 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Much like the black family, pageant continues to thrive
By PATRICK COOPER © St. Petersburg Times, published February 4, 2001 ST. PETERSBURG -- The Bayfront Center's Mahaffey Theater is nearly empty, but more than 30 children and young adults are singing the African National Anthem, and the sound is hitting the rafters. Showtime is less than two days away and, there's no doubt about it, these kids are ready. The 23rd annual Black History Pageant will hit the theater's stage at 4 p.m. today with a celebration of the survival of the black family. At a rehearsal Friday evening, the youths were getting closer to joining the St. Petersburg show's long history, once sprung out of discrimination and continuing for education. The theme of this year's production is "A Family Reunion: The Black Family Thriving in Faith and Unity." Founder and director Peggy Peterman said Friday that she hopes both the audience and participants in the show will take away important lessons. "It hasn't been ordinary," she said. "The African-American family's journey hasn't been easy, but we survived." Peterman, who had a long career at the St. Petersburg Times, said she started the pageant to fill a void in drama activities for black students, an unfortunate effect of desegregation and, afterward, discrimination in productions. Now, years later, she said she is proud that the youths in her production can still learn about history through their work and also, for some, go on to productions in college. For the young adults in the show, their dedication makes them stick with it, year after year. Lakewood High School junior Nathaniel Tindall joined a long time ago, possibly eight years. "I know I've been in it for a long time," he said, laughing. He initially got involved after his sister had participated in the show, but he said he has come back every year. "We've put a lot of time and effort into it, and it'll be something worth seeing," he said. And Tindall is just one of many who have invested the time. Peterman estimated that more than 600 children and young adults have participated in the pageant during its run. When it was first held in 1978, in the fellowship hall at Bethel Community Baptist Church, 15 youths took part, and there weren't many more than that in the audience. But just like the numbers of participants, the audience has increased dramatically as well. The show has outgrown several venues and filled the 1,900 seat Mahaffey Theater during a pageant several years ago. The average crowd is about 1,200 people. Past themes have touched on politics, civil rights, religion and entertainment. Last year's was "Is Any Sick Among You: A Salute to African-Americans in the Medical Profession." This year's show will bring out "all the little nuances," including sociological and psychological, that one sees at a family reunion, Peterman said. On the serious side, a portion will take time to draw attention to the national suicide rate of black men, ages 20 to 24. Peterman said she believes the number of deaths has not drawn the national attention it deserves. The suicide rate of white males in that age group has consistently been higher, but the rate among blacks has grown in the past two decades, moving closer to that of whites, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics. But the humorous side is not omitted and reinforces the joyfulness of African-Americans' survival, Peterman said. The youths in the show seem to have caught that spirit. Dwight Gifford Jr., 21, the oldest youth member of the production, was in a choir at Bethel Community when Peterman heard him singing a solo and invited him to join the 1998 pageant. "I didn't know what I was getting myself into," Gifford said. But he went anyway. When he got to his first meeting for the pageant, he was surprised to see several of his friends there. They hadn't even mentioned that they were in the show. "It was like home," he said. After that show, Gifford took two years off from the pageant to focus on a budding music career, but he came back for this year's show after Peterman needed his help in a scene. He said he was more than happy to come back. "It's hard work, but in the end, you're glad you did it."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times South Pinellas desks |
