Academy Gathers for Black History Month Assembly
By Joonyoung Heo and Forrest Zeng
The student body gathered on Feb. 6 for a special assembly celebrating Black History Month. With an engaging presentation that won laughter and applause from the audience, the event was a great success.
The assembly was hosted by Black Students of Excellence (BSE) to recognize the achievements by African Americans and their central role in U.S. history, continuing a nationwide tradition of honoring February as Black History Month. It featured a student-led production that both celebrated the event, explored its significance, and spotlighted the Black community at Exeter.
Organization behind the assembly was largely driven by students in BSE. “I’ve known since prep year that I wanted to do something like this,” senior Hope Flowers said. “In the last few days of January, my friends and I were talking about how much we wanted a Black History Month assembly. So we just asked around, and we were told we should email Mr. Miller. We did, but we never thought it would actually happen.”
“The goal was not only to give recognition and representation to the Black students and faculty on campus but also to educate the school on Black History Month and what it means,” Flowers continued. “I can say with confidence that both were achieved.”
For some, the assembly was an opportunity to embrace their identity. “The assembly was just a way for me to showcase my Blackness and the Blackness of my peers,” upper Yoeku Sam said.
“The assembly was just a way for me to showcase my Blackness and the Blackness of my peers.”
Most of the presentation consisted of a student-produced video, edited by Sam, that featured interviews from students and faculty. The assembly also featured live performances.
Upper Dissandou Becolli was one of the performers, showcasing a self-written rap. “The co-heads of BSE asked me to produce a rap with the simple theme ‘Black History Month,’ so I put on an instrumental and wrote some relevant lyrics,” Becolli explained.
The interviews included in the video spotlighted Black-identifying students at Exeter. “We went around campus filming interviews with Black faculty and Black students on campus,” senior Riches Afolabi said. “We made sure to make use of opportunities to interview people at the Black History Month gala and at BSE meetings.”
The video also featured a dance segment with Exeter step dance teams Precision and OutKast. Lower Kenzie Carty helped organize the skit. “The coheads of Precision did a skit, and we were having a dance battle to talk about the history of step,” Carty said. “I think that was meaningful especially because the history of step is rooted in Black history.”
The assembly garnered positive feedback from the student body. “It was a great experience seeing Black people being celebrated and the culmination of hard work from the committee,” senior Angie Wah said. “It was a symbol for progress and acceptance.”
“I think it was a great effort,” prep Tristan Price said. “It told me that our community recognizes there’s room for growth and the need for more acceptance and understanding. The assembly meant a lot in that sense.”
Other students commented on the efficacy of the video. “I liked that the video appealed to the pop culture sensibilities of youth,” senior Chloe Zhu said. “Faculty follies and things like that allows the audience to connect at a deeper level, and that successfully communicates how important an issue is for a very large demographic on campus.”
“The video was great,” upper Katelyn Cui said. “It was nice to see my peers involved in such a large-scale campus activity. There was a lot of good energy and everyone was in the mood to celebrate. I think we have a habit of overgeneralizing Black culture, however, I’m glad there’s at least a specific space to give the representation it deserves.”
For the student organizers, being able to organize and present this assembly carried similar value. “It’s something I always wanted as a part of Black History Month programming,” Flowers said. “A lot of [the month] is focused on bringing Black people into the Exeter community and talking to us, which I enjoy and appreciate. But I felt there was a lack of programming about Black people actually in the Academy. So being able to host this assembly, and see everyone laugh at the video and listen to Black students and Black faculty members, meant a lot.”
“It told me that our community recognizes there’s room for growth and the need for more acceptance and understanding.
“It felt rewarding to see representation of the Black community at the assembly,” Becolli said. “The majority of Black students were featured in the video and I think it helped display an unofficially recognized cornerstone of Exeter life and culture.”
Sam concluded, “The assembly was really an effort to show Black excellence in a fun, engaging way. That was definitely something we achieved.”
