By Maile Winterbottom (V)
The Pingry community gathered together to celebrate Black History Month in a moving assembly on Friday, February 7th. There were singing performances, videos, poems, and even a fashion show. The assembly kicked off with a video about the history of Black History month, followed by a beautiful singing of “A Change is Gonna Come,” by Kaley Taylor, who wore a shirt with the words “Black Girl Magic.” Another video was also presented of black students sharing what Black History Month means to them. Many other presentations followed, including a moving monologue by the Afrofuturism HIRT, a performance of the song “Amazing Grace” by Ore Shote, and the reading of an original poem by Ajuné Richardson. All of these presentations did an excellent job of showing the beauty and power of the black community in Pingry and around the world.
A graceful dance, to the powerful song “Rise Up” by Andra Day, was then performed by Ms. Barnes and Mrs. Bonds, along with a group of Middle and Upper School students. Following the dance, a group of African-American Pingry parents came up to the stage, showing pride for their respective historically black fraternities and sororities. As their children cheered them on in the audience, the parents danced joyfully across the stage, some wearing clothing with their fraternity/sorority colors.
Next came a fashion show in which a number of lines were showcased, all inspired by the works of well known African-American fashion designers. One line was called “black girl magic,” in which young black women walked across the stage in simple black t-shirts with the words “black girl magic” on them. Another line was “black boy joy,” which was explained to be a line that encouraged young black men and boys to feel vulnerable, as it is often perceived that they are not allowed to be.
“I thought that the combination of music, fashion, and poetry were all really beautiful,” remarked junior Sandra Adablah. Overall, the assembly did Black History Month justice, and it celebrated black history and culture in a way that was both powerful and fun.