Jazz, hip hop, poetry and tales of courage and resilience - each an integral part of African-American history - came alive during the Black History Month celebrated by the US Consulate in February.

An annual event, the theme this year was A Century of Black Life, History and Culture. The American Center, Calcutta, hosted a series of events, including performances by 70 Access students from Sir Syed Group of Schools, in celebration of diversity and social inclusion.

Posters of Black celebrities and slogans greeted visitors at the Lincoln Room on February 19. Students from institutions such as Jawaharlal Nehru Vidyapith, Lajpat Hindi High School, Shree Jain Vidyalaya and Vivekananda College presented a play titled Ebony and Ivory, followed by rap performances and hip-hop moves.

Greg Pardo, the deputy director of American Center-Calcutta, read out from Linda Lowery's Martin Luther King Day, sharing with the students bits of history about the Black leader and his fight against racial discrimination.

"I bought this book when I was in first grade and since then Martin Luther King has inspired me greatly. When I was growing up, Martin Luther King's birthday was not a holiday. In fact, there was a lot of controversy over it and I wondered why would anyone oppose the holiday? I took great pride in Martin Luther King. We should all be proud of the diversity that is America and also India," said Helen LaFave, the consul-general of the US in Calcutta.

The American Library also hosted an open dialogue on What does it mean to be a Black in America?. The session was led by Simone Gordon, a Fulbright teaching assistant.

The celebration was wrapped up with a fusion dance performed by Rhythmosaic and a jazz performance by Megan Powers (vocal) and Pradyumna Singh Manot (piano) on February 26. The evening started with a poetry, dance and reading presentation by students and teachers of Shri Shikshayatan College. From Tagore's Krishnakali ami tarei boli to Maya Angelou's Phenomenal Woman, the students celebrated the concept of beauty and diversity in style and infused it with creativity.

Rhythmosaic's fusion of kathak and Western classical dance got them a standing ovation.