Five Town Black History Month Event Postponed

The Black History Month Celebration originally planned by the Five Towns Community Center for Feb. 27 is being postponed. The center hopes to host a similar event at some point in the near future.

The original celebration was to include photographs by Inwood resident Jermaine Ewell and a performance by Lawrence High School’s African American Club.

A presentation by children involved in the center’s programs was planned to get the event underway at 6 p.m., said Gwynn Campbell, president of the center’s board of trustees. Ewell’s photos were to be exhibited throughout the gymnasium. A buffet dinner and a brief video about black history were also part of the celebration. “The second part of the evening is more geared towards the adults,” she said.

Ewell was attacked and nearly killed by a group of white men after a party when he was 17, in 1991. Severe head and brain injuries derailed the career of Lawrence High School’s star linebacker and fullback. In recent years Ewell has indulged his passion for photography, “I’ve always had an interest in photography,” he said in a previous interview with the Herald. “I’m an observer, so I watch everything. Certain things stand out to me, and if I can capture it the way I see it, then I know that’s a good thing for me.”

Along with local stories, Sports Illustrated wrote about Ewell after the attack, and his story was recounted in “Beyond the Boardwalk,” a documentary that first aired on the MSG Network last August. He actively volunteers with Five Towns organizations, and said he strives to be a positive influence on the community he’s been a part of for his entire life. “I just really hope that the night is successful,” he said. “We need to come together, we need to pull together and put the community first. Everyone needs to pitch in to help.”

Lawrence High School’s African American Club secretary Leeann Barker was keeping a tight lid on the specifics of the performance but did say it would include traditional dance and Maya Angelou’s poetry. “It will just be to help embody and help show what the African American community is like, and the influence of it,” she said.

Alex Smith, the club’s vice president, said that the community center had contacted the high school, which then put the club in contact with them. They saw it as a great opportunity to spread their message. “I just hope we can educate the naïve,” he said, believing that many people aren’t aware of a lot of black history, “and just spread the word about stuff we’re really passionate about.”

Barker hoped they’d inspire the attendees to dig deeper into African American history, “I hope we influence people, I hope we have people who are more proud to be black,” she said. “That they feel better about themselves and that they have the urge to learn more about themselves.”