WEST ORANGE, NJ — When Avery John gets to her classroom at St. Cloud Elementary School, kindergarten teacher Tiffany China hears the rest of the students asking, “Who is she wearing?” Avery isn’t walking the red carpet at the Academy Awards wearing a piece by an acclaimed fashion designer. She’s wearing a T-shirt with the […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — Fifth-grade students at Mt. Pleasant and Kelly elementary schools heard the experiences of Anthony Lyons, a long-time West Orange resident who experienced the civil rights movement first-hand in the 1960s. Lyons’ Feb. 18 visit to Mt. Pleasant capped off an educational day for the students, who first visited the MAYO Performing […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — The 17th annual McDonald’s Salutes Faces of Black History Tour made an appearance at Roosevelt Middle School on Feb. 18. The tour is a free performance, month-long tour consisting of a talented five-member cast that travels to local schools to teach children about the influential figures of black history through music. […]
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Seth Boyden’s third-grade class, led by teacher Carol West, had the opportunity to interview Superintendent Ronald Taylor as a part of their Black History Month studies. Their focus is on interviewing citizens who are making a difference in their communities. Students interviewed Taylor as “staff reporters.” Each child had a question and […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — More than 100 visitors came out on a cold evening to experience heartwarming music, poetry, stories and family photo collages during the “Sharing our Stories” reception on Feb. 15 at the West Orange Arts Center. The evening included a standing room–only presentation of poetry and short stories told by the participants […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — Black History Month is being celebrated at the West Orange Public Library with an art exhibit of installations, quilts and collages, on display until Feb. 29. Curated by Mansa Mussa, the show is called “Fertile Soil: Ancestors and Icons” and also features Mussa’s own work. “You have people who have inspired […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — The annual West Orange High School Black History Scholarship dinner, held Feb. 7, connected the community to the past, present and future history of the black experience locally and worldwide through words, song and dance. Guest speaker Lawrence Hamm offered a powerful historical perspective of black history in New Jersey, describing […]
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — In observance of Black History Month, American Theater Group presents the moving new musical “Till,” opening in previews on Thursday, Feb. 27, in South Orange. This stirring and powerful show tells the story of 14-year-old Emmett Till, whose murder in 1955 inspired civil rights leaders from Martin Luther King Jr. to […]
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Five years after Maplewood theater company The Strollers staged a production of “How the World Got Wisdom,” its players are back at it again. The children’s theater production, a compilation of African folktales and music, is being staged at the Burgdorff Center, 10 Durand Road in Maplewood, for two weekends to kick […]
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race Coffee House Discussion for Black History Month focuses on The New York Times 1619 Project essay, “Myths about physical racial differences were used to justify slavery — and are still believed by doctors today,” written in August 2019 by Linda Villarosa, a writer, journalist, educator […]