Feb. 25 Black History Month Program to be dedicated to the late Elyja Gibbs

HENDERSONVILLE - The Black History Collective of Henderson County announced on Feb. 21 that its Feb. 25 Black History Month Program will be dedicated to the memory of Elyja Gibbs, a Hendersonville High junior multi-sport standout who was killed in an automobile crash on Feb. 9.

The Black History Month Program is set for 2 p.m. Feb. 25 at Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church, located at 901 Robinson Terrace in Hendersonville. The event organizers are Crystal Cauley of the Black History Collective of Henderson County and Union Grove minister Diane Caldwell.

Gibbs was the starting quarterback for the Bearcats in the 2022 fall season and was the starting catcher for the baseball team in the spring for a second straight season.

North Carolina Highway Patrol's Rohn Silvers said in an email that North Carolina Highway Patrol was dispatched to a single-vehicle, single-occupant collision on U.S. Highway 64 in Transylvania County, near Crab Creek Road, around 9:30 a.m. Feb. 9. He said the driver was speeding, lost control of the vehicle and crossed the center line.

The vehicle traveled off the left shoulder of the roadway, striking a tree before coming to a rest on the embankment. Gibbs was deceased upon troopers' arrival. He was 17.

More:Hendersonville High School student-athlete Elyja Gibbs dies in car accident

Cauley said the Black History Month Program's theme this year is to "show the talent of local people with performing arts, including dancing, singing, spoken word poetry and a Harlem Renaissance art exhibit by two local students. It's also serving as a tribute to Gibbs.

"I am an alumni for Hendersonville High School and our motto is 'Once a Bearcat always a Bearcat.'. When you think of Greek affiliation, it’s a lifelong bond. Elyja Gibbs was a distinguished young man who touched many lives. Dedicating this event in his honor is something a 'Bearcat' would do without second thought," Cauley said. "I also grew up around his father, Scooter Gibbs, my entire childhood life and using any connections I have to show my love for the Gibbs family treasuring Elyja’s memory is our way we offer condolences. Elyja’s parents gave minister Diane Caldwell and I permission to dedicate this performing arts program celebrating Black History Month that is bound to be unforgettable and beautiful."

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Cauley said there will also be a song sung by Wanda Ruiz Padilla to honor the late Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old black man who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers following a traffic stop in early January.

The rest of the lineup is as follows:

• Jewel Ward, musician and songwriter will sing two songs by Billie Holiday

• Tony Robles, Cauley and Phyllis Bailey will perform spoken word poetry written by Cauley and Christopher D. Sims.

• Alyeh Cady and CJ Black will have solo dances

• Pam Suber will offer a theatrical monologue to Langston Hughes poem, “Mother to Son”

• The Harlem Renaissance Art exhibit by Jamaria and Jakerrion Kilgore will be displayed along with Etta Robinson’s local Black History month bulletin

Tynesha Carden is the program's mistress of ceremony.

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Feb. 25 Black History Month Program to be dedicated to the late Elyja Gibbs