Students at Gibbs High School wanted to have a special program to celebrate Black History Month, but they needed ideas. The UT Africana Studies program was eager to help.
The result will look like an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," and students will learn about many famous African-American historical figures, inventors, musicians and athletes. The program will begin at 2 p.m. today in the Gibbs High School auditorium.
Students under the direction of Becky Parris, an English and theater teacher at Gibbs, will dress up as famous people such as George Washington Carver, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Condoleezza Rice. They will be interviewed by another student dressed as Oprah.
Parris got the idea from students at UT who took an African-American history class taught by Raymond Hall. In the class, they pretended to be historical figures interviewed by Oprah. Parris invited Hall and the students to talk to her students at Gibbs last month about putting on a similar program.
UT students also will participate in the program by giving a presentation about African-American inventors.
The program will end with Gibbs students discussing African-American musicians and playing CDs of their music.
For more info contact Parris at 689-9130, ext. 204, or e-mail her at parrisb2@k12tn.net.