A celebration of history and culture, and a call to overcome modern tribalism

The Riverhead school district’s 17th annual Black History Month Celebration Thursday night at the high school featured dance performances, music, poetry, recognitions and awards, presentations by members of the Council for Unity, a preview of the Garfield Langhorn documentary film produced by the Vietnam Veterans of America and a compelling keynote speech by the Rev. Cynthia Liggon of First Baptist Church of Riverhead.

Liggon called on the community to overcome modern day tribalism, which will “eventually bring harm to us all,” she said.

“The basis of today’s tribalism is not really about racism. It’s about elitism, it’s about money and the lack of ethics and morality, having no rules and just doing whatever you want to whomever,” Liggon said. 

She called for unity. Quoting Maya Angelou, she said, “We are more alike than we are unlike. Let’s agree to work together and get to know each other, to truly appreciate and respect one another.”

Liggon stressed how important it is for all people to understand each other’s cultures through learning their separate and collective histories. “Let’s agree to work together and get to know each other, to truly appreciate and respect one another,” she said. “Let us not allow our obvious differences keep us from doing so.”

With a true understanding of other cultures gained through learning each other’s  histories,  the community can create “a new paradigm, a new model of genuine unity,” she said.

“Let’s create a cohesiveness in our community that would rival any such undertaking anywhere in the world,” Liggon urged. “If we don’t, I am afraid in this day, we will not survive against the tribalism that seeks to dominate us all,” she warned. 

“We are worth knowing. Everybody wants to be known. You are worth knowing,” Liggon said. “Somebody say ‘I am worth it,” Liggon said, calling upon the audience to repeat that affirmation out loud several times.

“We have to maintain African American history,” Liggon said. “You can’t possibly get to know me or us without knowing our or my history. 

“I’m getting to know your history, regardless of the culture, so that I can better understand you and your struggle and the struggle of your ancestors, …and we will all be better off and stronger by coming together to know each other,” she said.

“We are more than the descendants of slaves,” Liggon said. 

“We are more than the strange fruit that hung from trees,” she said, calling up the powerful 1930s protest song about lynchings in America, “Strange Fruit,”  made famous by vocalist Billie Holiday, who performed it in concert and recorded it in 1939. It became Holiday’s signature song. (In 1999, it was named song of the century by Time magazine.) 

“We are more than the people on the other side of water hoses. We are more,” Liggon said, concluding, “and we are more alike than we are unlike.”

RIverheadLOCAL photos by Emil Breitenbach Jr.