Pasadena Unified African American Parents Council’s Black History Living Museum is Back In-Person Wednesday

Parents, teachers and indeed the entire community are invited to the Black History Living Museum on Wednesday at the Robinson Recreation Center, where third- to fifth-grade students will dress up as African American figures of excellence, informing and engaging the audience.

African American Parent Council (AAPC) will hold its Black History Living Museum (BHLM) project in person at the Robinson Recreation Center, 1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave., between 6 and 7:30 p.m.

“The Living History Museum is a collection of visual displays where students dress as famous individuals,” said Nicole Phoenix, Co-Chair of the BHLM project. “They will stand on attention, and the audience will walk around and tour the exhibits and get to experience the life of the actual person. So the students have researched the figures that they’ve chosen for themselves, somebody that they were interested in knowing more about and sharing.”

The students will create a display board with illustrations and details to identify all of the specific facts of a historical nature.

Each student has been assigned to write a 20- to 30-second oral summary which they will present during the event. They will be introducing the most important facts about the historical personality they’ve researched about, and as visitors tour each station, they will press a button and the costumed student “will come alive to speak,” Phoenix said.

“So most speeches will be memorized and it’s expected to be a lot of fun,” she added.

The activity will showcase Black ingenuity and innovation, told through PUSD’s talented students and their presentation boards, portrayals, and oration of the black person, living or dead, that inspired them.

The whole exercise, from the research to the write-up to the actual presentation, helpss train the students to become good public speakers.

“You will hear about Black figures of significance, people who have made an impact on society. We’re not just talking about the Rosa Parks and the Martin Luther Kings, although they are very esteemed figures in our community, but also people you’ve never heard of,” Phoenix said. “So, as a group of parents, we decided to get together, find a way to empower the schools, to share more history, especially Black history.”

BHLM is also an end-of-the-school-year competition, where the best presenters are chosen and awarded, and winners of the grand prize, and first, second and third places are recognized along with their schools.

“We want everyone – parents, the teachers, the administrators, the school district – to come out and support these students for their efforts,” Phoenix said. “At the end of the day, the grand prize winner will have their name engraved on the trophy. And that school will get to house that trophy for the rest of the year.”

Phoenix is also a member of the AAPC executive team.

For more information about BHLM and the AAPC, visit https://aapcpusd.com/see-you-the-bhlm-event-this-wednesday or email info@aapcpusd.com.