No stranger to the Brownwood community, Renee Carrathus is a philanthropist, entrepreneur and giver to so many. Renee was born and raised in Brownwood, she is the daughter of Smitty and Jaunita McArthur.

She is 1985 graduate and alum of Brownwood High School. Always having a passion for beauty and hair, after receiving her high diploma, Renee attended and graduated from Charles and Sues Hair Academy in Bryan, Texas. Upon graduation she lived and worked in Austin. before returning to Brownwood in 1992. With the help of her father, Founder and operator of Smitty’s BBQ, Renee’s House of Elegance was born right in heart of her own community. Like her father, Renne wanted to bring smiles and joy to every client that walked through the door.  As her father’s health began to decline, Renee stepped up and provided a helping hand to the family business of Smitty’s BBQ, doing double duties keeping the family-owned business of 57 years flowing smoothly and with a familiar friendly face, while still taking care of the community by making beautiful creations with her hands.

Giving back and helping others, especially the youth, has always been a main stay for Renee. Currently she is a member of A breath of praise community church where she leads the youth ministry. She is also apart of the Juneteenth Planning committee and the Sunday Fun-day group that organizes fun days for the youth during the summer on Sunday’s.

In her spare time, she loves to cook good ole soul food where she puts every ounce of love into it.

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This year marks the 100th Anniversary of Black History Month and Revitalizing Our Community (ROC) will be spotlighting amazing African Americans, who have made contributions to the community of Brownwood and Brown County.  Black History Month was created in 1926 in the United States, when historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) announced the second week of February to be “Negro History Week”. This week was chosen because it coincided with the birthday of Abraham Lincoln on February 12 and that of Frederick Douglass on February 14, both of which Black communities had celebrated since the late 19th century

Black educators and Black United Students at Kent State University first proposed Black History Month in February 1969. The first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent State a year later, from January 2 to February 28, 1970.

Six years later, Black History Month was being celebrated all across the country in educational institutions, when President Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month in 1976, during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial. He urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”