MONTREAL GAZETTE INTERVIEWS MALIK SHAHEED AND MARYMOUNT STUDENTS ABOUT BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Black History Month is more than a look back at history
At Marymount Academy, it has become a celebration of culture and achievement
By J.D. Gravenor, The Gazette
February is Black History Month. So what does that mean to you?
Maybe you’re taking time to appreciate the great civil-rights pioneers – including Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela – who helped to shape our world for the better.
Or perhaps you’re thinking about the people of African heritage who have contributed so much to this country, province and city.
Then again, these late-winter weeks might just represent a good time, full of multicultural music, great flavours and a lot of fun.
For the students of Marymount Academy, Black History Month means all of those things – and then some.
“Ever since I’ve been at Marymount, which has been four years now, we’ve always celebrated Black History Month,” said 17-year-old Kristina Ferguson, a Grade 11 student. “The whole student body comes together to appreciate that it’s one month to enjoy the diversity of it all.”
In fact, Black History Month was started to pay tribute to the people and events associated with the African diaspora. But for students like Ferguson, it transcends that to become an annual period of unity and solidarity for all.
“Yes, as African-Americans, we have a month. But it’s also a time for all people to come together,” she said. “When I was little, I thought it was just about black history. But here at Marymount, I see it’s about every culture. It’s all about bringing them together.”
From the first of the month, right up to the end, students at Marymount Academy are encouraged to think about and discuss the past, present and future of the black community and what we all mean to each other. To some, it’s also a time to give thanks.
“Black History Month is very special to me,” said 16-year-old Jade Parkinson-Gayle. “I look forward to it every year, because even though I am a black child, I don’t take the time every day of the year to reflect how good things are for me, and how different things could be for me without the help of people throughout history who did so much.”
Recently, her history class has been learning about the American civil-rights struggle of the 1960s.
“My teacher has been showing us the Eyes on the Prize (a multi-part documentary) video,” said Parkinson-Gayle.
“There’s a group called the SNCC. It’s the Student Nonviolent Co-ordinating Committee. They didn’t rely on the adults in their community, their parents or priests or pastors. They really stuck with each other. They had the lunch-counter sit-in (to combat segregation in the Deep South) and held marathon meetings.
“These kids were two or three years older than me and they made such a difference. That was inspirational to me,” she said.
For her part, Ferguson has been thinking about Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger helped deal a death blow to racial segregation in the United States.
“Even when I decide to sit in the back of the bus, it’s a choice I have,” said Ferguson. “But if I want to sit in the front of the bus, no one will kick me out of my seat. And I thank her for her courage.”
That kind of inspiration is also shared by Marymount’s teachers and staff.
“Every year we try to do something for Black History Month,” said Tracy Mangal, who is the International School co-ordinator at Marymount. “It’s a time of learning, and I’d like to think, too, that it creates an opportunity for students of every ethnic background to ask questions.”
But just as no two students are quite alike, their level of interest can vary, she says.
“There are some kids who don’t think it’s relevant, but there are others who are passionate about it. One reason Black History Month is bigger this year is they make it a priority. The more they participate, the bigger the events grow.”
One such event, a cultural show, was held last week in support of the Neurology Department of the Montreal Children’s Hospital. It was organized by students.
“In the show, we’re intertwining many cultures,” 16-year-old Martisha Richards-Thomas, the lead organizer, said on the eve of the show last week. “We’re not only talking about black history, we’re also talking about our brilliant international students. There will be singing, dancing, fashion from the four corners of the world – Caribbean, African, Asian. It will be amazing.”
Another student, Samantha Spence, got involved in another event that showcases the talents of black youth in music, spoken word and dramatic performance.
“I always try to incorporate (Black History Month) into my life, but it’s been bigger this year than the year before,” said the 16-year-old. “I think mostly because I included myself in a lot of the things that were happening in the community. Like, recently, when I went into the Young Gifted and Black Show.”
Spence had been invited by a friend to sing a song with him at the major live show.
“So we wrote a song about Black History Month and we performed it.”
The lyrics told a story about how black people have come a long way, thanks to their determination, sacrifice, talent and courage.
“Some things in black history people don’t know. It should be talked about more, and everybody should know more,” she said.
Local celebrity Malik Shaheed – the youth motivator and producer of hip-hop music and events – has also been doing his part to spread the word about Black History Month in schools throughout the island. In fact, his Youth Stars Black History High School Tour, which combines music, art and the spoken word, has just been extended for another month.
“It’s been great,” said Shaheed. “The Youth Stars Foundation likes to use entertainment, sports and arts to attract the attention of youth. And once we have that attention, we say positive messages and educational messages. So it’s a good balance. We’re getting a positive impact. And we’re all just doing this for free and we’re not getting paid.”
Shaheed’s central message (which he will bring this week to Options II and Beurling Academy, and to Marymount next month) is that the black community produces great people and innovation in all kinds of fields and disciplines.
It’s a message that students are open to, he says. And that’s a good enough reason to keep celebrating this very special month.
“I think we should talk about our history, and people’s history in general, all year round. But the fact that February is Black History Month, it forces the issue and gives us all the more reason to talk about it.”
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