The Black Culture Benefit by Asha Lipman

Philadelphia Highschool of the Creative and the Performing arts is an institution filled with  brilliant Black students, department leads such as Ms. Steph and Ms. Thomas, and administrators like Ms. Byrd and Principal Fulton. Ms. Byrd, our wonderful vice principal, is the club sponsor of CAPA’s Black Student Alliance (BSA), a club meant for the black students of CAPA to get connected with and help represent our school’s black population.  An annual tradition of the BSA is the Black History Show, started in 2015 and renamed this year to the Black Culture Benefit. Its intended purpose is to showcase CAPA’s Black talent and allow them to explore other talents \outside of what’s presented in their major, and only as of last year has been organized with an intended theme in mind. 

Before the event, Rhonsheem Butler, co-leader and show planner of CAPA’s Black Culture Benefit gave me a well-worded overview of what that theme is,  “This year’s theme is Liberation and Resilience because we want to have a way for our students to see the show and remind themselves that while this year is a really tough year on Black people, it’s also really big.” That’s certainly true, Kamala Harris’ loss of the election last year was devastating for many Americans, but the Black community lost not only a representative in a place of power, but a feeling of safety in their own country. With Trump’s attempts to erase DEI and any traces of Black Art and literature, this year feels hopeless. As they have throughout history, African American artists have risen in the face of this and had a historic year of recognition. The Grammy’s rolled in the red carpet of record breaking awards for Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, and Doechii. Abbott Elementary, a black woman created and lead Tv Show (set in our own Philadelphia) is 15 times nominated and 4 times won at the Emmys. All of these pieces of art follow this year’s theme of liberation and resilience. 

On the Friday before the first show, I was allowed to attend a tech rehearsal in the auditorium. Rhonsheem along with co-leaders Lanaa Dantzler, Lonnie McFadden and Ethan Pierce were each running around engrossed in their own specific responsibilities and embodying their leadership roles . Though there was the panic and level of disorganization that always comes with a tech rehearsal, there was an undeniable feeling of joy and intention in everyone participating. Anytime someone went up on stage, even if it was just to stand and be lit, there were cheers and claps of support from the club members sitting in the audience. The openness and collaboration between the leaders and the club members, and the passionate effort every member was putting into practicing and preparing for the show made me very excited to see what the final product had in store. 

I was certainly not disappointed. From commanding poetry to engaging  scene work, from breathtaking dancing to jaw dropping singing, from fabulous fashion shows to impressive video editing, the show was a true display of skill and emotion. Every single participant got a moment in the sun, a vocal solo or a special line and each one had a unique and incredible presence that they brought to the stage. The video interludes, played between performances, paid respects to artists of all kinds within Black History, with a wide range of infamous figures to those who often go unrecognized, The theme shined through in every single moment, with anthem-like songs, scenes with themes of Black Power and poems spoken with commanding voice and themes of strength. 

Thes show ended with resounding applause and chatters of praise heard from everyone around me. It was clear the event had its intended impact. Though this piece is being released after the Black Culture Benefit has finished its run, I strongly encourage those reading this to attend next year, or even sign up yourself. It is an empowering thing to experience, and I’m sure it must be even more inspiring to be a part of.