Kentwood — For student performers in East Kentwood High School’s recent Black History Month program, celebrating Black history is about honoring those who came before them and paving the way for the younger students who now look up to them.
“For the Black people who see people on stage who look like them, it gives them inspiration that, ‘I can do that too; I can spread my culture too, I have more culture.’ It gives them a sense of boldness for the future,” said senior Daisha Bobo, who delivered a spoken word poem during the show.
From powerful poetry and song, to the history of soul food, to the joyous, melancholic and rebellious sounds of jazz, the students brought to stage a medley of performances during “Voices of Freedom; Roots of Resilience.”
‘Being able to have that opportunity as a kid changes the mindset and realigns values and the way you pride yourself on being Black.’
— senior Sin’quan Cheatham
They punctuated their acts with little known Black history facts, bringing to light acts of resistance and organization, and historical figures that have received little acknowledgement such as JoAnn Robinson, Diane Nash, Eugene Bullard and Annie Easley. They also shared the story of Dunbar High School, a public high school for Black students that became one of the most successful schools in the country during segregation.
A surprise guest on video, former Vice President Kamala Harris, gave Kentwood Public Schools a direct shoutout for their efforts around Black History Month.
The annual show, in its 10th year, involved about 50 students, mostly ninth- through 12th-graders, but some elementary and middle-school students as well. Since October, students have prepared, rehearsed and come together to pull off the performance.
Students Share Their History
School News Network interviewed students at their final rehearsal about what it meant to them to be involved.
“As a Black community, we have been through so much, and the fact that we are still going on — we have a lot of perseverance — we can show our source of strength by doing this program,” said sophomore Malia Barrera, who performed in a skit about soul food.
Junior Townsend Moore said delivering a powerful spoken word poem was meaningful to him, both in sharing its message and in helping him prepare for his future.
“Celebrating Black culture is an absolute honor, especially in this time,” he said. “In being able to get a speaking part and go on stage or say a powerful poem, it’s definitely going to help me in the future with any type of business venture.”
The students expressed the importance of making sure people learn about Black history that isn’t part of most school curriculums.
“I think Black history isn’t covered a lot. Even though it is covered in school, I don’t think it’s covered enough,” Malia said. “I think we should pay more attention to and bring it more to light. Plus, it’s very fun (performing). We all enjoy doing what we do.”
Added sophomore Zariah Williams, who also performed a spoken word poem: “I like learning about my history. If I don’t learn it in school, how else am I going to learn it? Here is a good opportunity.”
Junior Kenden Hoskins said East Kentwood’s Black History Month production over the years has given him a foundation of knowledge.
“There are a lot of facts that I’ve learned throughout the years, and I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about things I didn’t know from this program. I feel like had I not been involved, I’d still be like, ‘Wait, what are you talking about? I don’t know what any of that stuff is,’” he said.
A Community Endeavor
The event began with a community reception, featuring booths from schools across the district and the community related to Black History Month, with themes of literature, art and information about Black culture. Students from all grade levels also participated in smaller performances.
“(The community reception) is the richest part of this, because now you are able to give the opportunity to elementary kids so they know, ‘Oh this is the path I’m on and this is what I can do when I am a high-schooler,’” said senior Sin’quan Cheatham. “Being able to have that opportunity as a kid changes the mindset and realigns values, and the way you pride yourself on being Black.”
Daisha also said she sees the power in involving all ages and voices.
“For me, I like sharing the community and expanding the community. This is an event for both young and old, and so it creates a better bond in the Kentwood community,” she said.
Students said it’s crucial to keep speaking out and supporting Black history.
“With what’s going on in the world, I feel like it’s very important for us to know our history and where we come from,” said Zariah.
Added Malia, “We really do just need to shine a light to have some hope and positivity.”
Senior Mariah Wright said she hopes the impact of the event is far reaching
“We want people to leave with more than they came in with,” she said. “I hope they leave with not only inspiration, but with being more knowledgeable of their own history and culture.
‘We can show our source of strength by doing this program.’
— junior Malia Barrera
KPS Executive Director of Human Resources Jamie Gordon has served as lead director for the performance for the past 10 years, joining with volunteer directors and retired GRPS educators Gwen Dawkins, Merdis Harris and Martha Williams, who ran a citywide Black History Month production for 10 years, from 1992 to 2002.
“I find that a lot of kids don’t know some of the history. I grew up in spaces where we were taught our history all the time through churches and through schools,” Gordon said. “But not everybody had that experience. So it’s always amazing to me what students don’t know. It’s exciting to see them as they learn things. … Just having an appreciation for people that came before them is really important.”
The education piece has to happen, she said..
“There’s the truth of the history, and it’s not always pretty and that’s OK, but it still needs to be known so we don’t repeat it,” she said.
The program ends with a call to action: “What can we do together as a community?” Gordon said.
“It’s not a blame game — I always say we educate, celebrate, then inspire. What do we do next?”
Read more from Kentwood:
• Seven district teachers earn National Board Certification
• Teacher’s website offers free history lessons
