Melanie Whiteley

Seniors Devin Mills, Jolie Hawkins, and Antonio Williams represent and dress up for the celebration, inspiring students and also showing off their creativity in the community.

Nationally, Black History Month falls on February every year. At North High, it was celebrated after school on Feb. 27. It incorporated a fashion show, music, dance, artwork, and displays of historical Black figures made by students.

“I chose to attend because I wanted to see the fashion show and what kind of outfits they [students] would come up with,” freshman Aisha Dia said.

Others stayed for various other reasons like wanting to stay to share it with their family later, and some even brought their own family with them to the event to represent and show off what their school was doing.

“It sort of had ebbs and flows. It was kind of a fluid evening. There were parts where we got to go down and look at different posters. There were lots of different opportunities to do lots of different things,” North librarian Melanie Whiteley said. 

Throughout the month of February, students prepared for the big event by contacting local businesses, practicing routines, and creating informational posters and videos.

“Students stayed after school [almost] every day, and staff, trying to put this whole thing together. They stayed almost every day of February,” Whiteley said.

During the event, African dancers from the community performed along with a DJ. They even invited students and staff to dance with them. Assistant principal Sabrina Cosey-Davis even joined in.

“The DJ was cool. It was fun watching other people dance. The African drum circle was amazing too,” Whiteley said.

African dancing is a diverse collection of dance styles and movements that originated in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also closely tied to the region’s traditional music and rhythms, which can also reflect the experience of Black people through art-music literature.

“I think art, music, and literature reflect all of the different parts of our identity. It also shows how they influence society. I think they can shape society but also be a reflection of society as well,” Whiteley said. 

Along with the African dancers, there were multiple students in attendance showing off outfits that represented Black culture and inspired the world, and also multiple students who supported those that represented.

“Don’t just sit around. Actually explore it instead of sitting around with your friends. Go to places [stands, posters],” Dia said.