Open Wings of Outreach Care held its inaugural Black Heritage Program Wednesday at the Marion County BusinessPlex Community Room.
Special guests included the Alcorn University Concert Choir.
The master of ceremonies was Pastor Cantrell Durr of Christian Open Door Church. Leading in the singing “Wade in the Water” was Dorothy Middleton.
Chanie Cherry, president of the Marion County Federation of Democratic Women, presented the program, “Celebrating African American Heritage from A - Z.”
Africa - Where most likely the ancestors came from, she said, hailing from all over the continent and speaking many different languages. Chaney also said many of the traditions from Africa, such as music, clothing and art, are still practiced today in the United States.
Black History Month - Carter Woodson created Black History Month to showcase the important roles of black people in history. From his work schools across the nation celebrate Black History Month.
Civil rights movement - There was a time when there were places that did not want blacks to have rights. The civil rights movement changed that to allow all people to have rights.
Discrimination - The civil rights movement helped in the fight of discrimination. Discrimination being separating one from another because of their skin color.
Emancipation Proclamation - It was signed by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War which brought an end to slavery.
Fourteenth Amendment - The 14th Amendment to the Constitution provided all people who are born or naturalized in the United States citizens thereby giving them the rights of life, liberty, property and due process.
Great Migration - Beginning in 1918 blacks started moving north for a better life and better opportunities. They moved to places like Detroit, Chicago and Pittsburgh.
Harlem Renaissance - Harlem Renaissance came about during the 1920s a cultural explosion from Harlem in New York City. The explosion was a combination of intellectual, musically, socially and artistic.
“I have a Dream.” The groundbreaking speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. about everyone is treated fairly and everyone gets along.
Jazz - A type of music created by blacks in the heart of New Orleans by the likes of people such as Louis Armstrong.
Kwanzaa - A holiday held the last week of every year to celebrate the African American culture.
Little Rock Nine - Nine black teenagers attempted to enter Little Rock Central High School in 1957 as desegregation was beginning. The teenagers had to be escorted to school by the military.
Missouri Compromise - The Missouri Compromise was set up to allow the state of Maine to enter into Union as a free state and Missouri as a slave state to keep a balance of power.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People - The NAACP was created to fight for equal rights.
O is for Jesse Owens. Owens won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics in track and field becoming one of the first black sports hero.
P is for Rosa Parks. Parks was arrested when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man playing an important role in the civil rights movements.
Quilting Language - Quilts were used as part of the Underground Railroad. If quilts were hung out the windows, slaves knew it was safe to enter.
Roots - Alex Haley wrote the book about his family beginning from Africa when his ancestors were kidnapped for slaves and detailing the struggles the family has gone through for several generations.
Slave Trade - As many immigrants move from Europe to the new land, workers were needed to tend to the land. The cheapest way to do so was through slavery. More than 1 million slaves were brought over from Africa until the slave trade was illegal.
Tuskegee Airmen - They were a group of black fighter pilots in World War II and trained at Tuskegee, Ala.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin - The anti - slavery book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, a white author, detailed some of the horrors the slaves were facing in the South playing a part of the beginning of the Civil War.
Voting Rights - The 15th Amendment gave black men the right to vote in 1870.
W is for Phyllis Wheatley. She was a slave born in West Africa who became the first black woman poet.
X is for Malcolm X. He was a key person in the civil rights movement who was assassinated by two black men who did not agree with his message.
York - York was a black explorer who traveled with Meriwether Lewis and George Rogers Clark across the country to the Pacific Ocean. York was the first black person the Native Americans encountered.
Zydeco. Zydeco is a form of music created in the southwest part of Louisiana. The instruments in the genre include things such as a washboard and the accordion.
Members of the Open Wings Outreach Choir performed before the Alcorn University Concert Choir. Following the program lunch was provided for everyone in attendance.
