The drums of Africa, the rhythm and blues of New Orleans, the sounds of the Caribbean, and the beat of the city echoed throughout BFS on February 3 as more than 350 people came together for the school’s 11th Annual African American Celebration.

“Celebrating the Human Spirit—for Others, Not Ourselves” was the theme of the event, a tribute to African American History Month that also benefited the Hurricane Katrina evacuee families in the BFS community.

Volunteers transformed the Lower Gym into a dazzling, vibrant performance space with three “sets” for the featured performers: Despers USA Steel Orchestra; the Jesse Thomas Blues Band; and the Brooklyn Friends Afterschool African drummers and the Lady Panthers Step Team. Also, ten students who had trained with Despers in the week prior to the concert played “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (known as the Black national hymn) on the steel pans, as the audience sang along.

The event educated and enlightened—speakers Marilyn Weaver-Fox and Laurice Fox ’08 explained the history of Mardi Gras in the Americas and steel pan music in the Caribbean, relating their origins to the African diaspora. Master of Ceremonies Toukie Smith—in addition to keeping the performers and the audience on track and on time—talked about the Civil Rights movement and reminded everyone about the struggles facing the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

Above all, the evening was a great time for families and friends to get together and enjoy awesome music, great performances, high spirits, and spontaneous dancing throughout the gymnasium.

An event of this magnitude could not take place without the time, expertise and generosity of many individuals. Special thanks are due to event co-chairs Ellie Tweedy and Conway Boyce and their 50-member volunteer committee, for whom the celebration was a labor of love, pride, and joy.

more great photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4