April 2008
By Karen Ray
Young people celebrating with joy were the center of the African-American Program at Hope this year. Bertie young people showed how you can learn from serious times, but still enjoy honoring past African-American heroes. Once again one of the significant African-American History Month celebrations in Bertie County was at the Roanoke Chowan Heritage Center sponsored by the Historic Hope Foundation and the Bertie County ArtsCouncil.
The students of the Bertie County Middle School gave an inspiring performance based on the Greensboro, NC sit-in at the Woolworth’s lunch counter which opened the civil rights movement in North Carolina. The performances were sometimes funny, sometimes menacing, and sometimes moving, demonstrating the courage and character of the demonstrators. The performance ended with a very effective reading of Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech. Although these sixth graders were born long after, they demonstrated a real appreciation of the meaning of that call to higher goals. The audience was drawn into their spirit and commitment.
The students were all from Mr. Urquhart’s sixth grade class. They were:
- Tanique Moore
- Ashland Cobb
- Ashley Harmon
- Monasia Leary
- Tamara Spivey
- Sabrina Acree
- Dayman White
- Kayvan Cherry
- Imani Earley
- Tydaisha Thompson
- Tobe Mickens
- Keidren Murry
- Teanta Coston
- Zephaniah NewKirk
- Justin Hendricks
- Melik Dukes
- Jadya Strickland
The script, which had so well explained the moment and the movement was written by Mr Urquhart himself.
The morning program was both entertaining and moving. It was organized by Mr. Glenwood Mitchell, a long-time educational leader in Bertie County, and introduced by the President of the Historic Hope Foundation, Dr. Benjamin Speller. The Praise Team from Mt. Ararat Baptist Church animated the invocation, and also gave several other inspirational performances throughout the morning. They were beautifully dressed in simple clothing with ethnic waist scarves. The enthusiastic and efficient students of the Bertie STEM High School cordially welcomed everyone, guided people to seats and made sure all were registered.
The STEM students who were volunteering this day were
- Tierra Craig
- Ebony Smallwood
- Tameha Lee
- Brian Strickland
- Chris Sessoms
- Tatyanna Holley
- Precious Vonwolfork
