Carver’s Student Government Association celebrates Women’s History Month
First Afro-Gala features Black history, models, poetry and dance
By Felecia Piggott-Long, Ph.D.
Who run the world? Girls (girls)
Who run the world? Girls (girls)
Who run the world? Girls (girls)
Who run the world? Girls (girls)
These lyrics from Beyonce’s song “Run the World (Girls)” opened the Afro-Gala held in the Carver High School auditorium on Friday, March 15. The Carver High School varsity cheerleaders gracefully entered the auditorium from the back of the room and danced their way down the aisles. They wore Carver t-shirts and shorts to match, and the audience was at rapt attention as they commanded the stage.
“This song was so appropriate for the first Afro-Gala held at Carver High School in honor of Women’s History Month and Black History Month,” said Jonathan Gakeri, emcee and creator of the celebration. “This celebration culminates a week-long celebration which included All-Black Day, HBCU Day, Sunday Best Day, Cultural Day, and Red, Black and Green Day to honor African liberation colors, history and the contributions of women in our culture.
Gakeri went out into the audience to gather students to join in the communal dance that he taught them at the end of the program. Students ran from their seats up to the stage to take part in the action. Students and teachers came to the front of the auditorium and caught the rhythm and the beat.
“We had a lot of fun together learning from each other. I shared some historical facts about how Women’s History Month started in 1987 and Black History Week started in 1926,” said Gakeri.
Kashemi Ferguson, sponsor of the Student Government Association and math coach, was pleased with the outcome of the program. “The students carried out their responsibilities and made this celebration special,” said Ferguson. “They came to their rehearsals and their meetings and made sure that they followed through on their assigned tasks. The assistance of the teachers who worked with the program is greatly appreciated.”
Several seniors and underclassmen participated in the international fashion show grooving to the tunes of African and jazz rhythms. First, the females were dressed to impress in gold beaded suits, dashiki tops with shorts, red and gold flowing dashiki dresses with headwraps, cultural sundresses painted with women’s faces, sweeping floral patterned skirts, wearing their hair in braids, locks, afros, and twists.
After the women modeled their attire, the men flexed their muscles to the racing beats. They moved across the stage in dashiki suits, cuffie hats with matching drapes, hooded dashikis with jeans, cultural t-shirts, and cuffie hats with matching dashikis. Their hairstyles included locks, waves, braids and afros.
The male-female fashion show featured dashiki tops with jeans for the males and matching dashiki dresses for the females. Dashiki suits and red, black, green, and gold sundresses captured the attention of the audience. Ruby Johnson, teacher of the year and math instructor, and I provided the fashions for the international show. Cristina De La Cruz, Deborah Cummings, art teacher, and Makkedah Miller, drama teacher, helped with the fashion show and the art for the Poet Laureate contest.
Several educators and students made this inaugural event a great success. Students who were selected to compete in the Poet Laureate contest for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools District competition read their poetry and presented their artwork for the student body. Shukiya McLean, first-place winner, read her poem, “The Strength of a Woman,” to honor Mamie Till, the mother of Emmett Till. Senior Jamere Parker read his poem, “The Joys of Youth,” which recognizes the importance of music, technology, friends, laughter, learning, and joy. R.J. Norwood read his poem, “Sophisticated Men,” which recognizes the courage, confidence and “swagg” of African American men. All of these students received a monetary reward for their poems. They will compete during the WS/FC Schools District competition on April 8.
The art students of Deborah Cummings were recognized for their artwork that has been submitted to the Poet Laureate contest. Kiera Call and Shaniah Scales submitted seahorse art and caterpillars art respectively. This is the first year Carver has had students to submit artwork for the competition.
Pamela Hall, head of the history department and I, head of the English department, performed poems for the program. Hall presented an original poem called “Woman,” which opened with the line, “I will not be cooking today.” I read “Honey, I Found Out,” about a girl who was looking for the wrong characteristics in a male companion, and he found them.
