The State of Illinois recognized a Carbondale woman Wednesday in honor of Black History Month.
Diane Hood, NAACP Assistant Treasurer and Freedom Fund Chairperson, received an award for Outstanding Commitment in Community Service.
During a ceremony at the State Capitol, Hood said it takes courage to fight for what's right.
"When we are silent about injustice, poverty, bigotry and racism, we go backwards and we're destined to repeat history."
Hood said she's always tried to emulate what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr stood for in striving to live her life by helping others.
Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton congratulated recipients and thanked them for working to better their communities.
Stratton said black history is not only looking back into the time of Jim Crow Laws and the slave trade, but it's about the trailblazers, like the ones honored today, who are paving the way for future generations.
