Malayah Callahan is a fourth grader at Andrew Cooke Magnet Elementary School who dressed as an astronaut to help tell the story of Dr. Mae Jemison as part of Waukegan Community Unit School District 60’s Black History Month Gala.
“She was the first African American female to go into space,” Malayah said. “She did a lot more.”
“She did a lot for science education and health,” said Josiah Ewing, a Cooke fourth grader. “We’re telling people what Black people did before,” he added, talking about the evening’s event.
“She was born in Alabama, but she moved to Chicago,” Bailey Jones, a Cooke third grader, added.
Jemison served as an astronaut, spending eight days in space, according to the poster behind the students. She earned a chemical engineering degree from Stanford University before obtaining her M.D. from Cornell University’s medical school in New York.
Malayah, Josia and Bailey were among scores of District 60 students educating a crowd of more than 1,500 people about Black history and watching a show with singing, dancing and more on Thursday at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, starting a string of Black History Month events.
Themed “100 years of Black History Month,” the gala took a close look at the past century since Carter G. Woodson started Negro History Week in 1926. President Gerald Ford officially made February Black History Month in 1976.
Deshauna Carter, a District 60 administrator and one of the event organizers, said exhibits and the show were designed to celebrate the 100 years since Woodson began his emphasis on the contributions of Black Americans.
“We’re celebrating 100 years of Black history here in Waukegan,” Carter said. “Their story is our story.”
A group of high school students had a booth telling people about Stacey Abrams, a political activist who narrowly lost a bid to become Georgia’s governor in 2020. J’Juan Curtis, a Waukegan High School junior, said she had obstacles to overcome.
“She was a political activist who experienced discrimination,” Curtis said. “She had to deal with a lot of racism. She overcame it by becoming more aggressive.”
Sylvia England, the founder of the African American Museum at England Manor in Waukegan, said Black history in the past 100 years is influenced by the Great Migration, in which many African Americans moved from the southern United States to the north, including Waukegan.
“Many of them did well,” England said as she was perusing exhibits. “The first thing families stressed was education. School was very important.”
Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham, the city’s first Black mayor, initially elected in 2017 and again in 2025, also stressed education. He wants the young people to learn it and understand both the city and their heritage.
“They need to appreciate the history so they will be ready for leadership roles to continue the legacy of the African American community,” Cunningham said.
After more than an hour of exhibits and dinner, students and members of the community participated in a show featuring a variety of acts. Singing with the high school’s Varsity Choir was Zariah Pruitt, a senior who plans a career in music.
“This is my history and my family’s history,” Pruitt said, explaining the importance of the event to her. “I felt a lot of joy as I sang.”
Cunningham was also part of the show as he took the stage with four other members of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. It was part of the Lake County Divine 9 Roll Call honoring the “legacy, rich history and enduring impact of Black Greek Letter organizations,” according to the program.
Black History Month continues through the end of February with a variety of events. For example, England said the museum is sponsoring an African American Love Tour on Feb. 14.
The Park District and the Waukegan Historical Society will tell the story of the Trinity AME Church and the Lake County African American community at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie.
England will offer an interactive cooking workshop — Cooking with Sylvia — at 11 a.m. Feb. 21 at the Jane Adams Vemnter in Bowen Park.
Waukegan Township is offering a Black History Luncheon at 1 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Patricia A. Jones Center.
