GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- As we head into March, Black History Month comes to an end. Several performers came up with a fun way to celebrate the achievements of black Americans and the roles they played in U.S. history.
Serena Williams, Gabby Douglas, Scott Stuart, and Billie Holiday were all at the Woodland Mall in Grand Rapids on Saturday; their doppelgangers that is.
“Black history is everyone`s history, and we are all connected in some form or fashion,” said Krystal Jackson who played Billie Holiday. "So, it's a great opportunity to have people who may have not known about important people in black history to learn about them."
Jackson said the event gives people a different way to learn about black history, especially this year, with controversy nationwide after demonstrations in Ferguson, Mo.
“With all the controversy that`s happening right now in society, all we have is negative light as far as what's happening in the black community,” said Jackson. "There's a lot more positive than what actually gets recognized."
This is third year the performance was put on at the Woodland Mall.
“We are finding out that some schools are actually using this as a tool for an educational venue,” said Terry Leshek, marketing director at Woodland Mall.
The event creates more foot traffic in the mall when parents cart their children there to learn more about history, Leshek says. This was true for Carolyn Edwardson who brought her grandchildren. “It’s very important to know what we went through and the people that we know.”
Performers never broke character as they worked for about four hours straight Saturday. Jackson said she hopes the event plants a seed for kids who will probably never forget some of the most notable black Americans and what Black History Month is all about.
