ENGLEWOOD, N.J.—On Feb. 21, an educational and entertaining assembly program at Dwight Morrow Academies@Englewood brought Black History Month to life.
Assemblies were held in the morning and afternoon in the DMAE auditorium. Both sessions were filled with high school students as well as fourth and fifth grade performers from Englewood’s Leroy McCloud and Dr. John Grieco schools.
Principal Benjamin Suro said, “Today, we are hosting a Black History Month assembly that is full of dance, poetry, songs, speeches and other impactful, student-led activities. But, Black History Month is not limited to just one day. The entire month of February is Black History Month, and the DMAE community has been celebrating the achievements, struggles and experiences of many icons in memorable ways.”
He explained, “We have been showing quintessential movies related to celebrating the experience of African Americans that are followed by rich and engaging conversations led by passionate staff, each week of this month. We also put up varying pieces of student artwork that help to commemorate all of the style and passion embodied by the cultures and themes presented in black artists’ work.
“We are continuing both formal and informal conversations that focus on awareness, equality, respect and strength for all people,” Suro said. “Our DMAE Community is a vibrant and diverse place, full of amazing people, and this particular month allows us to focus in as a community and remember all of the historic people, historic events and historic words related to Black History together.”
The Feb. 21 assembly program featured performers from DMAE, dancers from the McCloud School and an adorable 6-year-old singing sensation, Mia Rose Miller, from the Dr. John Grieco School. Mia was also scheduled to perform at “Englewood’s Got Talent” on Feb. 27 at the bergenPAC.
As the classes made their way into the auditorium, they were greeted by a magnificent mural of civil rights leaders that had been painted by students and selected by art teacher Mauricio Rodriguez. Inside, other paintings were also on display, all bursting with vibrant colors and images of famous black heroes such as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks and Malcolm X.
The assembly program was directed by school counselor Jalesah Brooks, with assistance by social studies teacher Judy Aronson. Sa’rai Crawford served as technical assistant.
The emcees were Raheem McCoy and Jadyn Lewis, both DMAE students, who gave the audience a rousing welcome, after which everyone sang “Lift every Voice and Sing,” led by Aika Harris.
Next, a series of dances by the McCloud Dance Troop, choreographed by Pamela Humphrey, lent a soulful dimension to the black history experience.
Original poems were also recited by Jewel Hylton and Aika Harris.
In the final segment, the theme of the program, “The History of Hip Hop,” was readily apparent as a video, “Civilizations of Africa,” played on the screen while McCoy strode up and down the aisles inviting audience members to show some of their hip hop moves in a “Freestyle Challenge.”
McCoy and Lewis proceeded to document the history of hip hop, with images of iconic figures such as Tupac Shakur.
The Black History Month program was a huge success with DMAE students as well as with Steven Berrios, a member of the Englewood Board of Education who sat in the first row.
“This illustrates the students’ intelligence, talent and understanding of black history and their true roots.”
Origins of Black History Month
To commemorate and celebrate the contributions to our nation made by people of African descent, American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week. The first celebration occurred on Feb. 12, 1926.
For many years, the second week of February was set aside for this celebration to coincide with the birthdays of abolitionist/editor Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, as part of the nation’s bicentennial, the week was expanded to a month. Since then, U.S. presidents have proclaimed February as National African-American History Month.