Central Catholic Celebrates Black History Month
Central Catholic High School has been celebrating Black History Month throughout February by sharing what the month means to some of our students, staff members, and alumni. This celebration culminated with a special assembly on February 26 in Krompak Hall.
Central Catholic’s African American Club (AAC) planned and hosted the assembly. It began with a presentation about sickle cell anemia and blood donation by Laurie Knight from the American Red Cross, and a beautiful performance by the Central Catholic Gospel Choir. Students Kurtiss Whitman and Heaven Jones then read poems about what Black history means to them.
Several panelists from the community were invited to speak about the connection between history and the present, the sacrifices that people made throughout history to better the lives for future generations, and the importance of community roots and having mentors to guide you. The panelists included:
Candice Harrison, Class of 1993 - Chairman of the marketing committee of Central Catholic’s Board of Directors. She currently works as the Corporate Director of Inclusion and Community Impact at SSOE Group.
Tyrone Cleveland - Podcaster of MudTalk, Producer of the Rise & Grind morning show on iHeart Radio, and English teacher at Rise and Shine Academy and formerly of Bennett Venture and WinterField Academy
Alisha Durham - University of Toledo Director of Upward Bound and the Upward Bound Math Science Program
The assembly ended with a presentation about the Divine Nine, a group of historically African American fraternities and sororities dating back 120 years and constituting the National Pan-Hellenic Council. These organizations promote community service, leadership, and social justice. Members of these organizations, including CCHS Physical education teacher Randall Pryor, and Spanish teacher and Gospel Choir moderator Dawn Scotland ‘10, spoke about how their chapters have impacted their lives.
Four members of the African American Club then demonstrated some stepping techniques.
“We wanted to introduce the Divine 9 and share their story so our students know about the opportunity to join them in the future and what an impact they can make on your life,” said ShawnZeya Brown, AAC president. “We also felt these panelists would have great advice and opportunities for our students.”
“It’s important that we connect history with the present for our students to give them a context of who they are,” said AAC co-moderator Baendu Williams. “Black history is everyone’s history.”
The theme for Black History Month 2026 is A Century of Black History Commemorations, as chosen by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). This year marks a century of national commemorations of Black history. What started as a week-long observance of Black history has led to a month-long tradition of exploring the impact and contributions people of African descent have made on history and modern culture.
