Morris Hills Freshmen Sanaa and Maddox Allen were recently invited to the 100th Black History Month Celebration hosted by Governor Mikie Sherrill. They performed pieces during the Black History Month Celebration Performances, and the event was a gala that was hosted at her mansion.

The theme of this event related to legacy leadership and community impact, and Maddox Allen performed a piece on the violin entitled “Adoration” by Florence Price who is a black composer who sends messages about the hardships that African Americans have had to experience throughout the years.

Sanaa Allen performed a piece entitled “Lift Every Voice and Sing” on the cello, and it is commonly referred to as the National Black Anthem. Her mother helped her in picking the piece, and she found that fitting as it was already the 100th Black Anniversary.

“The governor was so nice, everybody was so nice, it was just a great experience. It was an exciting opportunity, and while a bit sudden and stressful at first, we were relieved after receiving so many compliments.” Maddox Allen explains.

Maddox Allen also believes that it is so important to host Black History Month celebrations by state leadership due to that some believe that colored people do not get a lot of representation, especially in the media, but allowing the anniversary to be hosted by the governor herself allowed people to understand that societal change over time.

In the future, Sanaa Allen aspires to become either a singer, be in dance, or work as a producer.

“Literally never give up. There will always be someone or something in life that will help you, and you should never let go of what you want out of life.” Sanaa Allen believes.

Maddox Allen is a part of Julliard’s Math and Music Advancement program, and he aspires to attend that school in the future. He also wants to tutor people, but he hasn’t quite started any tutoring sessions yet.

“Even if you think that you cannot accomplish something, like “Oh, I’m never going to be able to do this,” why is that your mindset? That should not be your mindset. You should always go towards your dreams and you shouldn’t let anything get in the way of those dreams. You should work towards your goals instead of hiding away from them.” Maddox Allen exclaims.