CONCORD, Mass.--In this town of red and white clapboard houses and proudly flying American flags, a small Starbucks seems to be the only sign of the twentieth century.

Couples strolling hand-in-hand down the main street, old-timers sipping steaming mugs of coffee, a young mother ducking into the post office--these figures might have been around before the battle of Lexington and Concord.

But while the history--and even the black history--of Concord is rich and varied, many residents feel this colonial village turned affluent suburb has hardly noticed February's Black History Month.

"The general public isn't focusing on it," says Belinda P. Smith, the owner and manager of the Concord Bookshop, which displays books on John Coltrane, Wilma Rudolph and Amistad, under the heading "Celebrating Our African-American Heritage."

Over the last two hundred years, the ratio of black to white residents in Concord has changed just slightly.

In 1783, 15 of Concord's 1,321 residents were black--just 1.5 percent. Today, the "non-white" population, includingnot only blacks but every person who is notCaucasian, is 6.4 percent.

A Proper Celebration

While few of the Bay State's white suburbancommunities are celebrating Black History Month,some residents of Concord feel their town shouldfind some way of marking the month.

"It's good for people to be aware of differentgroups," says Armine S. Roat, a cook at a localrestaurant.

Roat suggests the community make an effort tobring in speakers and cultural events.

Herb Kaupp, a retired electrical engineer, saysConcord should "look to see if there were earlyresidents of the town--that would be focusing onlocal history."

"Personally, I would like to see more blackart," he adds.

Others, like town librarian Ray Gerke, say theywould like to see "a brainstorming session withinterested parties--planning is part of what itinvolves."

One resident has even higher hopes.

"[Black History Month] gives black peopleawareness of their history," said Rosemary Kaupp.

But, she adds, while the month is necessary fornow, she hopes that the world "eventually won'thave to highlight it--everyone's history ties into the same thing."