Principal Dr. Swade Huff, Gifted Minorities Achieving members Michael Campbell, Max Carlson, Ayanna Lonon, Jael Flores-Zacarias and Salai Diekumpuna, GMA adviser and English department teacher David Ragsdale, GMA member Antonio Starks and community volunteer Ashlee Holsey (left to right) stand with members of the GMA in the Media Center on March 23. “I was grateful and super excited to see that this was so well attended,” GMA parent Debora Lonon said. “I knew it was going to be a wonderful event, because the students who are part of the GMA are excellent and superb students. And then of course, the advisers, (David) Ragsdale and Dr. (Ashlee) Holsey. I had expectations of excellence – this was a great production.” Photo by Aza Khan
Members of the Gifted Minorities Achieving organization hosted a celebration of Black culture in the CCHS Media Center on March 23.
When February begins, it also marks the start of Black History Month, an annual celebration of Black culture. However, members of the Gifted Minorities Achieving organization at Clarke Central High School believe the celebration should not be limited to a single month.
On March 23, the GMA hosted “A Night of Color: Black History does not end in February” in the Media Center. While the event was originally planned for February, the GMA wanted to show that Black culture should be celebrated after Black History Month.
“It was important to have the event set in March instead of February, because I know the school has done past events to celebrate Black culture for Black History Month. However, I don’t think we, as a whole, considering the school’s main population are African Americans, (have ever) just sat down to celebrate it,” GMA member and co-organizer Jael Flores-Zacarias said. “(To plan the event), you had to rely a lot on your teammates. Obviously, everyone (had) a vision, however, you couldn’t do everything. We just had to hope that everyone would do the part they said they would.”
Video by Dilon Gresham
The event included two speakers: CCHS parent and community member Janine DeLane, who focused on learning authentic history, and CCHS Class of 2010 graduate and Booker T. Washington High School Project Facilitator Victoria Bambo, whose talk challenged students in attendance to interact with different types of people and gain multicultural life experiences.
“(To be successful), you have to be highly skilled in multiple areas of life. If I am only around people that look like me, think like me, move like me, what are the chances that I will be able to walk away and confidently execute (different things)?” Bambo said. “But if I get to spend time with someone that looks like you and someone that looks (different), I have to know that it’s more than just our looks that make us different.”
Clarke Central High School Class of 2010 graduate and Booker T. Washington High School Project Facilitator Victoria Bambo speaks to the crowd at the Clarke Central High School Night of Color on March 23 in the CCHS Media Center. Bambo encouraged listeners to speak with people from other cultures to form meaningful connections despite perceived differences. “A good person’s a good person. It’s like some really good food,” Bambo said. “Good food is good food regardless of what kind of packaging it comes in. Regardless of the wrapping, good people are good people, and when you find yourself mature enough to realize that, then life is better.” Photo by Aza Khan
In addition to her ties to CCHS as a former student, Bambo is GMA member and event co-organizer Ayanna Lonon’s aunt, so her talk had personal connections to the event and its audience.
“You can have a program about diversity and bring together all these different people and still get to be unapologetically you in the midst of people that don’t look like you,” Bambo said. “I wish I was still in a space (like CCHS) where students used their power in this way.”
The event also had performances by the CCHS Honor Strings, senior John Garcia on the piano, and the Sophisticated Steppers With Attitude of Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School. After the performances, the GMA offered a selection of food catered by Rashe’s Cuisine and Mannaweenta Ethiopian & Eritrean Restaurant. Garcia, who performed a song by Louis Armstrong on piano, wanted to honor an impactful Black artist.
“I chose (to play) ‘What a Wonderful World’ because (Armstrong) represents Black History and the message of the song is unique,” Garcia said. “I felt honored during my performance. The program was well-organized and the atmosphere was right.”
Sophisticated Steppers With Attitude performer Ariana Smith, a sixth-grade student at Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School, performs at Clarke Central High School’s “A Night of Color” on March 23. Gifted Minorities Achieving member and event co-organizer Ayanna Lonon believed the performance was a hit. “When I reached out to (SSWA coach) Tammi Johnson, I could not have imagined the amazing job they would do,” Lonon said. “I loved talking with some of the girls on the step team. They were all so excited, and I was happy to see them live what they do, and do it well.” Photo by Aza Khan
GMA parent Tyreda Starks, whose son Antonio Starks was one of the event’s co-organizers and speakers, appreciated the planning that went into planning the Night of Color.
“I loved all aspects. The speakers were great. The entertainment was awesome and the food was delicious,” Starks said. “The orchestra presented themselves very eloquently, and the steppers brought a lot of fun and a lot of flavor to the event.”
“A Night of Color” was the first event of its kind hosted by the GMA, and sets the stage for similar events to take place in the future.
“I would like to do this again to celebrate other (people of color) now that we have the experience to do it again, and to do it better,” Lonon, a junior, said. “Though it was definitely stressful (to plan), it was beautiful and worth the work. I would like to thank everyone who came out and performed, who came out and volunteered to make this possible.”
