UpdatedFri, May 14, 2021 at 9:09 am ET
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West Orange High School senior Anya Dillard was named “2020-21 Student Leader of the Year.” (Photo courtesy of West Orange Public Schools)
WEST ORANGE, NJ
The following news release comes courtesy of the West Orange Public School District. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.
West Orange High School senior and Student Council President Anya Dillard has been named 2020-21 Student Leader of the Year by the New Jersey Association of Student Councils.
In addition, the Liberty Middle School and WOHS Student Councils were recognized for their work in the Top Ten Projects category.
Every February when we celebrate Black History Month in the United States, and when we teach it in the classroom or to our youngsters at home, the perfect accompaniment to books and stories is Black music. Black music here was born out of trouble and strife, out of uplift and joy, out of resistance and survival. It has existed since the beginning of our time here in the United States and the diaspora. Black music is rooted in the continent of Africa, and it will carry us into the future.
Though Black music has taken many forms over time, changed with each generation, and been performed in many different cultures by ethnic and racially diverse artists, many of whom are not Black, there is a fundamental thread that ties it all together: Black spirituality. When I speak of spirituality, I do not mean religiosity, though many Black musicians and their music have come out of the Black church. I speak of a force that combines both the will to endure and survive with the joy of life.