Instead of holding its annual Black History Month program at a school, Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 invited the community to the Genesee Theater where students from elementary through high school taught them history through the arts.
Billed as a gala, people — many dressed formally — spent time before the 10-act performance looking at art and pictures crafted by students from all of the district’s schools, while they ate a wide selection of hors d’oeuvres including smoked salmon and beef tenderloin.
Ashlei Lopez, a facilitator in the district’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) department, said the national theme of Black History Month this year is African Americans and the Arts.
“We want people to feel upscale,” said Lopez, who was wearing a long, black dress. “We want them to dress in a way to express themselves,” she added, referring to individuals sporting everything from colorful African attire to formal wear to more casual clothing.
District 60’s African Americans and the Arts Modern Gala offered the community a glimpse into the role the arts played in Black history through its students Thursday at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan.
Quinn Norman, a manager in the FACE Department who helped organize the event, said planning began in November after the school finished celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.
Thinking about the African Americans and the Arts theme for Black History Month, Norman said she and others in her department began to consider using a venue outside of the schools. After deciding on the Genesee, the idea of an upscale event was adopted.
“I’ve been to a gala, and it’s a special event,” Norman said. “You feel special. I wanted our students to have the opportunity to experience a gala in their lives and feel special. Everyone should have a chance to feel that.”
David Velasco, a teacher at Robert Abbott Middle School, and Gloria Cardwell, a member of the library staff, were sampling the food with Johannah Johnson, an Abbott seventh grader.
“I’m really happy,” Johnson said. “We got a chance to create and learn about Black History. We’re doing something to help teach about it.”
One of the displays in the theatre’s exhibit section dealt with the Harlem Renaissance in New York City, where a variety of art forms generated over the years could be seen.
On the wall were pictures of scores of artists from a variety of media like Renee Stout and Faith Ringgold. Stout is the first African American artist to exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art. Ringgold is an author, sculptor and painter known for narrative quilts.
Jennifer Pratt said her daughter, Jenise Pope, a Whittier Elementary School fourth grader, helped with the Harlem Renaissance exhibit. Jenise was showing her mother what she helped create.
“I got to know about a lot of people,” Jenise said.
Charlotte Callahan Wozniak, a member of the Waukegan Public Schools Foundation and a former member of the District 60 Board of Education, said she heard over and over again parents commenting on their child’s work.
“It was so delightful to hear parents say, ‘My kid did this,’ or ‘This is what my kid did,’” Wozniak said. “Kids from all age groups were involved.”
Waukegan High School co-principal Dan Hill, who oversees the Washington Street campus, wore a tuxedo to the event. He has worked in the district for 21 years. He was excited looking at the student contributions.
“This is a great opportunity for the community to learn about the African American experience,” Hill said. “A lot of people contributed.”
After the crowd saw the exhibits and sampled the food, they viewed a medley of student performances ranging from dance, to a variety of music, to spoken word including a rendition of “I am Somebody,” to a fashion show.
