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| Black History Fashion Show Models |
On
a pleasant Saturday evening on March 7 at Fayetteville's Donald W. Reynolds Boys' and
Girls' Club, a program was held. Not just any old program, but one to celebrate
greats in American history. It just so happened that these greats, these
heroes, these innovators were Black.
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| MC Steven Toston & MC Leora Jackson |
Spearheaded by the founder of the Umoja
Soul Writers Group, Leora Jackson, the program was designed to inform attendees
about the important roles these figures played in the shaping of America. It
was also to celebrate those contributions in a manner that both educated and
uplifted. Ms. Jackson disclosed that her inspiration for the program was an
online exhibit that she had stumbled upon that used child models to represent
historical figures. Being very impressed with the idea, she decided to bring
the concept to life in NW Arkansas.
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Chelsea James Boys & Girls
Club Representative |
The program, included models aged 3 - 11 in
costumes representing the varied historical and relevant figures. There were
representatives from Sojourner Truth all the way through President Barack
Obama. The program itself included poetry, singing, speeches and music.
The event was kicked off with Chelsea James from the DWR Boys and Girls Club giving
the opening address. After which, Pastor Marcus Carruthers of Dwelling Place Church gave the opening
remarks. Haley Smith was called upon to introduce the masters of ceremony,
Leora herself and Steven "Ladebac" Toston. After that, it was on to the models.
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| Pastor Marcus Carruthers |
The
trailblazers represented were: Sojourner Truth (as I mentioned earlier), Angela
Davis, Joe Louis, Langston Hughes, Ruby Bridges, Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey,
Assata Shakur, Muhammad Ali, Daisy Bates (the Arkansas native), and President
Barack Obama. The young people were tasked with delivering short vignettes
about their historical figures while modeling their costumes. It was cuteness
overload. I was quite impressed with their poise.
Act 1 Models:
OUR LITTLE PRINCESS:
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Mila Gaston
as Mariah Carey |
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Alynna Carter
as Ruby Bridges |
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Xavier Brown
as President Barack Obama |
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Chloe Belle
as Angela Davis |
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Collin Tims
as Langston Hughes | |
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But alas, for the youngest
though, the stress of being up in front of a crowd was a bit much. (I can
definitely relate). Ironically Ruby Bridges, the person she was representing
probably felt some of the same type of anxious feelings as she single handedly
integrated William Frantz Elementary School in Mississippi.
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| Mayor Lioneld Jordan |
The crowd was also
treated to an impromptu, off-the-cuff speech from the Honorable Mayor Lionel
Jordan. He attended the event in support of education about Black history,
unity and the well-being of all of his citizens. His message spoke to the
futility of divisiveness and the hope for a more inclusive future.
Inspiration
was
the word of the day. It was a time of coming together, a time of
learning,
a time of understanding, and a time of igniting the future. And since
this will
be an annual event, we can all take heart in promise of inspiration
coming from the past, gracing our present, and remaining relevant into
the future.
Act II Models:
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Carrington Sims
as Sojourner Truth |
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Caleb Honore as
Muhammad Ali |
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| Varaie Dabney as Assatar Shakur |
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Kaylee Sibley as
Daisy Bates |
Story & Pictures by Tony E. Boyd
