WASHINGTON — D.C. students are bringing hip hop history to life in the District's 17th annual Blacks in Wax showcase.
Cora Masters Barry initially started the program to offer a more engaging way to teach kids about African American history and culture.
"I was a professor of political science for 22 years. When I left the university, I founded the organization and built the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center, but I said kids still need to know history," Masters Barry said. "So, I kept trying to interest them, and they were not interested, so I said well why don't we just do a little play?"
Over the years, it has become a highly anticipated performance that packs both THEARC in Southeast D.C. and Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center.
"It's a departure, because we usually do social justice and all, but as I paid attention to the celebration of hip-hop, I said no it's more than gold chains," Masters Barry said. "It's about the community; it's about the impact it had on children; it was about the struggle against it. There's a whole story behind hip-hop."
Hence, the theme for this year's performance was born – Hip-Hop: The Music, The Culture, The Struggle.
She said the kids only have about four weeks to put together both an on stage performance and a living wax museum showcase, and they're involved in every step of the process.
"I sat at the city council and watched them talk about the children and how they were committing these crimes and that crime, and I'm saying, no, no, no, those are the exception. The kids that we are showcasing today are the rule," she said. "In Southeast Washington and all over the city, we kids are doing a lot of good things, and I said well, I think it's time to tell the true story about hip-hop that is deeper than a rap."
At 1 p.m., the students will give a performance to their peers, and then at 6 p.m., the public has the opportunity to view the students' work at THEARC for free.
The museum performance showcases kids dressed up as historical figures frozen in "wax" form. Then, visitors press a button, and they launch into a monologue detailing their impact on culture and history.
"It was like a lot, because we would have to practice over and over. We would have to go to the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center, home, then we just keep on doing it every single day. I felt like I just wanted to stay home once and just chill for a little bit, just for one day, but guess what, we still had to go. Today, they put on a beard, used like the barber pen and stuff," one child participant, dressed as Black Thought said.
Next Saturday, March 16, they will be performing at The Kennedy Center, with the museum showcase at 4:45 p.m., and the vignette performance at 5:30 p.m.