Shawn Shackelford, Principal at Central Middle School in Port Huron Schools, has received the Macomb Celebration of Black Excellence’s Educational Impact Award. Mr. Shackelford was bestowed with the honor at the 2nd Annual Celebration of Black Excellence held at Baker College in Clinton Township on February 22.
When asked what the award meant to him, Mr. Shackelford said he was honored and humbled. He reflected on his childhood in Mount Clemens and credited the “black excellence that (he) saw growing up.” He said that he lived in the neighborhood of the first black doctor and police officer in his community, and that those people along with his aunts, who were the first in his family to go to college and eventually become teachers, defined excellence for him. He credited his parents, who attended the ceremony, for instilling a strong work ethic in him and his brother, which allowed them to serve their country in the U.S. Army. Mr. Shackelford said he is “but a reflection of all those great people.”
Macomb Black Excellence gave out awards in the areas of community involvement, athletics, business, education, visionary leadership, and the arts.
