Free live music and performance graced downtown Lynchburg Saturday, Feb. 21 as the Academy Center of the Arts put on its annual Black History Month celebration event. This year, the event was titled “Guided by Grace: Celebrating Black History,” which focused on perseverance and hope throughout American history.
The first half of the evening showcased works from playwright Teresa Harris. Three different scenes were performed from Harris’s anthology collection, “The Day is Past and Gone,” centered around enslaved people living at Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest. The evening also served to promote an upcoming local production of Harris’s work coming in late May, which will be performed at Poplar Forest.
The Academy’s Chief Programming Officer, Michelline Hall, is in charge of planning the Black History Month event every year.
“Each year we may switch up what area we want to focus on,” Hall said. “Whether it’s dance or poetry or public speaking, or one year we had film … we kind of switch mediums back and forth.”
Through its celebration of Black history, this annual event also provides a stage for local artists to express their talents.
“We really love to present a free-to-the-public event that highlights the talent and the gifts of folks who are right here in our region and right here in our own hometown,” Hall said. “They can be on a stage that has been toured on by national and international acts because they are phenomenal and deserve to be honored.”
After the intermission, the event transitioned to gospel songs performed by local music group 150 Entertainment, renowned for their rich vocals and smooth harmonies. To some in the audience, their performance was the highlight of the night.
“The thing that wowed me the most was the singing at the end, because it lifted my spirits so much,” audience member Sharlene Napier said. “When your spirits are lifted, that makes it the highlight of the night … they were great.”
Since 1905, The Academy has provided Lynchburg with a space to host local, national and international artists. Although it was closed from 1958 to 2018, today every event is held with three specific values in mind: community, creativity and equity.
“We had not partnered with them, and I had thought it was very significant for us to do that since it is relevant to our local Black history and our local American history in this 250 years of American history and 100 years of Black History Month,” Hall said.
The Academy has upcoming events throughout the rest of the year for both children and adults. More information about The Academy and its events is available at academycenter.org.
Blabey is an off-campus news reporter for the Liberty Champion.