The Black History Committee of Orange County held its 5th annual celebration on January 28, 2011 at the Wells Built Museum in Downtown Orlando. The mission of the Black History Committee of Orange County is to educate the citizens of Orange County and Americans about Black History, and improve the dialogue of the contributions that African Americans have made to the society.
At this event, the host of the evening was Gloria Barber, and there was live jazz featuring Ocean Breeze, a jazz group from Cocoa Beach. Starting from the very beginning of the program, there was a sense of calmness and enlightenment, and the overflow crowd was there to learn.
After there was an introduction of the chairpersons, the entertainment started with inspiring poetic rendering and spoken word pieces from Yolanda Triplett, Eddie Ingram, and Tammie Smith. There was a singing selection and a praise dancing selection from the Fruits of the Spirit. The entertainment was excellent and the audience showed their appreciation with their clapping and attentiveness.
The guest speaker was Rev. James Harris Jr., who spent about 15 minutes celebrating Black History with forgotten facts and explaining that many of our problems are tied into slavery. He believes that it is time for us to begin to talk to each other, because we are all related and we are all family.
The program ended with more musical selections from the jazz group and there was food and refreshment for everyone who attended. There was also networking and some dancing.
The Black History Committee of Orange County has donated over $200,000 to local schools, colleges, and universities in Orlando and the State of Florida. On February 19, 2011 at the Rosen Plaza, The Black History Committee will hold its annual Black History Celebration Gala featuring Tasha Smith and Coco Brown & Phat Katz Players. For tickets, contact Gloria at 407-877-3508, Clarence at 407-460-1666, at www.BHCOC.com.
