Northern Burlington County Regional High School students performed the works and speeches of many black artists and leaders in celebration of Black History Month.
By: Eve Collins
MANSFIELD "Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave . . . I rise"
Victoria Tyson read the words of poet Maya Angelou from her powerful poem "Still I Rise," which also asks the question "Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes?"
The students of Northern Burlington Regional High School performed the works and speeches of many black artists and leaders Feb. 20 in a celebration of Black History Month, an event that demonstrated the triumphs of many icons throughout history.
Performing in front of hundreds of their peers at four different assemblies, the students entered the worlds of influential figures from the era of slavery in America to celebrities of today such as Oprah Winfrey and R. Kelly.
Twelfth-grader Shanelle Boynton, who played Maggie Westmorland, a slave, said she was proud of her fellow performers, who were "really putting forth the image of the artists."
"My part is very emotional because I play a slave," she added.
The students rehearsed for only two weeks and were performing for the first time on the stage in the 500 Building at the high school, according to Assistant Principal Tracey Turner, who coordinated the event.
"I’m very impressed," she said. The kids had been rehearsing in the cafeteria because of other events in the 500 Building, she said. Ms. Turner is new to the district, having just started her job as assistant principal in January. She spent 11 years as a reading and language arts teacher in Camden, she said.
The event was her first major assignment. "I didn’t even know the kids," she said. "But they would come to my office with ideas and had forums after school."
Some parents also were able to see the event, proudly videotaping and taking pictures.
"This shows them a lesson of history and different cultures," said Rosemarie Davis, mother of Shanita Chambers, who performed an African dance. "And they have fun doing it."
Ms. Turner put the program together, assigning celebrities to the kids, who were responsible for their own speeches and performances. Some of the poetry and rap was original, she said, and the students also did the choreography and helped with costumes.
Some of the icons that were represented were Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Dorothy Dandridge, Thurgood Marshall and Marvin Gaye.
At the end of the show, students in the audience were wowed by performances of songs by Beyonce Knowles, Jay-Z and R. Kelly.
"It’s an honor to play him," said Brandon Alexander, an 11th-grader who performed as Jay-Z. "He is one of the best artists to ever come out. He’s always positive."
The event ended with all the participants on stage, dressed in white and ready to "Step in the Name of Love," for an appearance by R. Kelly, played by Irving Fryar Jr., a 10th-grader.
"His songs are off the top," said Irving, a dead ringer for the R&B star in his ivory suit and gold fedora. "It’s a good way to end the show."