27-01-2025
Urbana Black History Month kick-off honors a legacy, fosters learning
URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — It's not quite Black History Month yet, but some in Urbana are getting a head start on what they say should be celebrated and studied year round.
The Dr. Williams Elementary School in Urbana was filled with applause before their Black History Month kick-off even started. Phone screens were in the air, ready to record the performances ahead.
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Performed dance steps and songs had a purpose beyond entertainment. They told a story of labor and love.
'If we don't teach our babies the importance of who they are, why they are and what they can become, no one else will,' Urbana Schools Family Engagement Director Dionne Webster said.
This was the fourth kick-off at the school. It's in honor of a former employee who died in 2021.
'My mom is Janice Mitchell,' her daughter Jeniece Mitchell said. 'She was a community advocate. She was one who heavily believed in African American students learning about their history.'
Janice's legacy lives on at the Urbana Neighborhood Connections Center, which Jeniece now runs.
UNCC students of all ages took to the stage to show off what they've learned from the center's mentors.
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'I've been working with these kids the last two, three months,' mentor Sirah Uwejeyan said. 'Just being able to see them succeed, and the pride they had on their faces just to get it done, it was just amazing.'
She said the moves, claps and choreography can give the kids a sense of self, and the confidence to realize their potential.
At the center of it all, though, there's a presence that guides a community and continues to influence generations.
'I absolutely felt my mom here with me today,' Jeniece said. 'Every year when we do this, I feel like her spirit is here.'
She said she hopes people left the event inspired for the month ahead. Organizers said the kick-off will be back next year at the same time, in the same place.
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