‘Taste of Culture’ celebrates and educates about Black History Month

Onyx Lovely / THE GATEPOST

Sarah Daponde Asst. Arts & Features Editor The Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) hosted a ‘Taste of Culture’ event for Black History Month on Feb. 10. The event celebrated Black history and community by featuring authentic Jamaican, Haitian, Ghanaian, and Soul cuisine. Among the dishes offered were sweet potatoes, plantains, beef patties, chicken, and a Jamaican hibiscus-flavored drink called Sorrel. Jerome Burke, director of the CIE, kickstarted the event with a brief record of Black History Month. Burke said there was only a “Black History Week,” before Carter G. Woodson officially established Black History Month. “Black History Month was really dedicated to educating people about Black people in America,” he added. Burke did a short presentation on the history of Jamaica in specific. “There are so many countries that we can reflect on if we’re thinking about Black History Month.” Jamaica was nicknamed, “The Land of Wood and Water,” said Burke, as a nod to the beautiful landscape. Spanish explorers came to Jamaica in 1494, followed by English explorers in 1655, which created a fight between the two nations over ownership of Jamaica, said Burke. During this time, a large number of enslaved people started their own families and communities. He said even though Jamaica’s population is only around 3 million people, the country continues to be a “global force,” and urged everyone to learn more about it. “As we think about Black History Month, find a country or two that you would like to go to for a vacation, a country or two you enjoy a product or food or anything from - if you can just learn a little bit more about the people and culture and their history,” said Burke. Burke introduced Fanta Vibez, a West African singer and songwriter based out of Worcester. Vibez said, “I am truly honored as an African American woman. I am proud to be here.” She began her performance by singing a rendition of the song “Back Water Blues” by Bessie Smith with a modern twist. Vibez said she is working on a project in school, which involves looking through “old school” music, and this song stuck out to her. She said Bessie Smith was an African American musician in the 1920s. “She was able to tell the story of what was happening within the Black community. … ‘Back Water Blues’ is basically about this great flood that happened in Cumberland River in Nashville.” Next, she sang two original songs, “Good Life” and “Put it in a Song,” followed by “Young, Gifted, and Black” by Nina Simone. Vibez said “Put it in A Song” is about people telling her to simply write her thoughts down when she is feeling strong emotions, which doesn’t always work. “Certain things you write it out, talk it out - but some things you just have to feel out,” said Vibez. Vibez said she got in contact with Burke through an affiliate she has with “Queer the Scene,” an organization that supports the LGBTQ community in Worcester. “I am happy to be here to share this moment with you guys. It’s a lovely school,” added Vibez. Burke asked the audience to continue to dedicate the rest of the month, and year, to learning more about Black history. Burke said, “As we think about Black History Month, let it not just be something that we see on Instagram or TikTok, but let it be an opportunity for us to really dig deeper and learn more about these countries and the people that are from these countries.”