By the time the North Allegheny students perform their dances, sing their songs and recite their poetry, Black History Month will have hit midstride with a coast-to-coast sweep of TV specials, honorary tributes and oft-cited parables of racial struggle.

And yet, as full as the calendar might be, there's always room for one more commemoration, particularly in places like Franklin Park, which is hosting its first-ever Black History Month program.

The event at 7:30 p.m. Friday will be held in Blueberry Park community center and feature ethnic foods, student songs and dances, plus readings from slave journals, Martin Luther King, Maya Angelou and Barack Obama.

The continuum of time is intended to highlight African Americans' past, present and future, said Mike Hambrick, a North Allegheny Senior High School guidance counselor and head of the Multicultural Student Union.

"It's always good to be on the ground floor of something. We definitely want to see this become an annual thing in the community," Mr. Hambrick said Feb. 1 at a meeting, where 20 students were fine-tuning plans for the event.

"Diversification is a very big thing," said Jim Watenpool, borough parks and recreation director. Franklin Park has put on ethnic programs in the past, such as an Indian-inspired classical dance class, he said, "so it only made sense to get into something for Black History Month."

The event was an idea conjured by borough Councilman Ash Marwah, whose only regret is that he didn't have time to line something up last year.

Mr. Marwah got an early start this summer and made sure he laid the groundwork with the borough and the school district.

"Mike thinks that 30 years from now people will wonder who started the program and then they will look back and see that it was the multicultural society at [the high school]," Mr. Marwah said.

"[The high school students] are really putting together a wonderful program."

Borough Manager Ambrose Rocca also embraced the initiative, saying that he, council, the mayor and all Franklin Park employees "hope this first-time event will be continued in future years and become part of our borough's history."

None of the groundwork and support, however, would mean much without the work of the students. They're the ones who are stepping up, whether they're black, brown, yellow or white.

Elliot Griffin, 18, a senior from Marshall better known as Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA, is one of the coordinators. Pointing to the first line on the club blackboard that read "Wear red, black or green," the colors of the Pan African flag, she offered her own stash if someone gets in a bind.

"I've got extra T-shirts from the Million Man March, the Million Woman March. Just let me know," she said.

She then passed around a log sheet so that students could list ways they could contribute in food, dance or rhyme.

Corrie Parrish, 18, a McCandless senior, signed up for the slave-diary monologue plus Russian tea cakes. Junior Krista Holt, 17, of McCandless, was in for African dance and sweet potato pie. Senior Shannon Sullivan, 18, of McCandless, said she would sweet-talk her mom into baking Irish soda bread.

Junior Mohammad Yousef, 16, and senior Ashley Faulk, 17, both of McCandless, will be masters of ceremonies.

Senior Alexis Sunseri, 18, of McCandless, could pretty much procure anything from Asian pears to an Italian custard called zabaglione. Her grandparents founded Sunseri's in the Strip District.

But Alexis is being counted upon for a lot more than food, Mr. Hambrick said. She is one of those whose leadership has emerged to make this year's club the most active since he took it over 13 years ago.

"I think it's important because racism is overlooked in this community," she said. "Just from us meeting every Friday, I get to hear what the black students go through in this school."

She doesn't have to hear it secondhand, either. "I'll hear this stuff and say, 'Wait, don't you know I'm in MSU?' "

Aside from her role as co-host, Ashley has signed on for what might be one of the highlights. She's preparing an essay about what it's like to be a black student at North Allegheny Senior High School.

Something that happened recently in environmental science class is fresh in her mind.

Ashley said she thought she overheard a boy use the n-word and asked him about it. His response bothered her as much as anything.

"He said, no, he didn't say it, he isn't racist because he owns a color TV at home. Just because he's a class clown, he thought it was funny."

Dani Perdue, 16, a junior, will read Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise":

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I'll rise.

"Acknowledging that there is a problem," Alexis said, "and educating people that there is a problem would decrease the population's ignorance about it."