RoundupReads Johnson Spotlights Black Culture and Arts for Black History Month

Johnson Spotlights Black Culture and Arts for Black History Month

by Linda Grimm | 2024-03-06

NASA’s Johnson Space Center concluded Black History Month 2024 with a glittering celebration hosted by the center’s African American Employee Resource Group (AAERG) on Feb. 27 in the Teague Auditorium and lobby. The event embraced the year’s Black History Month theme, “African Americans and the Arts,” to shine a light on the influence of Black Americans through literature, music, film, architecture, and more.

A group of people dressed in professional attire stand on the steps of a stage.
NASA’s Johnson Space Center Associate Director Donna Shafer (front, center) poses with African American Employee Resource Group leaders, National Society of Black Engineers representatives, and artists who participated in the Black History Month celebration. Credit: NASA/Helen Arase Vargas

The program began with an “Art and Jazz Show” in the Teague lobby that featured works by Desmond Blair, a traveling visual artist and the senior IT infrastructure project manager at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas, and Johnson’s own Darryl Gaines, a long-time poet who also happens to be the acting deputy program manager for the Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program.

Art is displayed on easels and in frames on a table during an exhibition.
Artworks by Desmond Blair and Darryl Gaines on display in the Teague lobby. Credit: NASA/Helen Arase Vargas

Attendees were welcomed into the auditorium by AAERG Chair Andrea Browne. Johnson Associate Center Director Donna Shafer then came to the stage to share her appreciation for the AAERG. “Thank you to the AAERG for more than a decade of servant leadership for our center,” she said. “You do an amazing job, and I am so proud of you.”

Shafer also introduced a pre-recorded video message from Center Director Vanessa Wyche. “This month and every day, we honor the immeasurable contributions made by Black individuals who continue to shape NASA’s history and its future,” Wyche said. “At JSC, as we dare to expand our frontiers and unite with our partners to explore, we’re committed to creating an inclusive environment. Space is for everyone, and our dynamic, diverse workforce is our greatest strength so that we can continue to exemplify mission excellence while pushing the boundaries of what is possible and inspiring the world through discovery.”

Wyche’s remarks were followed by several moving performances from Black artists. Gospel artist Shamone Lamarra began with an acapella rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a song that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People proclaimed the Black National Anthem in 1919. Two members of the Texas Southern University Dance Company, Tiara Adams and Sa’Nae Beckett, performed a lyrical dance to Andra Day’s song “Rise Up,” and Carlos Harleaux, a published poet and Houston native, shared a spoken word performance. 

Various artists perform on a stage.
From left, poet Carlos Harleaux, singer Shamone Lamarra, and members of the Texas Southern University dance company perform in the Teague Auditorium. Credit: NASA/Helen Arase Vargas

The program also featured a short video about the Harlem Renaissance, a period between the end of World War I and the mid-1930s when Black artistry, scholarship, and politics flourished. AAERG presenters and some attendees donned Harlem Renaissance-inspired fashions for the event as an homage to this cultural movement’s significance.

Other presenters and guests included AAERG Special Events Coordinator Darcel Mitchell, National Society of Black Engineers Space City Professionals President Syreeta Williams, and AAERG Management Mentor Paul Gosling. The program concluded with a presentation of awards for guests and volunteers.

Watch AAERG’s 2024 Black History Month celebration on Imagery Online here.

Enjoy photos from the event below.

Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
Photos of people in professional attire participating in a Black History Month program.
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