On Feb. 27, Manual hosted its 23rd annual Black History Month program. Every year, the program is held in the last days of Black History Month to highlight Black culture and influence on the country and the local community. Two performances were done throughout the day for students, and one at 6:30 p.m. open to the public.
Principal Dr. Michael Newman began the program with a word about Manual’s push for diversity and representation. He also thanked Ms. Nicole Finley (English) and Ms. Adia Norris (Social Studies) for their organization of the program.
The first act was a performance by the Crimson Sound Marching Band who introduced the Crimson Chords to sing the Black National Anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson.
Ingram Quick (12, HSU) emceed the program, introducing the performers and sharing facts about Black history between each performance.
Next, Sarah Zawadi (9, YPAS) performed an original poem, “Do I Offend You,” after showing a video of a Black man’s experience being racially profiled by a white police officer while shopping in a retail store. Her poem highlighted the beauty of having dark skin, as well as the discrimination people face solely based on perceptions.
The next performance was Madison Victor (9, YPAS), who performed the song “He Wants it All” by Forever Jones while singing and playing the piano.
Taking a break from performances, Wooford R. Porter’s granddaughter, Aimee Webb took a moment to recognize Manual students who have received the Woodford R. Porter Scholarship for Black students attending the University of Louisville.
With a warm welcome from Quick and the audience, math teacher at Breckinridge Metro High School and 2024 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Kumar Rashad performed a poem called “Flower Petals” about the dream of democracy in the United States under an oppressive political system. His poem rallied and evoked emotion in many students.
“Freedom is the one thing that matters,” the crowd chanted as Rashad stood with one fist in the air and the curtain closed.
After the poem, Finley spoke about her experience being a Black woman and working within JCPS for over 20 years. Reflecting on her years as a teacher, she encouraged students to respect authority and commended faculty for their leadership and friendship.
Following Finley’s speech, Amanda Pazos Guerra (11, YPAS) and Will Mahan (12, YPAS) performed a guitar duet. They highlighted Black influence in music, playing “Marchina de Carnaval” and “Sambinha” by Celso Machado, a Brazilian guitarist.
“I have never played in front of that many people and it was a really fun experience,” Pazos Guerra said.
Darian Wright (12, YPAS), performed the next act, singing an opera performance of “The Deep River,” an anonymous Black hymn popularized in the early 1900s.
The auditorium extended their warm welcome to Atkinson Elementary School’s step team. The young but talented team performed a Wizard of Oz parody, including trending songs and original dance numbers.
Returning to poetry, Cristian Evans (11, HSU) performed a poem titled “What is Black History?” highlighting the meaning of the term to different groups of people and its change over time.
The next performance was Love Eden’s (12, YPAS) cover of “One Moment in Time” by Whitney Houston. The song is about believing in yourself and having the desire to lead in your community.
“In recent news, there have been many people in power planning to take away moments like these. I believe that Black history is American history, and we shouldn’t erase what makes us, us,” Eden said.
Next, Jayden Stroud (12, J&C) and the Kickin’ Krew performed an interpretive dance inspired by Tae Kwon Do, and then board-breaking to the song “Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer.
As a finale, Mela Campbell (12, YPAS) performed a saxophone solo of a mashup between “California Love” by Tupac Shakur and “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar with a backup crew of dancers alongside her. “Not Like Us” blared through the auditorium as students filed into the halls, returning to class.
