Tom Dowling
(863) 297-1051

Music, Drama& Food Part Of PCC’s African American History Month Celebration

02/09/2007: Polk Community College’s 2007 celebration of African American History Month will include performance, food, and music. All events are free to the PCC community.

The festivities begin on Feb. 15 with two spoken word performances by Sylus “Syfire” Green, a poet/lyricist born in Calabar, Nigeria, and musician Crystal Miller. They will appear at 9:30 am in LLC 2188 on the Lakeland campus and 12:30 pm. in the Student Center on the Winter Haven campus.

Syfire grew up in Chicago and was exposed to its culture and art as well as gang violence, drug addiction, poverty and the extreme hopelessness. As a teenager, Sylus dabbled in the art of rapping which was his original outlet to express his message of struggle. After attending a Back Talk Poetry event in Tallahassee, Sylus was taken by the art of the spoken word and began writing poetry becoming one of the original members of the Back Talk Poetry Troupe. Sylus became a well know artist in the state of Florida after winning back to back Broken Speech poetry slams in Orlando.

Miller was born into a musical family. Her father has been playing the piano and singing for over 30 years and her mother is the drummer for the family band. At the age of 15, Crystal performed in her first concert with the Miller family and soon after joined the St. Louis Theater Opera. Crystal soon astonished crowds with her unique voice.

            On Feb. 20 from noon to 1:30 pm, PCC’s Annual African American Soul Food & Music Day will be held on the Lakeland campus in the LAC Courtyard. It will be repeated on Feb. 27 on the Winter Haven campus on the main walkway of WLR Building.

            On Feb. 23 the Fine Arts Theatre will be filled with the sounds of classical soul, funk, jazz, rhythm and blues when “New Beginning” performs. This group will perform two 60 minute shows at 10 am and noon in the Fine Arts Theatre on the Winter Haven campus. The noon concert also features a Fashion Show staged by members of the Cultural Academic Vocation Experience (CAVE) club and also featuring “Adopted Grandparents” Neighborhood Service Center.

For more information contact: Sylvester Little at (863) 297-1010 ext. 5227.