400 Hillsborough County seniors celebrate Black History Month with annual celebration

Annual Black Heritage Celebration held in Hillsborough County

Photojournalist Barry Wong reports.

RIVERVIEW, Fla. - Around 400 Hillsborough County seniors celebrated Black History Month in style at the annual Black Heritage Celebration.

"What I'm going to tell you, our seniors like to party. They like to have a good time," Hillsborough County Aging Services Nutrition and Wellness Manager Mary Jo McKay said.

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The annual celebration highlights the diversity of the county’s senior centers, dining centers and adult daycare centers. Members from 22 different locations attended, along with some seniors from the public.

"What we aim to do is to ensure we have knowledge of the various cultures, because when you know, and you have knowledge about cultures, you can appreciate cultures, and when you appreciate cultures, you can live better together," McKay said.

The celebration featured poetry, singing and lots of dancing. Many of the senior centers performed a variety of dances.

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"What I like most is the fellowship and the camaraderie, the fun that everybody seems to be having," Progress Village Senior Center member Osborne Odom said.

The celebration is nearly 30 years old and continues to grow every year. Organizers held the event at The Regent, a large special events venue in Riverview.

"The best part is to see the smiles on the seniors," McKay said. "They're excited about getting out. They're excited about dressing up. They're excited about seeing each other."

Local perspective:

Ruskin Senior Center member Ingrid McCalla has been attending for nearly a decade. She was excited to share the experience with some first-time attendees from her center.

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"Because they’re family. We enjoy each other. We're always there for each other. The fellowship, the camaraderie. I mean, it's just wonderful," McCalla said.

At the entryway of the event, pieces of art highlighted Black History Month. They were made my members from various centers. Odom said events like these are important not only by highlighting the heritage, but by informing the future generation.

"Without a lot these types of events, a lot of those things would just fall apart," Odom said. "The younger people wouldn’t have the heritage that I’ve grown up with."

The Source: The information in this story was gathered through interviews with Hillsborough County seniors who attended the event as well as organizers.

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