Home / News / Hundreds attended Zion Black History Month celebrations; ‘I see things slowly getting better’ – Chicago Tribune

Hundreds attended Zion Black History Month celebrations; ‘I see things slowly getting better’ – Chicago Tribune

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Nearly 500 people attended the 34th annual Black History Celebration at the Zion-Benton Township High School Performing Arts Center on Saturday.

Celebrating diversity at the local level is “getting better,” said David B. Osborne Sr. of Zion, event coordinator and manager of the Zion Park District’s Hermon Park Center.

“I work with kids because I coach youth basketball, Little League Baseball, and I do that program and some other programs,” he said. “I’m in the community too, going here and there, so I’ve seen some slow changes. “I see things are slowly getting better.”

Maranda Leonard-Hayden, center right, 10, of Waukegan, performs with The Elite Striders Drill Team and Drum Corps of Waukegan at the 34th annual Black History Celebration at Zion-Benton Township High School District 126 in Zion on Feb. 24, 2024 . (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News-Sun)

Zion Park District and Zion-Benton Township High School presented the Lake County program on Saturday.

Diallo Brown, assistant principal of Zion-Benton Township High School, said: “We do not want to take February away for this important date. We would like the nuggets to be dropped every day to make the commemoration easier to handle. It is easier to digest.

High school principal Zackary Livingston greeted the audience with this reminder: “Black history matters. “If we don’t take the time to come and support, talk and educate each other, our generation will grow up and forget how important Black history is.”

The program included poetry and performance art. Opening the itinerary was the Elite Striders Drill Team and Drum Corps of Waukegan, an award-winning program celebrating its 10th anniversary with a current roster of 50 members.

“This is a great success,” said the unit’s founder, Sameia Charity Hicks. “Most small businesses and jobs don’t last a few years, but these kids keep me going.”

The program itinerary also included the community singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

“This is our anthem, and I think it’s a very powerful message,” said pianist and principal’s wife Marisa Livingston.

Christian Gibbs, a 17-year-old high school senior, was the soloist during the choir’s performance.

“It’s really nice to be able to spread the joy of the songs and spread the message,” he said.

Audience reaction at the 34th annual Black History Celebration held at Zion-Benton Township High School District 126 in Zion on February 24, 2024.  (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News-Sun)
Audience reaction at the 34th annual Black History Celebration held at Zion-Benton Township High School District 126 in Zion on February 24, 2024. (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News-Sun)

Standing and swaying to the music was audience member Maya Moseberry from Vernon Hills.

“The music here is extremely important to me,” he said. “I am a Christian, a follower of God, and I love the messages in it.

“This is very uplifting,” Moseberry continued. “It’s like a vibration. It literally resonates from your feet to the top of your head.

Iona Woods of Grayslake was also in the audience, singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and joining the event with “just enjoy the school, enjoy the people. I love being outside like this.”

The Elite Striders Drill Team and Waukegan Drum Corps are opening the program at the 34th annual Black History Celebration in Zion on February 24, 2024 at Zion-Benton Township High School District 126.  (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News-Sun)
The Elite Striders Drill Team and Waukegan Drum Corps are opening the program at the 34th annual Black History Celebration in Zion on February 24, 2024 at Zion-Benton Township High School District 126. (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News-Sun)

Woods noted that diversity is increasingly celebrated in society.

“I think good people should help bad people, good people should pray and help bad people,” he said.

Woods said it’s “very important” to educate young people about Black history so that “young people can learn and know.”

In the audience, Grayslake’s Iona Woods sings “Lift Every Voice and Sing” during the 34th annual Black History Celebration held at Zion-Benton Township High School District 126 on Feb. 24, 2024 in Zion. (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News) -Sun)

Zion Mayor Billy McKinney was also in the audience and said it was “very important” to remember Black history.

“There are a lot of Black people who helped found the country, who built this country on their backs,” he said. “I think our young kids, like me, who weren’t part of the Civil Rights era, need to learn about this history so they don’t forget the sacrifices of so many people who helped them have opportunities. now they have.

“As they say,” McKinney added, “if you don’t know where you came from, you don’t know where you’re going.”

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