Manguito performance highlights Black History Month at Lynn English

LYNN – February is Black History Month, and with the many scheduled celebrations of African American heritage comes the opportunity for a culturally diverse student body to learn more about classmates from every background.It is that thinking which has inspired English High School Library Media Specialist Linda Barefield to schedule a variety of different programs throughout the month, highlighted by a performance by Manguito, a rhythmic musical group specializing in the music of many cultures.The Feb. 12 performance will feature rhythms from Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, and highlight the influences of Native American, African and Spanish culture in Latino music. The band brings together five internationally recognized recording artists, who specialize in lively music such as rumba, bomba and pleana as their starting point. Manguito then leads students in an exploration of the acculturation process that has blended traditional music from many cultures into today’s Latin American music.It is designed to show students those different cultures and heritages are not secluded in their history, and influences from all people are present in many places.”I want them to try and learn from each other and show respect for each other’s cultures,” Barefield said. “It is a thing that needs to be done. It is such a diverse city that we live in, we need to get along and show respect for each other.”The performance is presented under the auspices of Young Audiences of Massachusetts, and is funded by the Lynn Arts Cultural Council. It is tied into a Young Audiences curriculum, which will also teach students more about Latin culture. Students will become familiar with Latin American instruments and terminology in music and English classes, study explorers and facts about the Caribbean Islands in history class and tie in related activities to foreign language classes.Barefield, a former employee of the Lynn Public Library and Pickering Middle School, has gone well beyond the limits of Black History Month in her five years at the school, creating a celebratory month for several different cultures. March will be Irish History Month, and April will celebrate Greek Heritage. Lynn English has students speaking 44 different dialects and a high immigrant population, so there is no shortage of lessons and activities taking place in the library.In addition to the musical performance, the school will show films both during and after school on a variety of cultural topics, including famous black firsts. The Social Studies and Music departments will work together on African History lessons, and Barefield will display African artifacts in the library throughout the month.There will also be a cooking demonstration by the author of an African American cookbook, African storytelling, a bookmark contest and a performance by an African Drum Band sponsored by LynnArts.