High school show celebrates Black futures

GUELPH – Black futures were celebrated with music, dance, poetry and motivational speakers at Centennial Collegiate Vocational Institute last week. 

Students in the school’s BIPOC Club organized a whole-school assembly in the gymnasium on March 4.  

“As a group, we celebrate Black futures and lead events, like this assembly, to bring our community together,” said BIPOC Club member and emcee Kemi Olagunju. 

The show celebrates “the beauty of Black culture (and) honours the history, creativity and resilience of the Black community,” said group member and emcee Kianna Cox.   

It embraces Black influences and “highlights the vibrancy of Black identity and ongoing contributions of Black individuals that continue to inspire and transform society,” Cox said. 

Poetry, dance

The show included spoken word performances from Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute (GCVI) student Myles Seymour and teacher Natalie Brown-Lahey. 

“Black history and spoken word are deeply intertwined,” Cox said. “Spoken word poetry originates from the Harlem Renaissance [when] it became a popular way of amplifying Black voices and expressing social and political messages to a diverse audience.”   

Brown-Lahey performed an original poem called Nia, named after an afrocentric principle that translates to purpose and focuses on “grounding our work and collective efforts in the purpose of restoring our traditional greatness,” Cox said. 

“Nia bridges the past, present and future, urging people to honour their ancestors while building a legacy for future generations.” 

Seymour’s original poem is called Black Heritage, “a powerful reflection on Black resilience and identity, confronting the illusion of progress while reclaiming humanity, heritage and the promise of true equity,” Cox said.

GCVI students Shonalee Martin and Tadiwa Masakure led a dancehall routine. 

Dancehall originated in Jamaica about 50 years ago as “a vibrant, expressive street style born from local sound system culture,” Cox said. It’s a style of reggae, but is faster, louder, and more likely to play at a dance club than other reggae music. 

Motivational speakers 

Inspirational speaker Tenisha “Trailblazer” Noel shared her success story and said she succeeded, “not because life gave me a break but because I wouldn’t wait for the world to make space for me.

“I didn’t beat the odds,” she said, “I exposed them.”   

As a Black girl from a low income neighbourhood, she said people didn’t expect her to succeed, and acted like her “ambition was embarrassing.” 

“If the world keeps telling you who you are supposed to be, it’s because they are afraid of who you might become,” she said. 

Noel didn’t give up, even when faced with questions like “how am I supposed to afford tuition when I can’t even afford the bus to get here?” 

She applied for scholarships, received $60,000, and graduated with a masters degree. 

“Black people have always been innovators,” she said, as that’s what it takes to live within a system that wasn’t built for them. 

She said Black Futures Month is important because it goes beyond “where we’ve been [and] asks us what we are willing to create and where we are going.”  

Basketball player and rapper Anthony Lee’s core message was that everyone is born with gifts that can be used to serve others and make a positive difference. 

He got the teens to declare that they are all “made different” and “made to matter.”

“Out of 8.3 billion people in the world, there is nobody else that’s like you,” he said. 

So don’t try to pretend to be somebody else – find your own purpose and work to accomplish it, he said. 

“We were all gifted with a purpose to serve others – there is something in this life that everyone is supposed to fulfill ... It’s time for you to lock in, right now,” he said.

“You guys are the next generation of people to change the world.” 

Lee then got the kids to jump, dance and sing along to his song Let it Shine.  

BIPOC Club

The Centennial BIPOC Club has more events and activities planned for spring, and Cox reminded students that Black futures should be celebrated all year, not only in February. 

She encouraged students to drop in during the group’s Monday lunchtime meetings to see if they want to join.  

Cox told the Advertiser that while the BIPOC club was popular last year, most of its members were in Grade 12 and now that they’ve graduated there’s only about three people left. 

“But we have teachers to help us,” she said.  

Cox said she’s part of the group because it offers community, and because of the value of advocacy and planning events. 

She said it’s important for members of the school to learn about different communities, as this education reduces discrimination. 

When the group isn’t busy organizing, they hangout and play board games, Cox said, as it’s a space students feel comfortable being themselves and gain confidence in their identities.