Black History celebrated through the arts at Sankofa Cultural Arts Center
DOVER – Members of the community gathered at the Sankofa Arts Center on Feb. 17 for the “Celebrating Black History Through the Arts” show, presented by the Inner City Cultural …
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Black History celebrated through the arts at Sankofa Cultural Arts Center
By DOVER – Community members gathered at the Sankofa Arts Center on Feb. 17 for the “Celebrating Black History Through the Arts” show, presented by the Inner City Cultural League.
Reuben Salters, the community icon that put the event together, says that Black history is always taking place.
“If you are Black, you know that everything, every etch of our lives is Black history,” Mr. Salters said. “I mean, it started with the books, the churches, the time you’re born, the time you die, the cemeteries, all that stuff, the educational experience to go through the prejudice, and the dialogue and just everything that you do is considered Black history to us.”
The event featured performers of all ages, and included traditional drum and dance by Sankofa performers, songs, poems, a musical performance from North Dover Elementary School, and more.
A key theme of the performances was the Harlem Renaissance, with Dover experiencing a mini-Harlem Renaissance of its own.
“Well, the Harlem Renaissance itself is a collection of people coming from all over the country, all over the world, in Harlem, but they have their own cultures,” said Donald Blakey, who emceed the performances. “And what has happened in that regard is that they sort of landed in Harlem, in Chicago in a couple of other places. They were able to put together functions, musical extravaganza, basically literature and discussions about life from an African American point of view.”
According to Mr. Salters, the Sankofa Arts Center has a pivotal role in helping children of all ages and races in the community.
“We bring to light programs in science, Arts and Cultural Arts Center are designed to make America aware of a many many blessings of cultural learning,” said Mr. Salters.
“I would like people to know that this activity is available to everybody, it’s not just limited to Black folk,” he said. “We’ve got White kids in this program, and we’ve got Hispanic kids, White kids, so they amalgamate, they mix... (we’re all) human beings, and you look at (each other) like that.”
