On Friday, February 19, 2016, Hillcrest High School and NHS hosted its first ever Origins Fair, which was a collection and celebration of African culture. African American culture was also expressed in the form of rhymes, but the most of the event was centered on African culture. It was also a nice lead up to the Black History Month program that occurred 6 days after this fair. I think that this type of fair was only going to happen once, but it was worth it because it was put together so well.

The amazing part is that this idea would never become a reality if it wasn’t for two students. Of course, they had help with the set-up for the festivity, but these two pretty much laid the blueprint for their volunteers.

As part of their National Honor Society (NHS) service project, Hillcrest seniors Autumn Clemons and Moriam Yarrow devised a plan to promote African culture to the students and staff at Hillcrest. Although their hard work was finished, I saw how much this project had drained them. Since I’m in most of their classes, I can see how the preparation of this project was stressing both of these individuals out. During this time, they would look really sleepy or really busy, and they would have some problems staying awake in class. I’m just glad that they can get at least some more rest for now. I digress, I just wanted to show that I’m proud of my friends for their work.

The Origins Fair was full of many African-themed clothes, pictures and food. I recall that there was a face painting table, a photo shoot spot, and a Kahoot quiz based on African culture. There was also a table devoted to different African and African American artworks, with Hillcrest’s Stephen Brisco and Ms. Adebesin Mason having some notable pieces to share. I think this table was one of the bright spots for the fair as some of the artists incorporate powerful yet simple messages in their art. The collection of food was my favorite part of the fair. It was a really nice mix of African themed food such as rice, meat and unique dessert that tastes similar to corn dogs. A special raffle was also held during the fair, and the winners would receive dashikis, a form of African clothing.

Since this was an NHS sponsored event, most of Hillcrest’s NHS members came in support to help their peers. The volunteers were a big help in the set-up of the stage and stations for the students, staff and their families to enjoy.

This fair also had an open-mic segment, which was the main attention-grabber that Friday night. Several students made poems on how they were proud of their African culture and what it means to them. One of the performances that I was interested in was that of former Hillcrest student Patrick Williams. I and most of the audience enjoyed his rap, and his flow was really nice to hear even if I didn’t understand some of it. Another performance was by Everett Little.

Sadly, the event had to end, and I wished that it could happen again during next Black History Month. That’s how much fun I had there, and I hope that future students can experience this moment in their lives.