By: Gary Winkelman | Sterling Heights Sentry | Published January 25, 2026
STERLING HEIGHTS — A fine meal and inspiring words are on the menu for the city’s third annual Black History Month Dinner.
Set for Monday, Feb. 23, from 6-8 p.m. at the Sterling Heights Community Center, the event is open to all and coincides with the 100th anniversary of Black History Month.
Presented by the Sterling Heights African American Coalition, the evening is billed as “a night of celebration and reflection.” Tracey Denson Scott, the coalition’s vice chair, said guests are in for a good time.
“We’ve got great speakers, meaningful recognition and enough inspiration to last longer than your New Year’s resolution,” she said.
The keynote speaker for this year’s event is Heaster Wheeler, a former assistant secretary of state and longtime advocate, mentor and entrepreneur. He is the founder of Heaster Wheeler Speaks, which, according to a city news release, works to empower change through leadership, innovation and impactful solutions.
Wheeler’s address will focus on “The Impact of Black History and Life on the Modern World.”
Tickets for the Black History Month Dinner are $45 and are available at the Community Relations Department at City Hall or online at eventbrite.com.
Diana Bledsoe, African American Coalition chair, said last year’s event sold out and organizers are aiming to attract an even bigger crowd this year. Although this is the third annual dinner, it is only the second one open to the public.
Bledsoe said formally marking Black History Month was an important step for the coalition.
“Black History Month has always been important to African Americans. And with this organization, being the first of its kind here in this area, we felt it was important to use it as a way to celebrate and recognize the contributions that African Americans have made throughout history,” she said. “
Everyone’s not aware of the achievements that we’ve had (throughout) history and the role that we’ve played.”
The city’s African American Coalition was formed in the aftermath of the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minnesota. Bledsoe said the city “needed to do something to promote more diversity and understanding among the African American residents and the rest of the community because there was just so much turmoil going on in the country.”
Bledsoe said the group’s vision for Sterling Heights is a community where African Americans thrive. According to its mission statement, the coalition aims to “enrich our community by bringing diverse perspectives, fostering cultural vibrancy, and driving social and economic progress for African Americans in Sterling Heights.”
After a slow start during peak COVID-19 years, the all-volunteer organization is up to 40 members, including individuals from outside Sterling Heights.
“We have a mixture of people that come from other communities because we’re rather unique,” Bledsoe said. “There’s no other community in this area that has an organization like ours and we have a lot of people that want to volunteer.”
In addition to presenting the Black History Month Dinner, the coalition also hosts an annual Juneteenth celebration at Dodge Park and holds monthly meetings. Bledsoe said although the coalition doesn’t always publicize its work, it plays a key role in the community.
“I think it’s important to have a seat at the table,” she said. “We try to be a resource for city leadership. … If they’ve got some questions or want a perspective from the African American point of view, we always make ourselves available.”
In addition to education, Bledsoe said the coalition also advocates for economic growth in the community and aims to support and promote African American businesses throughout Macomb County.
The coalition’s latest goal is establishing a scholarship fund and a portion of the proceeds from this year’s Black History Month Dinner will support the initiative.
“Ultimately, we want to be able to give back to the community, so starting a scholarship fund is definitely one way we want to do that,” Bledsoe said. “We’re hoping that we can set up a fund that can continue to give.
My vision is even if the coalition is not around in another 10 or 20 years, the scholarship will be.”
More information about the Sterling Heights African American Coalition and the Feb. 23 Black History Month Dinner is available online at sterlingheights.gov. The city will also salute Black History Month Feb. 7-8 by lighting the Halo on Hall Road yellow, red, green and black “to honor the many important people and events in the history of the African diaspora.”
“The City of Sterling Heights values every resident and we are especially honored to recognize Black History Month on behalf of the thousands of Blacks and African Americans that call Sterling Heights home,” Mayor Michael Taylor said in a prepared statement. “A diverse population and inclusive spirit has enriched our city greatly.”