Hundreds of community members, about a dozen local Black-owned businesses and student musicians from Homewood and Flossmoor schools gathered at Winston Churchill Elementary School for the annual Black History Museum Night on Thursday, Feb. 26.
The halls were lined with student-made posters celebrating Black historical and contemporary figures. The event also featured a drum circle for attendees to join, live performances by youth musicians and Churchill students creating artwork.
This year’s theme was celebrating 100 years of Black history, referencing the founding of Negro History Week in 1926, which later became Black History Month. Churchill social worker Aveece Wesley, art teacher Anne Siegler and music teacher Nikki Sawilchik, along with other teachers and staff on the Black History Month Committee, organized the event.
Churchill students from every grade made biographical posters. They featured the names and photos of Black activists, politicians, writers, actors, musicians, athletes and other historical and contemporary figures, spanning from the 1940s to the present day, including Fred Hampton, Kendrick Lamar, Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey.
“Every one of our 610 Bulldogs did a project,” Churchill principal Tara Peacock said.
Homewood-Flossmoor High School’s Inspirational Voices choir performs during the Black History Month event at Churchill School on Feb. 26. (Nick Ulanowski H-F Chronicle)
“I’m feeling proud of the students’ work,” Dean of Students Nakia Norman said, adding that she brought her sons, who are younger than Churchill students, to look at the posters. “Black history is American history. And everything you think about has some kind of influence from an African American.”
The Homewood Children’s Choir, James Hart Middle School’s Sixth Grade Choir, the Inspirational Voices choir from Homewood-Flossmoor High School, the Vikings Jazz Band and the Wind Whistlers, a musical group from James Hart, performed on stage in the gymnasium.
Teacher Jonathan Pettis led a drum circle for groups of parents and kids. He told attendees about the cultural importance of ceremonial drumming for African tribes.
“The rumble is one of those sounds that allows one tribe to the next to have a conversation and indicate what they’re going to do next,” Pettis said. “Sometimes the rumble is also indicative of victory or freedom.”
Siegler led a group of kids in decorating famous Black works of art with crayons, pencils, markers, scissors and glue sticks. Participants took their creations home afterward.
School mascot Winston, a bulldog in a T-shirt, walked around and encouraged parents to fill out a survey to help improve the school’s environment and educational practices.
Recess supervisor Joshay Carr painted about 50 kids’ faces. Her mother, special education teacher Monica Maxwell, made balloon animals.
The vendors included but weren’t limited to Homewood candle shop Mahogany House Candles, pastry chef Pauletta Washington of Polly Ann Cakes, children’s picture book author Tarrell Duffin and sweet tea seller Zesty Zobo.
Mahogany House Candles co-owner Drew Osifalujo said he appreciated how much the event focused on Black excellence throughout history rather than only Black struggle.
“The struggle is an important artifact, but where we are as a people and a community is something we should celebrate,” Osifalujo said. “We don’t need to bring up trauma every time we think about our history because our future is very bright.”
