Southland College Prep Hosts Performance For Black History Month

RICHTON PARK, IL — Southland College Prep Charter High School is celebrating Black History month with a virtual videotaped production of the “Harlem Renaissance,” of the early 20th century on Thursday at 7 p.m.

The 90-minute production will be posted on YouTube and remain on the school’s website for anyone to watch.

According to Southland College Prep, the production’s several hundred performers were videotaped, masked and socially distanced, during a two-week period early February, on the school’s fieldhouse stage in front of a green screen. Scenes of Upper Manhattan of the era and elsewhere will be added in post-production, according to videographer David Baer who is currently reviewing 60 hours of footage from five video cameras.

The high school said that although it is not a performing arts school, more than half of its enrollment participates in chorus, band, strings, dance, speech and drama, and many will be featured in the virtual Black History Month production. The school said that the show will also celebrate its 10th anniversary of a "Decade of Excellence" in academics and the arts.

The school said the program is produced by Fred Nelson III, music arranger and director for the late Aretha Franklin. Nelson explains the Harlem Renaissance as “a golden age when African American artists, writers and musicians performed in the Black cultural mecca of New York City’s Harlem neighborhood.”

"The Harlem Renaissance was a time when talented performers of the day shaped America and impacted the world with their artistry," said Dr. Blondean Y. Davis, Southland's CEO. "We believe our talented 21st century Southland students are capable of doing the same as they move forward from today’s demanding times to create and contribute to their communities and to the world," she added.

The school said that the classic numbers of the era being performed include “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing,” “Bubbling Brown Sugar” and “Sing, Sing, Sing.” Nelson said both pieces epitomize the Harlem Renaissance era.

Learn more about the charter high school and its extracurriculars on its website, here.