Mount Calvary’s Black History Program was one of their most popular and highly attended events of the school year. Each year has a different theme. This year the theme was “Made in the Image of God; Created to Do Great Things” based on Genesis 1:27. All students spent the month learning about African American History in their classrooms. Then classes and individuals in the middle school prepared a display of historical figures, local inspirations, and important milestones in black history. The displays were set up in the gym to be viewed by their families, friends, and church members following the Black History Month Program. The fourth through eighth-graders wrote essays on the theme and several students were chosen to read their essays during the program.
This year, the program also included songs performed by the students, as well as a dance by middle school students. This dance was created and performed by eighth grade girls, performed to the song “Stand Up” from the movie Harriet. It was a powerful performance that became a big highlight of the program. Guest speaker Pastor Keith Haney, Assistant to the President for Missions, Human Care, and Stewardship in Iowa District West, shared a message as well. He serves multi-ethnic urban congregations in Detroit, St. Louis, and Milwaukee, and is the author of numerous devotionals, including One Nation Under God: Healing Racial Divides in America. A video of students explaining how they were made in the image of God and the great things they were created to do was shown during the program, and can be viewed on the Mount Calvary Facebook page and YouTube.
Some examples of what students learn during Black History Month are Civil Rights Leaders such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Ruby Bridges, and Harriet Tubman, a focus on the geography of Africa, and a special project on the experiences of African Americans before the War of 1812.
All of this culminated into a fun celebration with family and friends of a prominent culture in Milwaukee!