The national celebration of Black History Month is a time to honor the contributions of African Americans to our nation’s history. Beginning this year, the City of Thomasville is working with community partners to celebrate our local history. According to event organizers, 2018’s celebration will include individual recognition of local ‘unsung heroes’ and a community celebration.
“We were approached by local citizens who wanted to see our community celebrate Black History Month together,” said Sheryl Sealy, Director of Marketing, Communications and Events. “Together we have planned a month of activities that will truly honor the contributions of four individuals who have made an impact on our community’s history.”
Each week, the City will unveil an ‘unsung hero’ on their Facebook page and acknowledge The Power of One. “We are using The Power of One as our theme for our celebration of our local heroes as a way to demonstrate that one person can make a difference,” said Sealy. “These individuals have each made a difference and hugely impacted our community. We are very excited to honor each person individually throughout the month of February.”
The first reveal will be Friday, February 2nd, with future reveals occurring each Friday. The last reveal will be Friday, February 23rd. February 23rd will also mark the culmination of the City’s celebration when the community is invited to celebrate together at the park and amphitheater in downtown Thomasville.
“On Friday evening, February 23rd, we will celebrate together with a free concert by the Thomas University Jazz Ensemble at the park and amphitheater in downtown Thomasville,” said Sealy. “This celebration will also honor our local African American history, as we give a nod to the significance of the Imperial Hotel and the wonderful artists that stayed there as they made their way across the United States to play at venues during the days of segregation, a journey that became known as the Chitlin Circuit.”
The "Chitlin Circuit" is the collective name given to performance venues throughout the eastern, southern, and upper midwest areas of the United States that were safe and acceptable for African American musicians, comedians, and other entertainers to perform in during the era of racial segregation in the United States.
“During their travels, many famous musicians stayed at the Imperial Hotel, which was the second all-black hotel in Thomasville,” said JaMarcus Underwood, Museum Educator for the Jack Hadley Black History Museum. “Some of the artists that stayed at the Imperial included King Perry Band, B.B. King, The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, Earl Bostic, Bells of Joy, Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight.”
During the free concert, the Thomas University Jazz Ensemble and vocalists will take the community on a trip along the Chitlin Circuit featuring music by the historic performers who set the stage for Rock and Roll, and the many musicians they influenced. The concert will include songs popularized by Lou Rawls, Nina Simone, Little Richard, Ray Charles, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, and many others.
“This celebration of our local African American history is one example of what we can accomplish when we work together, as the idea for a local celebration stemmed from a suggestion that was made by a local citizen. From there, we worked with community volunteers to help organize what we hope will become an annual celebration of an important part of our local history,” said Sealy. “We are appreciative of our local volunteers and partners, including the Jack Hadley Black History Museum, who have helped make this event possible.”
The free concert by the Thomas University Jazz Ensemble will begin at 6:00 p.m. For more information, contact Lauren Radford at 227-4015.