TYLER, Texas — This is a two-part report. Watch the first part in the video above and see the second part at the end of this story.
Black History Month is an annual observance across America to recognize African American history and honor Black leaders who made a difference communities through their activism, outreach and abilities to pave new roads for the generation behind them.
The word, leader, is formally defined as a person who leads or commands a group, organization or country. In sports, athletes have their own personal leader with their coaches. They follow their commands for which drill they should run, play they should make and fitness activity will help them reach their goals.
The obvious question is what this has to do with Black History Month. Black coaches have a special bond with their Black athletes. American sports journalist and author William C. Rhoden once said, "Black coaches instill confidence, speak the truth and pass the torch." Getting advice and critiques from someone who looks like you brings an unexplainable comfort like meeting someone older in the grocery store who reminds you of your favorite aunt, or even your parents.
To honor Black trailblazers in East Texas, CBS19 sat down with a few coaches to discuss the importance of their duties -- starting with Tyler Junior College's Trenia Tillis-Hoard.
Known as Coach T, Tillis-Hoard grew up in Grapeland with a population sitting at under 2,000, but she had bigger dreams.
She was named Miss Texas Basketball in 1989 and all-state selection after leading her team to back-to-back state tournament appearances and winning in '89. As for coaching, last spring, she led her team to the national basketball championship and earned NJCAA Coach of the Year honors.
She was a member of the Class of 2023 Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame. Now a coach herself, she remembers not seeing people who looked like her when she was an athlete.
"So I feel like having representation of people that look like you goes back to planting that seed," Tillis-Hoard said. "It's amazing when I look at the SEC, and the amount of beautiful African American females that the SEC has decided to hire. This is at the highest level of basketball. Seeing a Dawn Staley (at South Carolina) be the highest-paid female basketball coach, it's almost like seeing President Obama become president."
Coach T has coached Precious Ivy and Chelsea Hudson, and each of them has now taken on coaching at local colleges as well.
However, Tillis-Hoard doesn't consider herself a "way maker" because she hasn't accomplished everything she saw for herself in her early years.
"I thought I'd be here (TJC) for five years then move up to Division I, but I've been in Tyler for 25 years now," Tillis-Hoard said. "So I don't think I paved the way. I think I've just cracked the door open (and) put my foot in there so they can creep in."
Additionally, Coach Patricia Beckworth-Nelson for the Tatum's girls basketball team has also made a long lasting impact in the community with her success.
Nelson was inducted into Kilgore College Hall of Fame in October 2023. She was inducted for her 1989-90 performance, leading her team to two national championships -- one as a player in '89 and one as an assistant coach.
Many Black women get stereotyped as overly emotional and labeled the "angry Black woman."
"All we do is scream and yell and sometimes you get frustrated and I have to catch myself because everybody thinks you're an angry Black woman at all times," Nelson said. "And sometimes you're not; you're just trying to be heard. You want to be seen. And I think a lot of times people don't see us and they don't hear us and I want to break that stereotype. We are important and we are enough."
Additionally, Black men have been stereotyped for being aggressive and absent from their family's lives.
Having successful Black leaders to mentor their male athletes helps to reshape their mindset into thinking they can be successful too.
Rashaun Woods is a former NFL and CFL wide receiver who played in the early 2000s. He's in the Oklahoma State Hall of Honor class of 2022. He was an NFL first round draft pick and played for the San Francisco 49ers. He is now the head coach for the Tyler High football team as of 2023, and he has taken on the responsibilities of being his athletes' role model.
"One of the main things for me is I've been down the path that a lot of those guys are going to go down. So it's important that I help those guys and prepare them to excel when their time comes," Woods said. "They are able to relate to me in a lot of ways. Some of our struggles are the same. And there's an understanding there, and I'm sympathetic to that. But at the same time, I'm able to help them understand the things that they need to be concentrating on."
All in all, Black History Month is the depiction for Black leaders in many different spaces. It's essential to recognize the Black leaders throughout the East Texas community.
WATCH PART TWO BELOW: