On Feb. 13, there was hardly an empty seat in Harrison Auditorium as students, faculty and families of the performers came out en masse to celebrate African-American history, culture and the joys of being “Young, Gifted and Black.”This celebration featured some of the finest talent that N.C. A&T has to offer. The performers paid homage to the rich legacy of African-American culture and history with their diverse talent, in the areas of gospel, poetry, hip-hop and R&B and fashion.From the opening, the N.C. A&T Fellowship Gospel Choir rocked the crowd with an upbeat and funky processional and selections. Afterwards, Steven McQueen gave an uplifting rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing”After the Black National Anthem, Mr. Aggie Desmond Stowe introduced the Master and Mistress of Ceremony, Jamaal Stewart and Erin Morris. Then, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Dr. Roselle Wilson officially greeted the crowd.The first segment of the program was Song and Dance. The audience was treated to a variety of songs and a raw performance by the Dudley High School Stepteam.David Watkins gave a soul-stirring rendition of “My Funny Valentine” for all of the jazz lovers and lovers in the audience. The audience turned into a sea of applause and screams after that.The group Infinity took the stage to perform the three-song medley of “Carolina Swing,” “Freakin You” and “Killing Me Softly” The auditorium’s sound system was having problems and the audience sympathizedA video sequence compiled by Andrew Lofter was shown. “Movers and Shakers in Black History” showed images and gave a small bio on legendary civil rights figures like Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, The A&T Four, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Brown vs. Board of Education case.To close out the segment highlights, the Dudley High School Stepteam took the audience back in the day with themes from “227,” “The Jeffersons” and “Good Times.” The team stepped to the likes of Edwn Star’s “War,” Zapp and Roger’s “More Bounce to the Ounce” and “Computer Love” and Marvin Gaye’s classic “Let’s Get It On.” These younguns brought back dance steps from the ’80, their movements smooth and precise.In the second segment, poets spewed nothing less than stanzas of fire. Deonte Staats kicked off this mini poetry slam with a scathing view of interracial relationships and a tribute to black-on-black love with “Fever.” Next came Nado and Russell Dozier with their untitled work that incorporates hip-hop and their poetry, but they too were plagued by sound problems.The final poet of the segment came all the way from Baltimore. Jason Jacob McCraw’s poem gives his intense view on the 9/11 attacks, declaring boldly “what goes around, comes around.”The show closed with a fashionable view into history. The Verge modeling troupe took the audience back and way, way back into our history with a civil rights scene, a slavery scene and a tribute to Africa. In the civil rights segment, four models were shown with their bodies covered in foil emulating the newly erected A&T Four statue. Then, Bilal’s “Soul Sista” blared through the sound system.McCraw recited a poem as this scene featured historic figures like Rosa Parks, Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam, Black Panther Party and sports figures like Muhammad Ali and Florence Griffith-Joyner. Finally, they stripped foil off the ‘statues’ to reveal the A&T Four come to life. In the second scene, the audience was invited to take a trip to the Verge Plantation. Some male models appeared shirtless and chained as well. It was risky and interesting but another great scene.The final scene in the show and the program was the tribute to Africa. Models appeared in the traditional red black and green from the motherland to the tune of Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Care about Us.” Performers gave it their all and made “Young Gifted and Black” a hot show. Hey, a nearly full house can’t be wrong.