CAIRO — The Jackie Robinson Boys & Girls Club of Cairo-Grady County will host its annual black history program Feb. 25 at Washington Middle School.

Boys & Girls Club director Stephen Francis said the program presents an opportunity for residents to see what the group has to offer to local youth.

“We pull the community in basically to see what the kids are doing at the club,” Francis said. “There’s a lot of things we do at the club that are within our building. This is a time for the kids to give back and put on a program for the parents in the community concerning black history.”

The program will feature performances from each of the classes from the Boys & Girls Club.

Class performances will range from dance routines, historical presentations, songs, skits and poetry readings.

Francis said one performance he was looking forward to in particular was a routine set to Whitney Houston’s 2009 song “I Look to You.”

“It’s going to be about six to eight couples where we’ve matched a boy and a girl and they’re going to do a dance performance that’s going to correlate with the song,” Francis said. “Basically when Whitney Houston wrote it, she was saying when she goes through her problems or situations or obstacles cast in life she looks to God for her answer. The kids will be doing their dance correlating to the song. It’s really touching.”

Other presentations include a song about Martin Luther King Jr. and a theatrical performance depicting Rosa Parks’ famous refusal to surrender her bus seat due to her race.

Francis will also read a poem about black history he wrote himself.

The program will also feature a speech delivered by the club’s 2019 Youth of the Year.

Additional entertainment will be provided by the Syrup City High Steppers and Rhythm of Heart Dancers.

Francis said several children from the Boys & Girls Club were also members of the High Steppers and Rhythm of Heart Dancers.

The free program will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the school’s cafeteria located near the front of the campus and will last approximately one hour.

Francis said the event, which has existed for several years, used to be held at the Boys & Girls Club facility but eventually became so well-attended they had to seek a larger venue.

“Last year the whole lunch room was full and people were standing along the walls,” Francis said. “It was pretty successful.”

The Boys & Girls Club director said the evening event offers an opportunity for children to gain confidence in their abilities and for people in the community to see what youth are capable of doing.

“It’s one thing to be at the Club, but to get out and see all the people smiling — the kids feed off of that,” Francis said. “It makes them want to do more and do better and be a better person. (They think) ‘I can reach my goals. I can do this and I can reach anything.’ It really sparks a lot of our kids to do more.”