Churches to celebrate black history
The community is being invited to "listen to the sounds of Negro spirituals, hear the cries of former slaves and hear the heartbeat of Martin Luther King Jr." to celebrate Black History Month.
The Logan Street Baptist Church will depict scenes from the turbulent history of black Americans when it presents "A Change Is Gonna Come" at 4 p.m. Sunday. The church is at 908 N. River St. in Batavia.
Through drama and music, members of Logan Street Baptist and other local churches will present scenes from the auction blocks of slavery, the forced labor in the cotton fields and the flight to freedom through the Underground Railroad.
"Our skits are about unity, keeping people together," said church member Dea Nurse, who is coordinating the event.
"We'll start with a skit on reverse discrimination. We want to acknowledge that racism is in all races."
After depicting scenes from slavery, actors will explain the meaning of Jim Crow and how the era got its name.
"Jim Crow was a white slave master and the name was mentioned in a song," Nurse said. "The narration will tell about how Jim Crow came about and what the mindset was.
"If you were white and you helped a slave escape, you could be lynched, too. We want to bring out how slavery affected everyone."
Nurse said that the final narration will include portions of King's speeches.
"Our presentation says that even though he didn't live to see his dream come alive, it is alive today," Nurse said.
Music will include "Down By the River Side," "Swing Low Sweet Chariot," "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" and "We Shall Overcome."
Members of Batavia United Methodist Church, Family and Faith Church in Aurora and Gayles Memorial Baptist Church of Aurora will also perform.
"It's another wonderful opportunity to share together and support the ministry at Logan Street Baptist Church," said the Rev. Mike Stoner of Batavia United Methodist Church.
The two Batavia churches conduct an outdoor service each August at the Peg Bond Center in Batavia.
For more information, call (630) 879-7190.