On February 27th, 2025, the Black Student Union (BSU) hosted their annual black history month showcase titled “Forever Black”. The showcase immerses and educates people on the history, significance, and style of black culture. They do this through musical performances, modeling acts, plays, and more. The Forever Black Showcase at ERHS displayed an abundance of different talents and skills. This event happened to give an appreciation to Black History month.
The performance followed two teenagers that traveled back in time to learn more about black history. Their first stop was Harlem, New York. Throughout the play, the teens go to different places in the past that have strong connections to black history and important historical figures such as Josephine Baker, Billie Holiday, and The Jackson 5. Being the music focused performance that it was, many songs were included such as “ABC” by The Jackson 5, “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind & Fire, and “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston.
The BSU president and performer Josie has a lot to say about the importance of the showcase. She says “the show projects the importance of black history, and how the different eras of black resilience have led to the world we live in now. Most people aren’t educated enough, but learning information from a play that’s interactive seemed like a great idea.” Josie also embellished some of the challenges BSU faced with this showcase by saying “the main challenges were getting everything together at the same time, trying to run the show, and actually getting people to want to join.” Lastly Josie had some advice to give for event planners and club presidents planning for a big event by saying “good luck! Have fun! Try to stay calm. Everything will be okay. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Delegate work and don’t just shoulder all your stress.”
Those in the audience were undoubtedly happy with the show. One attendee, Judy Bilberry, a grandparent of one of the performers, had said she liked the history that was brought into it and would definitely come to see another black history month performance at ERHS again. Another attendee, Charleye Muhammad, a student at Roosevelt, also enjoyed the performance. She thought it was a good thing that it brought attention to many important people in music. The performance’s focus on black people and the contributions they’ve made in music was definitely a good impression on the audience, and the importance of celebrating black history was clear.
