Plymouth Whitemarsh High School’s BCA club celebrates African American culture

The Plymouth Whitemarsh High School (PWHS) Black Cultural Awareness (BCA) club hosted their first annual fashion show entitled “Ade Shades of Brown,” taking the title word after the Yoruban word for “royalty.”

Treasure Greene, a sophomore member of the BCA’s Leadership Committee said, “In an age where the black community struggles with issues of colorism and self-loathing, we made sure to include all ‘Shades of Brown’ in our show to emphasize the beauty of all African Americans.”

The fashion show spotlighted local African American designers, performers, and vendors in order to showcase Black culture, expression, and beauty in a positive way. The designers included PWHS alumni Quon Cook (Beyond Blessed), Katelynn Williams (DreamFit Collection), Malikah Major (Beaded by Peaches), Yahmina Martin (Go Chanel) and current PWHS senior Kyree Pendleton (Concentre). The show also featured music and dance performances by PWHS’s own students and alumni.

BCA sponsor Kim Williams recounted how, “the vision of showing African American people in a positive light, supporting each other for a good cause, was just beautiful.”

Functioning as an outlet for Afro-artistic representation, the fashion show also acted as a fundraiser, raising more than $1,500 for the Lupus Foundation of America, a non-profit organization that researches cures and treatments for the disease that ails primarily people of color.