On an unseasonably warm February afternoon, students and community members alike filed into the HHS cafeteria. Inside, the scene was a colorful sight like no other. The delicious scent of food vendors filled the air, and jewelry vendors’ displays glittered under the fluorescent school lights. On Friday Feb. 28, HHS hosted its annual Black History Month RAD event.
Throughout the evening, trivia questions were asked, and prizes were given to anyone who answered correctly. Upbeat music was played, and some poetry was even read. Some students also performed playing musical instruments while others danced.
A new dance group from Marlowe Middle School that goes by “The Majorettes” had publicly performed for one of the first times.
“We have practiced probably since late December or early January,” eighth grader Abrialle Crenshaw said. “It’s pretty cool.”
As a middle schooler, this was the first time she had ever attended a RAD event.
Other professional dancers performed later that night. They got the community involved by teaching them about dance history and had a call and response type activity that taught people about different types of dance. People clapped along to the beat while they demonstrated different styles of dance, and later, some people even joined them on stage.
RAD events are often fun and uplifting experiences for many, so a lot of people return to certain events each year. Junior Chinedu Anikamadu is one of these people.
“Every year since freshman year, I have been going,” Anikamadu said. “I think that they are fun, you know. It’s my culture, and the food is pretty good too.”
Small local businesses were also able to set up tables during the event. There were people selling food for dinner, a tea stand, and another table that sold handmade jewelry. As always, there was also a free photo booth for students to commemorate this day.
Junior Tiffany Mills attended a Rad event for the first time this evening.
“I think that it is really nice,” Mills said. “The earrings that are being sold are really pretty.”
As the night slowly came to an end, people slowly filtered out of the cafeteria. The energy in the room was high from such a successful night. As they walked back to their cars through the now cool and windy darkness of the parking lot, they felt a positive calm wash over them. It had been an exciting evening.
