Over 500 students sang and danced along with the international Soul and Blues singer Roy Young and his band at a program to celebrate Black History Month.
Throughout the performance, Roy demonstrated the deep connection between African- American music and the struggle for equal rights as illustrated during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s in the United States. He engaged with many of the students personally, and got them to understand how their lives are connected to this seminal moment in American history.
Jewish and Arab students from Lod, Ramla, Tel Aviv, Hura, Tel Sheva, Kseife, Shoham, Beer Sheva, Mazkeret Batya, Kfar Yona, Taibe, Abu Tlul and Jisser A-Zarka, many of them participants of the Embassy’s English Access Microscholarhsip program, gathered together to commemorate Black History Month, and to promote and celebrate the values of tolerance, respect and equal rights for all.
Born in the hills of Jamaica, Roy Young was attracted to Soul and Blues music at an early age. Residing in Israel, Roy and his band have cooperated with the U.S. Embassy for many years, using music to promote peace, tolerance and understanding between diverse communities living in Israel.
The project was implemented in partnership with Lod Municipality.