Weequahic High School Celebrates Black History Month 2019

Newark, NJ – During this year’s Black History Month, Weequahic High School’s Black History Month Committee will be sponsoring a myriad of cultural programs for the students. This year school’s theme is Unity Is Our Only Solution. The quote is taken from the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. He was the co-founder of the Nation of Islam, an African American Islamic organization established in Detroit 1930 to fight against racism and help to empower Black people in America. Here is a list of events taken place at the school:

-Monday, February 4, 2019, Weequahic High school will commemorate Black History Month with the raising of the Black Liberation Flag. The ceremony will entail the following: 1) Explain the significance of the Black Liberation flag, 2) Pour libation to the ancestors, 3) Sing the Black National Anthem, 4) Perform culturally conscious Poetry, and 5) End the program with seven Harambees (Kiswahili for people pulling together). The colors of the Black Liberation Flag are red, black and green. Red represents the shedding of the innocent blood of Black people. Black represents Black people all over the planet. Green represents mother Africa. The Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, one of world's most respected Black leaders of 20th Century, created the Black Liberation Flag in the 1920's to give Black people a racial unifying identity in the African diaspora. This event will be facilitated by English teacher Robert Hylton and history teacher Bashir Muhammad Akinyele during morning convocation in the gymnasium. Weequahic School’s Black History Month Committee has been raising the Black Liberation Flag to commemorate Black History Month for 16 straight years.

-Thursday, February 7, 2019, history teacher Mr. Akili Buchanan will moderate African American films that center on the social justice struggles of Black and Latino people in America everyday afterschool in media center from 3:00pm to 5:00pm.

-Monday, February 11, 2019 there will be a special inspirational and historical discussion called the Importance and the Necessity for Black History Month. This event will be moderated by history teacher Mr. Howell during morning convocation in the gymnasium.

-Friday, February 16, 2019, Weequahic High School’s Student Council will be hosting the Second Annual Black History Celebration Dinner.

-Friday, February 22, 2019, English teacher and poet Mr. Robert Hylton will moderate a Black Month Poetry Slam.

-Wednesday, February, 28, 2019 the Future Project facilitator Ms. Chop and history teacher Bashir Muhammad Akinyele will sponsor a special Pan-Afrikan cross cultural panel discussion program called Expressions of the Afrikan Diaspora for teachers and students to discuss and debate the different experiences of being Black in various parts of Africa, America, the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the world in media center.

Throughout the month, daily announcements will be made over the intercom by students on major events in African American history.

Art teacher Mr. Dadisi Dubose will have his students display their Black cultural artwork all over the school’s hallways.

The Black History Month Committee was created by history teachers to organize programs and activities for February’s Black History Month and for the school year at Weequahic High School for students and the community.

Bashir Muhammad Akinyele, the Chairperson of the Black History Month committee and a history teacher at Weequahic High School, says, “Black History Month must be a time to inspire people of all walks of life to seriously study the great accomplishments and contributions people of African descent made to the World!”

For more information about Weequahic High School’s Black History Month programs, contact (908) 956-3523 or (973) 705-3795.

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