Black Educators Caucus honors five Hernando women at Brooksville brunch

Christene Yant’s years as a Hernando County school guidance counselor, Brownie troop leader and Guardian Ad Litem volunteer were at the center of a Brooksville brunch that honored five local women for work that shaped schools, churches and families across the county.

The Black Educators Caucus held its Christene Yant Women’s History Brunch at Brooksville on March 28, using Women’s History Month to recognize women whose service often happens out of the spotlight. The group described Yant as a pillar, a mentor and a steady guiding light, a fitting tribute for someone who served 30 years as chair of the organization and helped define its mission through both advocacy and volunteer work.

The brunch also showed how the Black Educators Caucus has turned remembrance into a lasting community record. In 2024, the organization held its third annual Christene Yant Women’s History Month Breakfast at Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church of Twin Lakes and honored five local African-American women on March 16. In 2025, the breakfast returned to Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church of Twin Lakes and drew a packed house of educators, pastors, business people and family members. That continuity matters in Hernando County, where much of the county’s Black history is carried through churches, classrooms and service groups rather than monuments.

This year’s program mixed tribute with performance. Cynthia Brown Jackson gave the introduction, Pastor Nyika Taylor led the prayer, and Wevlyn Graves and Demetrice Sanders introduced the nominees. Ronteryl Black spoke briefly, Jonita Saint-Leger recited an original poem, and Angelia Brewer and Veronica Martin performed interpretive dances. Dell Barnes added saxophone music, while DJ Shalamar kept music moving throughout the morning.

Among the honorees, Reverend Stella Williams was recognized for 17 years at the Hernando County Health Department and for work with families through Cason Funeral Home before moving into senior affairs ministry. Janice Stephens Smith, a Brooksville native, graduated from Hernando High School and later earned a criminology degree from Florida State University. Their biographies pointed to a common thread: service that reached into public health, family support and local education, the places where county residents feel impact most directly.

The Black Educators Caucus has also used public art to preserve that history. In 2024, the group commissioned the Black Women Pioneers of Hernando County mural through a Community Arts Grant, with local artist Jacquelynne Harris painting nine women pioneers. Together, the brunch and the mural show an organization intent on making sure the women who built Hernando County are remembered in the open, not just in family stories.