Black History Performance

Program highlights black history, culture, while illustrating the past  to the present 

The fifth-annual Black History Program at Russell Auditorium features performances about various aspects of the African-American past.

“His-Story Told Through Her” is an account of male-dominated history told through women.

“Ain’t I A Woman?” has an all-female cast and is about the ridicule and taunting black women face.

The lineup for the 7 p.m. event also includes “Strange Fruit,” “Four Women” and “Black Girls Rock.”

“Ain’t I A Woman?” is the Feb. 3 program’s opening act. It will be performed by three members of Firyali Dahlia Yolotli to the poem “Sojourner Truth” by Maya Angelou. It will be the dancers’ first performance to a spoken-word piece.

“Black Girls Rock” is a part of the performance that will include works by students. The participants had the chance to write an essay about what it’s like to be a black woman through their own experiences. The filtering process pulled out two speakers as they give their experiences.

Firyali Dahlia Yolotli, a non-profit dance group that travels throughout Georgia, will be performing.

The student group Little Feet, which helps area children, will also be there. The program is free and open to the public. It is a collaboration between the Cultural Center and Cheryl Coulson of Milledgeville Cultural Connections.

Coulson has lived in Georgia for 23 years and is a dance and martial arts teacher for the Youth Enrichment Services program for Baldwin County. She also leads Firyali Dahlia Yolotli, which is Swahili for “Extraordinary Gentle Hearts.”

The dance group has been around for 11 years and performs interpretational, inspirational and African-inspired dance along with miming. The group is free for students to join.

The Black History program originally stared at Flagg Chapel to educate the community about history. The demand for the program grew and traveled to Baldwin High School before settling at GC.

The goal of the program is “to educate with views of the past, present and possible future,” Coulson said.

Little and Coulson both agree that this program is essential to the community and GC students.

Emmanuel Little of the Cultural Center said, “I hope that the community gains an appreciation for black history.”

Last year the auditorium was packed with students, faculty and members of the community. This year’s event will put a focus on the struggles of black women and the issues faced in American society.

Posted by Jennifer Clark on Feb 2 2012. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.