Entertainment, exhibits and awards celebrating the African-American heritage will form the program for the 14th annual Black History Celebration tomorrow at The Mall in Columbia -- Howard County's unofficial indoor town common.
The event is presented by the Howard County Coalition for Black History and The Mall in Columbia.
The eight-member nonprofit coalition, established in 1981, is a group of county residents set up "to discuss the promotion of an awareness of black contributions to our county and our country," said Roberta M. Briscoe, the coalition's chairwoman for the past six years.
Mae A. Beale, Hilda Barrett, Jacqueline Banks, Mary K. Bracy, Jean Lewis, Sylvia Cooke Martin and Celonia B. Walden are the coalition's other members.
"The Black History Fair is for the total community. And the community has enjoyed the entertainment," Mrs. Briscoe said. She and her husband of 40 years, Thomas Briscoe, have lived in Columbia since July 1968.
Mrs. Briscoe said that The Mall has been a wonderful venue to celebrate the black experience.
"It has attracted anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 people during the course of the day. And we only ran into one snowstorm, and they closed the Mall," she said.
The free celebration has grown since its beginning in 1982, when eight exhibits were displayed, and the entertainment was more local.
Organizers expect to have 35 exhibits by Howard County chapters of sororities and fraternities, churches and community groups.
One exhibit will be by Guilford Elementary School, which is marking its 40th anniversary. It began as a segregated school for blacks.
The Howard County chapters of two historically black fraternities, Kappa Alpha Psi and Alpha Phi Alpha, are commemorating their 20th anniversaries.
Opening ceremonies begin at noon at The Mall's Center Court, where Columbia resident Al Sanders of WJZ-TV will be master of ceremonies. Organizers will honor Mr. Sanders for helping children. Former Washington Bullet Phil Chenier will take over as master of ceremonies for the rest of the afternoon.
The first entertainment, slated for 12:30 p.m., will be provided by the widely traveled Morgan State University Choir, directed by Dr. Nathan Carter, who will be honored by the coalition.
An awards ceremony for long-time exhibitors will follow the choir's performance.
After the awards ceremony, the Richmond Theatre Company for Children will perform "Tales of Anansi" about 1:45 p.m.
Taken from Ghanaian folklore, the tales feature the story-telling spider Anansi and bear some similarity to Aesop's fables.
"He weaves these tales that you learn. All of the tales have a lesson. One is how he got his wisdom," said Suellen Weisberg, consultant to the coalition.
The Washington-based Tappers with Attitude will come next, about 2:30 p.m. The tappers, ranging in age from 4 to 20, has some dancers from Howard County and has performed at the World Cup Legacy Tour and with dancer Gregory Hines at the Smithsonian.
"Their goal is to keep the art of tap dancing alive and to bring it to the next level," Ms. Weisberg said.
The final portion of entertainment, set for 4:30 p.m., will be alternate performances by Virginia-based Cast of Thousands and Morgan State University Jazz Ensemble's quartet. The ensemble is directed by Professor Melvin Miles, who will be honored by the coalition.
Cast of Thousands will perform a "Visit to the Cotton Club," reflections on life at the Harlem nightclub.
The Howard County Coalition for Black History and The Mall in Columbia will present the 14th annual Black History Celebration from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. tomorrow at The Mall. The entertainment portion will start shortly after noon.