Black History Month educates and entertains
El Hajj Malik el Shabazz Academy students dance and play drums to the audience’s delight during LCC’s 2013 Black History Month opening ceremony in Dart Auditorium Jan. 31. (Photo by Nathan Wilson)
An impressive display of African-American talent hit the stage in Dart Auditorium to kick off LCC’s 2013 Black History Month Jan. 31.
LCC Trustee Robert Proctor welcomed those who braved the icy weather to enjoy the opening ceremony.
“This annual observance is an opportunity for us, as African-Americans, to remind ourselves of our rich heritage,” Proctor said.
“It presents a setting in which we help expose the larger community to our rich history, and in doing so, eliminates some of the barriers that divide us as a nation.”
State Rep. Thomas Stallworth (D-Detroit) served as the keynote speaker in place of State Rep. Fred Durhal Jr. (D-Detroit), who fell ill that day and was admitted to a hospital.
Stallworth underlined some of the disparities along racial lines that threaten to undo progress for the black community.
“Our children are twice as likely to drop out (of school) than those from white households,” Stallworth said. “African-American families earn some $30,000 less per year than average white households … We have to look at these issues as education and poverty and we need to decide individually, ‘What will our mark be?’”
Stallworth suggested the African-American community will never achieve equal opportunity until they began to participate in politics in a much larger level and more consistently.
After a brief video presentation about the American Civil Rights struggle, LCC student Ciera Moore sang “Open Up My Heart,” drawing inspiration from the same way Martin Luther King Jr. opened up his heart to God.
Next, El Hajj Malik el Shabazz Academy gave a bombastic performance with drummers and dancing that kept the audience riveted and cheering.
“I stand here suggesting to you that we have to continually emancipate ourselves from that which would slow us down and keep us from achieving our best,” Stallworth said.
“I challenge each and every one of us in this room to educate, to organize, to mobilize, to drive for the equal rights of all citizens in this country and to use this month as a source of inspiration. But let it not end on the last day.”
For a list of events included in LCC’s BHM celebrations, visit http://lcc.edu/studentlife/bhm/
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