Photo: Case Western Reserve University.
Words of the Month: Black Feminism
Black feminism is a vital and intersectional movement that addresses the unique struggles faced by Black women. It emerged as a response to the exclusion of Black women from mainstream white feminist discourse. Black feminists—such as the leading figures bell hooks, Audre Lorde, and Kimberlé Crenshaw—have highlighted the compounding effects of racism and sexism, advocating for a more inclusive and diverse feminist perspective. They emphasize the importance of recognizing the interconnected nature of various oppressions and promote the empowerment and liberation of all Black communities. Black feminism represents a powerful force for social change that challenges systemic inequalities to create and transform our world.
Happy Black History Month!
Black History Month is an annual observance that takes place every February in the United States and Canada, dedicated to celebrating the achievements, contributions, and history of Black individuals and communities. This celebration is an opportunity to reflect on the profound impact of Black Americans on the nation's history, culture, and society, as well as a chance to address the ongoing systemic struggles and challenges they face.
The origins of Black History Month date back to the early 20th century when Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a pioneering African American historian and educator, initiated a week-long celebration in 1926 to highlight the importance of recognizing Black history in schools and communities. It was later expanded to a month-long celebration in 1976, which coincided with the nation's bicentennial, marking Black people's central role in the building of the United States.
During Black History Month, events, exhibitions, and educational programs are held across the country, focusing on the accomplishments of Black leaders, thinkers, artists, and activists who have contributed significantly to all fields, from science, literature, and sports to politics, organizing, and the arts. This observance also serves as a crucial reminder of the oppression faced by Black communities across centuries. Above all, the month uplifts their ongoing fight for equality and justice.
Black History Month encourages everyone to engage in meaningful conversations about Black history. It is a time to honor the past while working towards a more equitable and just future, recognizing that Black history is integral to American history. It is a time to celebrate the resilience, creativity, and cultural richness of Black communities.
Image: Kehinde Wiley, Shantavia Beale II, 2012.
MLK Jr. Day Brunch
On January 15, BB&N hosted the 40th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Brunch. Former Director of Multicultural Services and BB&N parent Lewis Bryant initiated the brunch in 1984 as an opportunity for the school's community to reflect on Dr. King's legacy of justice and equality. This year's panel—moderated by Middle School DEIG Practitioner Tiffany Rice—featured three pathbreaking leaders and parents at BB&N: Dr. Amy Marks, Associate Provost for Equity and Inclusion at Wellesley College; Dr. Bethany Serota, Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Beth Israel Lahey Health; and Carmen Arce-Bowen, Chief Operating Officer of The Partnership, Inc. and BB&N Trustee. The panelists shared insights on the role of identity in their work and their efforts to pursue systemic change.
Diverse Journeys Exhibit
From January 11 to 29, BB&N’s Upper School Art Gallery presented “Diverse Journeys,” a collaboration between Gallery Club, Artists for Humanity (AFH), and the DEIG Office. The exhibit modeled the Upper School’s guiding theme this year: connections and conversations.
Gallery Club is a group of BB&N students that aim to create opportunities to appreciate art in the gallery space. Diverse Journeys (title conceived of by Rockie Yewendwossen ‘25) brought together artworks created by BB&N students and by teens from AFH, a non-profit organization that cultivates a safe and supportive environment where teens are employed to explore their voice and forge their unique path to success. AFH teens transcend economic, racial and social divisions to transform communities through creative expression (AFH Mission Statement). During their time at AFH, teens share their voice in public art, where their creativity is valued. Through mentorship, the next generation of artists and leaders gain confidence in their own abilities.
The exhibit builds on three years of collaboration between BB&N and AFH. At Community Day last year, founder of AFH Jason Talbot inspired the Upper School community with his reflections on the power of art to transform lives. On January 18, Gallery Club students hosted AFH teens for a reception with a panel discussion, where they engaged in dialogue about the artworks and their experiences as teen artists and Gallery Club members. The students were supported by Upper School art teacher and Director of the Gallery and Petropoulos Art Scholar Program Nicole Stone and DEIG practitioner Maria Graciela Alcid.
People of Color Conference & Student Diversity Leadership Conference
From November 28 to December 2, thirteen staff and faculty members and five Upper School students traveled to St. Louis, Missouri to participate in the People of Color Conference and the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, both organized by the National Association of Independent Schools. Over 8,000 people from independent schools across the country participated in the conferences. The theme of this year's conference—Gateways to Freedom: A Confluence of Truth, Knowledge, Joy, and Power—"evoked the presence and strength of our ancestors and the possibilities borne of our posterity and emergent futures."
