My community’s name is Rock Hill Community. In my community, our past is celebrated in many different ways. Our past is celebrated in things we do, together as an activity in our community and together as a source of income to earn a living. For instance, we get involved in businesses, not for self-gain, but to help others succeed in reaching their goal(s). In my community, we do many things to clean our environment and face challenges like the lack of water and unstable electricity. We usually get water from a far distance, while electricity is seen as gold dust.

Our history has been our working tool in post-war Liberia; we celebrate the past with a reflection of what we went through in reaching this far. Special days are celebrated with joyful moments. We play games and we share the little we have with each other on these special days with a sense of belonging. Some of the games we play during major holidays are volleyball, kickball, football, and basketball. In recognition of the winning team, we throw a very big party signaling unity and peace. During the periods of some historical months, we put things together to celebrate as one big family with so much love. Kids are taken on a faraway trip to experience nature, and to see life from a different angle. Some of the places we normally go are summer camps, lakes, and historical sites.

On Decoration Day, members of my community come together to decide how we all can work as a team in remembering loved ones we lost to the unknown land. In doing this, we all go to the head of the community house and begin our engagement from there. During this period, we meet friends, relatives, and family members we haven’t seen for a long time. When we meet each other, we share tears of joy for a moment, and later go to the gravesites to clean up. Afterward, we all eat meals with our hands, portraying unity and a new beginning.

During our country’s Independence Day, kids visit their friends, relatives, and other family members. Children are allowed to go out and return at 6:00 p.m. Upon their return, they have fun and do other activities like telling stories, singing, and dancing.

A final activity done together as a community to celebrate our past is the Christmas celebration. We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in a God-driven manner. On Christmas Day, we decorate our community with the following colors: green, red, and white. The girls are primarily dressed in green and white, while the boys are dressed in red and white. There is so much love shared during this holy day.