February is known as Black History Month. To honor the month, MAST Academy’s Black Students Association hosted two presentations of the Black History Month Showcase on Feb. 23.
This is the first Showcase in which MAST’s Tech crew was able to use new equipment and lighting.
The Showcase opened with a performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, also known as the Black National Anthem. Following this, a brief history on the significance of African-American music and culture was introduced to students.
A variety of acts from MAST’s Performing Arts Club featured many aspects of cultural significance as seen through dance, music, and poetry.
These dances included MAST’s Dance Crew performing to a hip hop medley and a contemporary dance to Louis Armstrong’s “La Vie en Rose”.
Two spoken-word poems were also highlighted in the Showcase to represent language and the emphasis of identity seen through the lens of an African-American student.
An acoustic duet to Fugees’ “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and a performance by MAST’s Rock Ensemble to Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” were also offered.
A finale of Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You” concluded the event.
As final remarks, a forceful call for respect was made to highlight the significance of equality among MAST students, with a focus on the perspective of Black students and the strife against racial discrimination.
“To fight against discrimination, I can only ask the student body to listen to our struggles and realize that this is an actual issue. I hope that we first recognize the pain Black students are going through here, and then begin to address the people that are causing it”, MAST’s BSA Vice President Mylah Tate said in hopes to achieve equality.