Over the course of the five days, BB&N attendees had the opportunity to attend talks by keynote speakers; learn from workshops and equity seminars; engage in affinity groups and spaces; and meet and connect with peers and colleagues at social events and gatherings, including a talent show! Students and chaperones also visited an exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum, The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century.
Below, attendees share their experiences at POCC and SDLC, reflecting on what they learned and what they hope to bring back to their work in the BB&N community. We feature US DEIG Practitioner Maria Graciela Alcid's powerful work at the conference.
Reflections from POCC & SDLC Attendees
Student Voices
Mallaika Bhatia, '24: "We were divided into "family groups," cohorts of four or five, which were a time to really get to know other kids from across the country."
Ekram Shemsu, '25: "A highlight of my SDLC experience was the Black affinity space, where all the Black-identifying students came together. It made me feel very seen and valued, being in a space with others with the same experience as me. I think it was important for me and others to understand and acknowledge that the experience of Black students in predominantly white institutions isn't the same as all other people of color. As co-leader of the Black Student Union at BB&N, it made me want to create a way for other Black students to feel the way I felt at SDLC."
Emma Osagie, '24: "The best part of the conference was the Black affinity space. After the speakers, we had the opportunity to go into affinity spaces. I just really loved the space because it allowed me to connect with a lot of people I could relate to. It was great to be able to share experiences, which changed the way that I operate in certain spaces now that I'm back at BB&N."
"It was exciting to hear from other students about how they show resilience in the face of pushback. All of us can make a difference. These important conversations contribute to who we will become in the future and who we are now. These are issues that personally affect us. We need to empathize and humanize them when we do talk about them."
Rockie Yewendwossen, '25: "Something I learned was how to facilitate controversial conversations, around topics like abortion and gun violence. Something that I inspired me was a talk by Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, who emphasized that joy is a key factor in success in literacy and education."
Darius Sinha, '24: "One of my favorite things about SDLC were the conversations that we were able to have, together as students. We talked about a wide variety of things, from the light-hearted to the complex. I'm excited to bring that ability to have conversations back to the Upper School for Community Day. I think it's really important to be able to talk about these issues while respecting everyone's identities, beliefs, perspectives."
"Even though we are "just" students, there's a lot of power in connecting with each other. One of the things that SDLC really values is having students facilitate the discussion."
Faculty and staff responded to four questions:
1. Why did you decide to attend POCC this year? Have you attended before?
2. What was the best part of POCC? What was your favorite moment?
3. What was an important takeaway from the conference? What was something important that you learned?
4. How will you apply what you learned at the conference to your work in the BB&N community?
Cayes Jarda, Upper School Learning Specialist
1. I went last year and it was my first time attending. I didn’t even know POCC existed since I was working in public schools and charter schools, where I had gone to the administration and asked to attend conferences and trainings, but that wasn’t a possibility. So, it was really cool when Vanessa Taylor [Teaching and Learning Program Manager] encouraged me to sign up. It was an awesome experience and it was really cool that the school was sending me.
I went back this year because all the workshops, affinity spaces, and speakers were great, and I wanted to connect again with great educators, great people, and a great community. The power of the experience was twofold as a Black educator, since Black people have been excluded from education in America up until the present day.
2. The best part for me was getting to hear the keynote speaker Gholnecsar (Gholdy) E. Muhammad. I hadn’t heard of her, but her reflections aligned exactly with my teaching philosophy: learning with joy. She demonstrated that it is possible to have rigor alongside joy in education and that we don’t have to punish our kids for them to learn. It’s not about learning a subject, it’s about learning to love learning in general. Joy is so important.
3. We are still in a place where we’re working towards our future in education, and we might need to make our own space to do what we need to do. Some people think that all Black people are the same, but we need to look at every community differently. Black kids in Cambridge have different needs from Black kids in New York City, who have different needs from Black kids in Chicago, and so on. This is not a one-size-fits-all problem. We are not yet on an anti-racist journey because we haven’t even packed our bags. We don’t have all the resources and infrastructure that we need, but I do believe that we can make this happen at BB&N, especially through principled engagement outside of school.
4. I hope to use my voice to help colleagues understand what systems and infrastructures are in place elsewhere and what we need here for students of color. We have to do it our own way, we have to start, we can’t continue to just wait. We have to actually put into practice our learning from conferences like this in order to support our students.
