Canton community celebrates Black History Month

Approximately 70 guests, including school and municipal leaders, members of the local law enforcement community, and students ranging from preschool age to young adults, gathered in the Distance Learning Lab at Canton High School last Wednesday for a Black History Month celebration hosted by Canton Families Embracing Diversity (CFED).

Keynote speaker Leonard Tshitenge addresses the crowd.

The evening’s keynote speaker was Leonard Tshitenge, a Congolese poet, community activist, and frequent guest speaker in the greater Boston area. Tshitenge, who is well known in the Boston poetry community as Afroblues, discussed the effects of cultural and racial stereotypes in the media in a presentation entitled “Combatting Xenophobia.” He stressed that eliminating stereotypes is a “village effort,” and he praised the presence of law enforcement officers at the event as a positive sign for the Canton community.

“All of us are in this big ocean swimming and sinking, but we need to hold each other’s hand,” he said. Tshitenge also emphasized the importance of using one’s talents to make the world a better place, noting, “The gift you have becomes your gift to humanity.”

Also performing at the event were Didi Delgado, a freelance journalist and poet who delivered a powerful spoken word performance, and the Canton High School chamber singers, who performed “Salvation is Created” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Additional photos from the event appear in the Canton Citizen’s March 3 print edition.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=32641

Posted by Jay Turner on Mar 4 2016. Filed under News. Both comments and pings are currently closed.