Marking the 100th anniversary of Black History Month celebrations nationally, PHS held its fourth annual Black History Month assembly on Thursday, March 26. The Multicultural Student Achievement Network (MSAN) and the Pride, Unity, Leadership, Sisterhood, and Esteem (PULSE) club organized the assembly, which featured student performances moderated by Zoriah Bess ’27 and Josiah Hall ’28.
The theme of the assembly was Legacy 100: Honoring the Past, Building the Future, which provided an opportunity for students to look toward the future of African American representation.
“[There is] value [in] remembering the past, honoring the past, knowing the contributions of every member in American society, [knowing] how African Americans have always built this country, and [knowing] what we can do to move forward,” said PHS math teacher Candice Knight, one of the main faculty coordinators of the assembly.
The assembly also featured a talk by guest speaker Dr. Ruha Benjamin, which focused on the legacy and future of Black History. Benjamin is a professor of African American studies at Princeton University and author of Race After Technology and Viral Justice. Benjamin’s talk centered around the assembly’s theme, conveying the importance of learning from Black History to inspire change in the present.
“I hope that one of the things that people are inspired to do is to be more courageous in the choices that they make, in the way that we all live our lives, by looking to the past and how people took risks, speaking out, organizing, building social movements for equality and justice,” said Benjamin. “It's about the future much as the past … we have to remember that we are someone else's history.”
The assembly opened with a performance of Lift Every Voice and Sing, often called the “Black National Anthem,” followed by student portrayals of important African American historical and political figures, and ended with dance performances that traced Black history from its roots in Africa to modern-day society.
“We want the broader community to hopefully learn about different historical figures that they may not have heard about,” said Knight. “[And] be inspired, no matter who you are, to rise above the stereotype.”
Student Body President Bess believes that recognizing and appreciating Black history is especially important in our society today.
“I think we're in a time…[where hate and prejudice] eventually affects everybody … If you're given a platform to speak and spread awareness, I think you should, because we definitely need to in the school,” said Bess.
The goal of the assembly, according to Bess, is more than just to educate the broader student body. The performances aim to empower Black students through increasing representation, visibility, and self-confidence.
“You can tell when someone's not comfortable in their own skin…and they attack people who are comfortable in their skin. And I don't want a world for it to be like that… I want to stand up. I want to make a change,” said Bess.