Tiffany Rice, MS DEIG Practitioner and Nathalia Jimenez, MS Counselor
1. Tiffany: I’ve been to POCC before—this is my seventh time going. I really love the community, and I go for the affinity spaces. At POCC, I’m not a minority. Also, it’s a nice way to connect with other BIPOC from BB&N. The sessions are really wonderful, and I value the affirming and emerging network that POCC establishes. We get to be around people who are experiencing similar things, people who can relate as BIPOC in predominantly white spaces.
Nathalia: This was my first time going. The reason I went is because I have a wonderful colleague who told me I should go, her name is Tiffany Rice. :) I trust her judgment and didn’t want to miss a wonderful opportunity. The experience encouraged me to go to spaces that are meant for us. It can get lonely at this institution, so it’s very important for us to stick together and remember the importance of relationships.
2. Tiffany: I loved the affinity groups, which are always so impactful from year to year. They are a unique and important space of recharging and affirmation for me. I also attended a restorative practice seminar (pre-conference session), which was also really incredible. I learned so much, and it also validated some elements that already exist in my practice.. And it’s always nice to get to know my BB&N colleagues outside of a campus setting.
Nathalia: One of my favorite aspects of the conference was getting to know fellow colleagues of color on other campuses. It was so fun to get to travel with my colleagues and attend affinity spaces with them—it was everything I didn’t know I needed!
3. Nathalia: The biggest takeaway for me was the importance of community and strength in numbers. Sometimes I forget how important it is to gather and to have more opportunities to connect outside of this institution. Someone in my affinity space got up and reminded us to go where we’re wanted, where we’re cared for. The right people should be there, and if you’re not feeling that, then you’re not in the right place. Also, I think adults can sometimes forget the oppression that children also experience. There is a difference between saying you care about kids and actually demonstrating it.
Tiffany: An important takeaway for me was that spaces like POCC are really important and necessary—it’s a place where learning takes place. You can never know it all. The best learning happens in environments like this, where people are there for the same reason: to do the work. There were also amazing speakers, like Dr. Gholnecsar (Gholdy) E. Muhammad, who talked about the importance of talking about kids with an asset-based mindset. It was affirming, inspiring, and so empowering to hear colleagues talking like this.
4. Tiffany: I am looking forward to sharing my learning from the conference with members of the DEIG Steering Committee (DSC). We get to follow through with this work, and together, we can figure out ways to bring it to all MS faculty and staff.. And ultimately, I will incorporate this into the work/programming I do with students–whether that’s through one of the DEIG student lung groups, CAB assemblies, advisory, or just one-to-one meetings that I have with students.
Nathalia: I left reflecting on the importance of advocating for more people like us to join our community. The need to advocate for these kids and be student-focused. It’s my responsibility to use my voice wherever I can. If BB&N really wants to say that we’re a certain type of school, that we’re working towards becoming an anti-racist institution, then I have a responsibility to use my voice to advocate for kids.
Also, speaking for my own community, I am thinking about a POCC seminar that I attended on colorism in the Latinx community. We have so much work to do as people of color. We don’t get a “free pass”. We have our own issues with internalized white supremacy, so we still have unpacking and unlearning to do. We need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
Maria Graciela Alcid, US DEIG Practitioner
1. It’s my seventh year attending.
2. Top three moments: I loved spending time with Darius, Emma, Mallaika, Rockie, and Ekram, getting to know them more, hearing about what inspired them from their sessions, listening to their reflections and the kinds of questions they were asking, and holding what they hoped to bring back to BB&N with a deep sense of responsibility.
I love being community with other educators in an expansive prismatic learning space of windows and mirrors.
I love co-creating with other educators and facilitating and leading professional development spaces that have an ecosystemic footprint.
3. Each year I am reminded of how powerful PoCC learning, reflection, and connection are as collaborative catalysts to re-calibrate and to re-design with students, peers, and community. Being a part of a dynamic, thriving PoCC/SDLC community of student and faculty leaders where the fluid and expansive intersection of whole-selfness, scholarship, lived experience, and expertise are challenged, amplified, actualized, appreciated in a precious moment-turned-capsule-container-of-hope for what the future could be in my lifetime is what’s it about.
4. The energy, the content, the co-creation come back to Cambridge and fill every interstitial head, heart space of work with students, peers, families, and community. The cumulative impact of which is that it has a measurable impact on student experience.
