Upper School Students Observe Black History Month with Celebrations and Discussions

February 19, 2019

This month, students in the Upper School are celebrating Black History Month in a variety of ways. As the culmination of Spirit Week on Friday, February 8, students in the Upper School wore black and received celebratory wrist bands with quotes from famous Black figures to kick off the month-long celebration. Throughout February, students in the Middle School are engaged in an interdisciplinary research and art project focusing on lesser-known influential Black figures or events of their choosing. The project is facilitated by teachers from the social studies, fine arts, and mathematics departments during advisory. In the High School, the student executive board of the Black Student Union has presented advisory sessions for all students in grades 9-12. During these presentations, students have explored the importance of Black History Month, learned how the celebratory month began and discussed personal experiences with Black history, identity, and culture.

In conjunction with Black History month and Léman's commitment to engaging in an important dialogue about race and perspective as part of our ongoing work around diversity and inclusion, members of the Léman community viewed a screening of the thought-provoking and relevant documentary "I'm Not Racist, Am I?" in the Morris Theatre on Monday, February 11. The documentary follows 12 New York City high school students for a year as they navigate conversations and their own perspectives about race and explores how the next generation is going to confront racism. The screening was followed by a group discussion led by one of the film's directors, Lenny Walker, where faculty members, parents and students had a productive conversation around the issues presented in the film and how our community can continue to support a diverse and inclusive place of learning.