It’s time to get to know about history

The Black Kids in Action event was performed at the Capitol Theatre on Feb. 26 to share stories about the history of Black people. 

Marcia Pivtto is a co-founder and organizer of this show and said performances include singing, dancing and drama.

“One thing that we have noticed is that all the schools do not teach these children about their different cultures, whether they’re from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria and other different parts of the world,” said Pivtto. “They are not giving these children the feeling that they need to know because we come from a very diverse country. This is why we formed this event  So, these kids can be able to identify themselves.”

She said they are teaching the children about their background and their roots. For example, knowing about the first Black hero in a movie, gives confidence to children and helps them become more creative and confident in themselves.

“We are working with 40 children for this event. It’s a blessing to work with them, but learning the different dynamics among the children,” said Pivtto. “Each child learns differently and takes the time. When our dance coordinator, Miss Emma,was teaching some of the dance movements for them to learn, some of them were able to grasp the dance movement fast compared to others.We learned a lot of patience with them to identify their strengths and their weaknesses.”

She said the group is also selling merchandise like T-shirts and hoodies to help raise funds. T-shirts are $25 and the hoodies are $45 on  which have a ‘Black Kids in Action’ tag on it. Some people purchased the tickets for other children to come whose parents cannot afford it. They are looking to fill around 200 seats.

“The aim is to grow in more numbers to do more stage productions which we are planning to do again for next year on Easter,” said Pivtto. “We see the great benefits that it has done for these children and  the parents, because a lot of the parents have come to us and told us changes in their kids.”

Kenny Gbadebo is the executive director of the Youth Connection Association in Windsor. He said the aim of this event is to help Black children who want to know more about culture and their identity.  

 Pivtto said there is one child in their group who used to be extremely shy and lacked confidence in herself. However, after joining the organization and getting involved she has gained a lot of confidence and is becoming more involved in learning and acting. 

She said it is a great accomplishment for her and her parents too. Pivtto said they would like to continue hearing these positive things from parents.