Madison Rivera, Priscila Tolentino
On Feb. 29, Benjamin N. Cardozo High School took Black History Month celebrations to a whole new level with their mesmerizing Living Wax presentation. The school’s library was transformed into a time machine, where students brought to life the inspiring stories and legacies of prominent Black figures.
The students meticulously researched and embodied the characters they portrayed, showcasing their acting skills and deep understanding of the historical figures. The audience was enthralled as they walked through, engaging in conversations with the “wax figures” who came to life with their powerful stories. Each figure represented a different era and field, allowing students to explore the diverse contributions of Black individuals throughout history.
Some of the people that were portrayed in the living wax performance was Dorothy Dandridge, who was the first Black film star to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, Yusef Salaam, who is an American politician, motivational speaker, and activist serving as a member for New York City’s 9th City Council district since 2024, and Angela Davis, an American Marxist and feminist political activist, philosopher, academic, and author; she is also a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
These are just three of the amazing Black leaders that were portrayed by the students and it was a perfect representation of the things that Black individuals have contributed to society for the decades. This is why we celebrate Black History Month in February—to honor what these individuals, and more, have done for the world.
The Living Wax performance was a collaborative effort, with students and teachers working together to create an unforgettable experience. It fostered a sense of unity and appreciation for the achievements and struggles faced by Black people throughout history.
A person who served a big part of this celebration was Cardozo junior Giorgio Sylvest. He served as the griot. A griot is a storyteller who maintains a tradition of oral history in parts of West Africa. As griot, his job was to do research on the people shown in this performance and to make sure everyone had an understanding of who each person was.
“As a griot, I was able to do in-depth research about every single person that was in here,” he said. He also took this opportunity to learn about new people that he hadn’t heard of before. Lastly, he stated, “My major takeaway from this is to make sure that we are always learning about, that we are always keeping an open mind and trying to expand our horizons.”
With how amazing this event was, we wanted to know some of the faces behind it! Ms. Millen, AP of Climate and Culture, and Ms. EJ, dean, teacher, and Gateway advisor, were two of the people who took the time and helped this come together.
When we asked them what they have learned from the experience they stated, “I’m just proud. I am very excited that we were able to bring awareness to Cardozo especially at a time that we are experiencing right now in the world around us.”
Additionally they said, “It exceeded my expectations. The students really did a good job at bringing it to life and taking it very seriously. It was also nice seeing the students come in and want to learn and know more about.”
With how educational it was we also wanted to know if Cardozo will continue to do this Living Wax performance as an annual event they stated, “Absolutely, the plan is now to do this annually and expand it and make it bigger and better for the years to come. Also making sure to have a few staple figures as well as introducing new features every single time.”
Be on the lookout for next year’s Living Wax performance and maybe you’ll learn something new.
