Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 7-16-19

Feature
Organizations Donate $25,000 To Historic School
Shown in this photograph during the $25,000 check presentation to Sister Maria Babatunde are: Genette Kelly, Marvin Knight, Broderick Barkley, Audrey Knight-Tolbert, Belinda Wilson, Krystal Davis, Ma’Kayla Johnson, and Joe Capitano, Sr.
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
In April of this year, a group of Tampa residents hosted their annual fundraiser to benefit the St. Peter Claver Catholic School. Recently, the members of A Positive Image, joined by the Central Park Village Youth Services, presented a check to the school. The check was in the amount of $25,000.
Tampa businessman Marvin Knight, founder of A Positive Image said, “We are very pleased to present this check to the school. We held our event and everyone came out and had a good time. And, while doing so, the community helped the students at St. Peter Claver Catholic School.”
The event was held at the Italian Club and appropri- ately named, “Jazzin At
The Italian Club.” In its infancy, the event was held at the Ritz.
Since its inception, the community event has been received positively by the community and well at- tended.
Those in attendance en- joyed a night of socializing, dancing, and mingling with others who enjoy jazz music in an adult atmosphere.
Knight said he wishes to thank everyone who came out to support this event and hopes that they will continue to support it in the future. He also wished to thank those who made it possible.
“We all came together to make this happen. And what makes this special is because none of the people who made it happen have children at- tending the school. They just saw a worthy cause and wanted to be a part of some-
thing that will make a differ- ence in our community.”
St. Peter Claver
Catholic School
In 1893, the St. Peter Claver Catholic Church came into existence with the pur- chase of an old existing church. On February 2, 1894, two Sisters of the Holy Names began classes with 16 students.
After arsonists burned the building on Morgan Street, the church purchased a piece of property on the corner of Scott and Governor in the Black community. The school reopened in October 1894.
The school was so suc- cessful that seven years later, its students were able to pass the Teacher’s Examination and receive certificates from the Hillsborough County Board of Public Instruction.
Artistic Director From Miami To Bring Play About Dr. King To Tampa
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Fifty-five years ago, the
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington for Freedom and Jobs.
Next January, that speech will come to life when veteran producer and director, Her- man LeVern Jones brings the play, “I Have a Dream” to Tampa.
The production is part of events related to the celebra- tion of the King Holiday, in- cluding the annual Martin Luther King Day Parade, Jones said.
Jones is the founder and artistic director of Miami’s TheatreSouth, which has co- produced, The Eve of Jackie, The Colored Museum, and Phantom of the Opera.
The King play – a musical featuring singers, dancers, and nearly 30 gospel songs – has been staged in Miami and throughout the country and internationally as well, Jones said.
The two-hour multimedia play will chronicle King’s life, including notable mo- ments like his rise to fame via the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, and King’s speech on the Vietnam War and his Mountaintop speech, given just the day before his death on April 4, 1968.
While details of major events in King’s life are well known, it’s the delivery of those moments in play format that make this musical spe- cial, Jones said.
“Martin Luther King
was probably the epitome of storytelling, thanks to his
HERMAN JONES ...Founder and artistic director of TheatreSouth
in Miami.
mastery of language and Bap- tist preaching and upbring- ing,” he said.
The play, written by screenwriter Joshua Greenfeld and first staged in 1983, reveals King’s more human side including his fears, Jones said.
“You see his mindset,” he said. “We see him being defi- ant in confrontation with white oppressors. We get to see his humor. Martin was a kidder, he was a jokester.”
The play offers a “3-D ver- sion” of King’s life, Jones said.
It focuses on King’s de- velopment into a leader es- pousing the tenets of nonviolent protest.
“The bigger part is that he was monumental in his non- violent approach,” Jones said. “He realizes that it could move the needle rather than fist fight. He realized you can get more with love than hate.”
For more information about the “I Have A Dream”
musical, tions,visit south.net.
including audi- www.theatre-
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