Black History Celebration brings community together at Kleeman Recreation Center | PHOTOS

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Kleeman Recreation Center hosted a Black History Celebration on Saturday, Feb. 22, bringing the community together to honor African American culture, history, and achievements.

The free event featured live performances, speakers and activities designed to educate and engage attendees of all ages. Students performed, while local organizations provided food for attendees.

Veronica Tisdale-Otamere, a volunteer and member of the NAACP Health Committee, explained the importance of the event in educating younger generations. “It’s a yearly event, and it’s definitely a most needed event because we have a lot of children that don’t know their history, and we don’t want that to go away,” she said. “We want them to understand this is where we came from, and we want you to know where you came from and where you’re going.”

Rhonda Haines, another NAACP member who frequently volunteers at Kleeman Recreation Center events, said, “It’s a celebration. It’s not just a celebration of Black history; it’s a celebration of people history,” she said. “We want to bring forward the study for young people so they can understand where they came from”.

Event organizer Harold Evans explained the importance of hosting the celebration annually. “We enjoy putting on programs for our young kids for educational purposes as well as just to enjoy our history,” he said. “And we want to continue to share with them, giving them an opportunity to come out and perform and show some of their talents as well.”

For more events like this, check out the Winter Fun Guide and the Clarksville Events calendar.