INGLEWOOD – Three students from Inglewood Unified School District (IUSD) received recognition during the City’s Black History Family Festival held Feb. 22.
The annual K-12 Art Expression Showcase, themed “African Americans and Labor,” showcased how students interpret history through powerful and thought-provoking art along with the annual speech contest where winners received cash prizes sponsored by the Inglewood Education Foundation and the Los Angeles Rams.
Each year the district receives hundreds of speech submissions from students across all grade levels which are then read by a panel of committee members who determine the winners.
“I want to thank my commissioners who were judges for the speech contest,” said Inglewood Councilwoman Dionne Faulk.
Cheryl Shaw-Williams, Lois Hale, and Henry Brown dedicated their time not only to reading the speeches but also by attending the event.
Faulk also extended congratulations to the winners.
“I want to lift up the winners Elizabeth Villa, Tatyanna Dawson, Daniel Mitchell, and Elijah Fikes who are all IUSD students,” continued Faulk.
The awards ranged between the amounts of $350 to $550.
The members of the Inglewood Education Foundation declined to comment for this story on how the prizes were funded.
The City’s Parks and Recreation Department put on the free, all-day festival that featured a student art exhibition, a family literacy corner with storytelling and book giveaways, live music, spoken word and cultural dance performances, and art and community engagement activities.
All of the displayed art was produced by IUSD students, according to district spokesperson Jessica Ochoa.
The first art exhibition took place in 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was a wonderful event attended by city and district officials,” said Inglewood Councilwoman Gloria Gray.
Gray found the event to be a great way for her to connect with members of the community.
“Some of the block clubs had a presence there as well as realtors, the fire department, and Centinela Hospital so kudos to all involved,” said Gray.
Inglewood Councilman Alex Padilla also chimed in about how great the event was.
“It was a great opportunity to see the liveliness of our community and the diversity when folks from all over come to this event where there was great entertainment and food and my wife and I had a great time,” said Padilla.
He also took the time to thank all of the City staff who had a hand in making the event a success.