Carolina Gómez - Kramer, LS Spanish Teacher
1. Personally, attending PoCC is nourishment for my soul. While I've previously participated with colleagues from a different school, this my first experience with BB&N. I truly appreciate the opportunity to connect with colleagues from other campuses and subjects in such a unique space. Being in a different space with other colleagues of color always inspires and makes me stronger.
I never fully grasped the feeling of attending an affinity group for Latinx educators until my participation in PoCC, and it was rejuvenating. This experience provided me with insight into how some of my students might feel when attending different affinity spaces in our school.This experience also translates into a better version of myself and, in turn, a more effective educator and person.
2. It's challenging to choose one moment, but I believe that starting together and having the opportunity to share with colleagues and BB&N students the night before the conference made for a great opening to the conference. This year, I had the chance to participate as one of the facilitators for the Latinx Affinity Group. It was beautiful to learn about the different, yet also similar, experiences that adults undergo as part of the global majority.
3. As a Latina educator in a predominantly white community, I've always been aware of how my daily experiences intersect with the complex dynamics of appreciation, elevation, and oppression. It's a balancing act that often leaves me reflecting on the impact it has, not only on myself but also on the students I teach. Attending this conference is a space that always makes me actively reflect on who I am as an educator of color and what that might mean for my students. I always learn something new about myself and my multiple identities!
4. I find that PoCC prompts me to actively think about who I am and consider the significance of my identities for my students. Sometimes, World Language curriculums erase pieces that are important for identity work and focus on things that are not engaging and joyful. It's essential to ensure that my students not only see themselves reflected in my classes but also feel empowered to explore and embrace their identities. Attending different workshops at PoCC always gives me fresh perspectives and ideas to continue supporting and celebrating my students and their identities through my curriculum.
Maria Graciela Alcid co-led three workshops! The first was Basking in the Sun: Pilipina/x/o People and the Power of Kapwa, which discussed kapwa, a collectivist approach to re-indigenize funds of Pilipina/x/o ancestral knowledge, power, and practice. The second was The Masked Practitioner: AAPI Educators Married to Whiteness, Professionally and Personally, which interrogated how AAPI educators navigate systems of amorphous boundaries being married to whiteness at work and at home with love, care, and conflict. The third was SPAM: Decolonizing Beyond the Can and Celebrating Joy In Every Bite, which explored how Special Place and Memory (SPAM) serves as a powerful culturally sustaining vehicle for knowledge sharing and connection. Maria Graciela also co-convened and co-facilitated the AAPI Affinity Group.
Middle School Faith Traditions Unit
Middle School students engaged in a Faith Traditions Unit. During lunch sessions, they learned from speakers representing Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and Humanism, Buddhism. The unit culminated in field trips to the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, Temple Beth Zion, and Union Church Boston.
Highlights
Photos courtesy of Emma Price, Maria Graciela Alcid, and Karina Baum.
Background image credit: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (1982).
Looking Ahead
On February 7 during assembly, US students will hold a celebration for Black History Month featuring Dr. Joshua Bennett, spoken word poet and Professor of Literature and Distinguished Chair of Humanities at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
On February 14, US students and faculty will engage in a day of student-led workshops cultivating conversations and communications.
On February 20, faculty and staff will participate in a Professional Development Day featuring Dr. Liza Talusan, author of Identity-Conscious Educator.
On February 22, 6 to 8 pm, Parents of Black Students is hosting a Black History Month Celebration.
Inspirations
Read: Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower, by Brittney Cooper, intersectional scholar of race and gender. Black women are regularly stereotyped as angry. In this powerful memoir, Cooper argues that rage is not only a necessary response to structural oppression, but indeed a tremendous force for social change. Rage, argues Cooper, a source of creative energy and resilience that allows Black women to survive and thrive in a world that often neglects and abandons them.
Watch: Killers of the Flower Moon, a crime drama that portrays a series of murders in the Osage Nation after oil was discovered on tribal land in 1920s Oklahoma. The movie features actress Lily Gladstone, who is of Piegan Blackfeet and Nez Perce heritage and grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Montana. Gladstone, who received widespread critical acclaim for her performance, is the first Native American to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Eat: Visit any of one of these Black-owned restaurants in the Boston area. The city is home to so much vibrant, delicious African, Caribbean, and African American food—and it's a wonderful opportunity to support a Black-owned business, too!
DEIG it?
Questions, comments, thoughts, or feedback ? Email us at deig@bbns.org
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This month's newsletter was curated by Avik Sarkar, Education Fellow.