Last week I was invited to attend Wheatley Elementary’s “Black History Experience 2026.” What a wonderful experience it was! I left the school feeling uplifted and filled with joy. 

First of all, the event was packed with cars filling the parking lot and the surrounding streets. The cafeteria was filled with the smiling faces of parents, grandparents, children, friends and community members. It was a real community event. 

The evening featured performances of various grade levels and included a wide variety of genres, including gospel music, a Motown tribute, drums, spoken word and poetry. It all had us all on our feet dancing and singing. 

When I tell you it was a good time, I mean it. I don’t think I have ever attended a school performance where the audience was so involved and excited. 

But the bright spot for me was seeing the pride on the faces of these young scholars. They quite literally stood with their chests out. They knew the message they were sharing was not just a report of the past or of times gone by but a living testament to who they are and the history that lives in each of them that makes them strong. 

It was a beautiful thing to witness, which nearly brought me to tears several times.  

But what I also loved to witness was the tight community that lives within Wheatley Elementary. There is a pride within those walls that is a strong testament to the 140-year history it embodies.  

That community feeling was on full display that evening with the crowd’s involvement in the program, the cheers, dancing and singing. The PTA was out in full force as well. Staff members were there. It truly was a joyous feeling and quite electric. 

That particular day was a long one that started at 8 a.m. with two conferences I attended in Orlando. I didn’t get home that night until almost 7 p.m., but it was worth it to cap my long day off with such a joy-filled event. As I shared with Principal Tabitha Brown after the performance, my spirit was lifted and renewed! 

Thank you, Principal Brown, for the special invitation and thank you Phillis Wheatley Elementary scholars for treating me to such a special evening I won’t soon forget!