Celebrating Black History at Rivers: A Focus on Black Excellence and Community

Kicking off the all-school programming was a powerful performance by Katherine Shaw ’26 and Head of Middle School John Bower P’31 of the anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing,”—often referred to as “the Black National Anthem,” and a song of powerful cultural significance to many Black Americans.

Following the musical performance, Dr. Miletsky focused on highlighting Black excellence through inventions and contributions to American society, especially, he said, in the wake of efforts by some to ‘cancel’ Black History Month. He projected examples of important—not all famous—Black persons in American history, focusing on the unsung contributions of Black inventors. He spoke of Granville Tailer Woods, an electrical engineer and inventor who held over 60 patents, and Lewis Howard Latimer, who worked with Thomas Edison and patented the carbon filament inside incandescent light bulbs. 

“Every time a Black person invents something, that negates all the news you’re reading about,” he said.

“Every time you turn on a lightbulb,” he reminded the audience, “you experience a Black invention.”

Student leaders of SHADES, who introduced the speaker on Monday, have led programming throughout the month to integrate with the theme of “Black Excellence” and to engage the wider community. 

Throughout February, SHADES has been curating themed playlists to share with the Rivers community during lunch, highlighting Black artists from different decades: 90s, 70s, and 60s. They have also been meeting weekly to give the Black community at Rivers space to be around each other for affinity, focusing on a new theme each week. Last week, it was cultural—affinity members were encouraged to wear clothing they felt a cultural tie to or content related to Black influencers. This week, the focus is on international flags. Food, as a cultural component, was also incorporated all month. Each Friday in February, the lunch menu featured a different cuisine with ties to the African diaspora, such as jambalaya, jerk chicken, and Puerto Rican Pork Pernil. SHADES members also enjoyed a special luncheon of Jamaican food earlier in the month.

Within the affinity space, SHADES leaders have focused on growing community and supporting the Black student community on campus, which has grown significantly in recent years. 

“Compared to other years, we’ve done a really good job of including underclassmen and bringing people in,” said Kayla Thugi ’25, one of the five student leaders of SHADES. 

Thugi, along with Jason Richardson-Miles ’25, who also serves as an affinity leader, both arrived as freshmen. They each remember a time when the affinity space was barely bigger than nine students, which has since grown significantly. 

Thugi describes being “blown away” at the beginning of this year when they had to open a second room to accommodate all the students. 

“There’s now a stronger community because there are more Black people on campus, said Richardson-Miles. “Kids are feeling welcomed on campus, more welcomed all around.” 

“Having an affinity space as a freshman is so important. Those are the first people you have a connection with, and those are the people who are going to carry you through high school,” says Thugi.

Becoming mentors and supporting younger students has also been a positive process, with

SHADES making efforts to engage with students in the Middle School. Earlier this month, Jamal Gathers ’25, another affinity leader, presented on Black History Month at a Middle School division meeting. 

The work extends throughout the year—SHADES has presented at all-school assembly surrounding the MLK Speaker and in advance of Juneteenth. 

And, as Black history is inseparable from American history, Black history is a year-round part of humanities and history classes with a focus on the U.S. 

“The Grade 7 and 8 humanities curriculum (Global Citizenship and Systems of Justice and Injustice, respectively) invites students to wrestle with the complexities of justice/injustice as they impact various marginalized groups,” says Bower, “while the Grade 6 humanities curriculum encourages students to expand their definition of community.” Students in the Grade 8 classes are currently reading Unequal, by Michael Eric Dyson and Marc Favreau, which explores the history of racial inequality in the U.S. 

Later on Monday, roundtable-style in Jeff Baker’s and Caroline Boston’s Grade 8 Humanities classes, Dr. Miletsky engaged students in a true-or-false game about various facts on Black History.

Students leaned into the questions and topics—debating why the Sphinx in Egypt doesn’t have a nose and who built it, the irony of a slave ship being called Amistad, and the difference between the treatment of slaves and indentured servants. 

It all ties into the importance of Black History Month and why it’s still so necessary.

Says Thugi, Black history “is a history that’s all around–you can’t get away from it. Black History Month was another thing we had to fight for. It used to be just a week; now it’s a whole month, and that’s something that’s really beautiful to see.”