February is Black History Month, and schools around the country are in the middle of celebrating the numerous contributions of African Americans to our history and culture. One of those schools is Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk, CT, where Assistant Principal LaShante James, students, and staff are marking the month with a variety of activities. James shares how her school honors this special time of year.
What are some of the ways your school celebrates Black History Month?
We have a lot of different things going on throughout the month. One thing we do every day this month is include interesting facts about African Americans in our daily announcements, which are read by students. We also have a very robust music program here. Every Friday our music groups—including our jazz ensemble, our orchestra, and our chorus—are performing a piece or pieces by African American composers. In addition to just having their students perform, our music teachers create lessons or presentations about artists or composers and provide historical context. Throughout the building, we have displays, including banners and door decorations, that celebrate Black excellence and symbols of Black history.
This year’s national theme for Black History Month is African Americans and labor. How does that tie into your celebrations?
We decided to focus on the creation of Black Wall Street in America and, more specifically, the overlooked stories of Black Wall Street throughout the country. (Black Wall Street refers primarily to a thriving Black community in Tulsa, OK, in the early 20th century, which was destroyed in the Tulsa race massacre of 1921.) Our school’s equity committee came up with the content, which will include videos and questions that teachers will use to lead discussions about the economic factors that contributed to the creation of Black Wall Street, what it meant for the African American community at the time, and why some of those stories aren’t discussed even now.
How important are celebrations about Black history to your students?
It’s really about representation. The majority of our students are students of color. In addition to ensuring seeing themselves in these celebrations, including Hispanic Heritage Month, we work hard to make sure our academic courses reflect the demographics of our student population. Our district elevates celebrating cultures. We had a districtwide celebration of Hispanic heritage earlier this year at our school, and huge crowds attended. On February 27, Norwalk Public Schools will hold a Black History Festival that will include lots of activities, including student performances and school tours, and we expect a large turnout for that, as well.
What do your students and staff enjoy about Black History Month activities?
They definitely enjoy the music programming. We see students and teachers clapping and dancing. It really connects them and builds community. I also see students in the hallway stopping to look at and read the banners we have on display. And we have lots of students eager to volunteer for activities that we post on social media, including reading children’s books by African American authors and interviewing prominent members of our local African American community.
For more on Black History Month, check out previous School of Thought posts by students and school leaders.