it regardless, if you get paid or not. Because something is calling you. That’s why I do it.

Getting recognized on Friday night made her feel good. She enjoys helping families trace their family lineage. She has helped 26 families trace their lineages as part of honoring the first Black families in Tyler.

“Everybody has a story — it may not be the same topic — but everybody has a story,” Franks said. “And I’ll tell you what, before we end up, they’re going to tell the story about their family or how they fit into their family because everybody wants to know who they belong to.”