Pine Bluff High School students celebrated Black History Month on Wednesday through spoken words and dance.
The students paid tribute to leaders of the civil rights movement, remembered the struggles of the past and present with recitations of excerpts of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream Speech.” The theme of the program was “Bridging the Gap.”
Organized by the Pine Bluff High School History Club under the leadership of art teacher Virginia Hymes, the high school students showcased their oratory skills and musical talents. Hymes thanked parents, students, Superintendent Michael Robinson, high school principal Michael Nellums, retired educator/Pine Bluff High School History Club founder Mattie Collins, and others for organizing the program.
Students sang a moving rendition of “You Paved the Way” and inserted the names of Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington, former President Barack Obama, abolitionist Harriet Tubman, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington gave the keynote address, noting she was honored to have been invited to the program. As an educator for 38 years, she implored the students to use education to improve their lives.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“It is important to remember that those who fought for justice in the past did not have as many tools as you have today,” Washington said. “Dr. King could not make a Facebook event and invite people to march on Washington [D.C.] Rosa Parks could not recruit followers to join her on the bus boycott on Twitter and a hashtag. When the Little Rock Nine were barred from entering the doors of their own high school, they could not post their struggles on Instagram.”
Washington asked the students to help her to lead the city. She paid homage to earlier generations of Americans who fought to earn the right to vote and to end racially segregated schools.
She warned that history is not something that happens in other places but rather a result of people breaking barriers. She told the students their voices matter, while noting that social media outlets amplify such efforts.
“At Pine Bluff High, you are training to become the next generation of scientists, mathematicians, and engineers who will put humans further into space, cure new diseases and invent technologies that will improve life for all of us,” Washington said. “… I charge you today to honor the words of Dr. King when he said ‘The time is always right to do what is right.’ I charge you today to use your education to bridge the gap between where you are now and where you need to be.”
Students Evan Buckner played the viola and Carter Buckner played the bass to perform a moving duet. Kiarra Woods sang the late Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”, and the Pine Bluff High School Edition musical group performed, garnering standing ovations.