Linda Keyton (right) leads campers at the Freedom Camp in an African-American dance during a performance for families on July 28 at the Blackville Community Center.
Linda Keyton (right) leads campers at the Freedom Camp in an African-American dance during a performance for families on July 28 at the Blackville Community Center.
Local youth learned about African-American history and culture during a three-day camp.
The first-ever Freedom Camp was held July 26-28 at the Blackville Community Center. Twenty-one children (ages 6 to 13) attended the free camp that was hosted by a group of professionals, including several Blackville natives.
“We all had similar missions to educate young children about their history and the arts,” said Dr. Shaneen Dials-Corujo, a Blackville native who is now a professor at Benedict College, who was one of the camp’s organizers. “We wanted something that centered around not just mentoring but really exposing kids to cultural foundations.”
The immersive camp was led by Dials-Corujo (arts/crafts and life skills), Linda Keyton (lead dance instructor), Victor Jones (lead music instructor, drumming), and Baba Amin Ojouk (African-American studies instructor). All are natives of Blackville, except for Ojuok who founded Uhuru Academy.
“All of us are looking at the genius that exists in the kids in our community. They have the freedom to dream big and go far,” said Dials-Corujo, who has a background in psychology and founded the Psyched with Dr. DC podcast. “We wanted to give them a platform to shine.”
She said it’s amazing what happened in just three days.
“Their level of confidence grew and they were able to articulate what they understand,” said Dials-Corujo.
One camper was originally uncertain about attending, but his mom called Dials-Corujo after the first day to say she had already seen a huge difference in her son. He ended up loving to learn and being around other kids.
“I enjoyed learning and having fun at the same time,” said Katelyn Myers, age 9. She especially enjoyed history, music, and English.
Campers created oral histories accompanied by visual presentations about an African-American figure. Ayla Smith, age 6, did her presentation on Aliyah because she wants to be a singer.
Brooklyn Corujo, age 9, enjoyed making friends and learning about Black history. Learning dance routines was hard but fun.
Being new to the area, 9-year-old Emeli Dials-Wright enjoyed making new friends.
Organizers of the camp hope to hold the camp next year.
