This history cannot be painted over. On February 18th, Long Reach debuted its culturally enriched and colorful Black History Month assembly.

The show focused on informing students about the numerous innovations and contributions of Blacks, to the history of not only America, but the world.

One section of the performance presented accomplishments of three prominent figures in Black history. Out of those three people, one was selected for having the best accomplishment of their time when it came to helping Blacks and the community.

A few of the figures were familiar to the student body because of their inclusion in classroom curriculum. As a plus, the trivia shed light on historical reformers who are not quite as renowned, including persons such as Madam CJ Walker, Jan E. Matzeliger, and Lewis Howard Latimer.

Sophomore Tajah Martin-Palmer stated, “Even though I knew what colored people did for the country, it [emphasized] that without colored people, the world wouldn’t be as great as it is today.” In a world  in which Black  history is  not widely appreciated, hearing just how rich the history is left  many  audience members with the feeling of enlightenment.

The performers did an outstanding job when it came to conveying the message that the world would be different if historical figures were not there. “I think they did amazing to be honest, and of course it made me feel proud to be Black,” Martin-Palmer commented. The show was clearly organized, which helped students get the full experience of the importance of Black history.

The same evening, the Long Reach Black Student Union hosted the BSU Fashion Show. Student models exhibited the clothes that were provided by different stores.

From a cultural aspect, the audience was given a varied representation of traditional African clothing. Freshman and model in the show Daryan Allmond commented, “I felt very powerful showing off my ancestry, and I learned so much. The different patterns and prints on the clothing and the amount of jewelry we had to wear was so beautiful!”

Not  only did student  models  present  both modern clothing and cultural pieces, other school organizations such as dance helped out to put on informative but entertaining sets in between outfits. Some of these included songs about Black history, clips from shows  to  highlight  Black culture, potent  poems, and spoken words.

The message of the event as whole stands tall, and that is to never forget the strong innovation and influence of Black people throughout history.