Northeast Elementary celebrates Black History with Legacies in Motion

Published 3:28 pm Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Students at Northeast Lauderdale Elementary School celebrated Black History through the lens of music and dance Tuesday as the fourth grade class performed for their peers, parents and school officials in a special production called Legacies in Motion.

Northeast elementary and high school students join together to celebrate Step music, which is made with stomps, claps and chants instead of traditional instruments. Photo by Thomas Howard

Kiera Brown, a kindergarten teacher at Northeast who heads up the Cultural Arts program and put together Tuesday’s event, said the idea came to her after learning a well-known singer was a former Trojan himself. David Ruffin, one of the lead singers of the Temptations, previously walked the halls of Northeast Elementary, she said.

“Why not celebrate that legacy and let the kids know that hey, you can come from a small town like Meridian and then still go off to the big stage and do something greater and bigger,” she said.

Brown said she also incorporated dance into the program as dancing is a common thread shared by cultures around the world.

The fourth-grade performers worked tirelessly for around three months leading up to Tuesday’s performance, Brown said. The students were determined, she said, and she is very proud of their accomplishment.

“This program was very student-led, so we wanted the kids to take pride in what they were doing,” she said. “They just put all that effort into it, and I was so proud of them for that.”