Music and laughter filled McWilliams Courtyard on Saturday, Feb. 22 for Poly’s Black Cultural Celebration. Hosted by the Black Family Alliance in honor of Black History Month, the event included an array of performances and activities for people of all ages and ethnicities to bond over Black culture.
The event kicked off with sophomore Shayla Starr singing the Black National Anthem, “Lift Your Voice and Sing.” After her beautiful solo rendition of the piece, audience members joined her for a second performance.
While eating peach cobbler and connecting over activities like crafts and double dutch, attendees were treated to dance performances from members of various alumni chapters of the Divine Nine, which are African-American Greek-letter sororities and fraternities formed in the early 20th century at colleges around the United States.
Poly parent and Black Family Alliance member Khalilah El-Amin, who introduced the Divine Nine members, emphasized the importance of these Greek-letter organizations throughout American history. El-Amin shared, “I’m legacy, which means that my mom was in the house of Kappa Alpha. She was initiated at UCLA in 1965, and during that time the world looked very different, so being able to be in an organization like that meant a lot to her and her community.”
While this was Poly’s fourth annual Black Cultural Celebration, Saturday’s event was the first time the celebration was open to the whole K-12 community, regardless of whether one identifies as Black or African-American.
Assistant Head of School Lisa Wu, who helped organize the event, noted, “This has been such an amazing way to bring the Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School communities together.”
This year, the event was also open to families outside of the school.
Explaining the reason for this change, Wu said, “It gives them a window into what community means at Poly.”
The event’s expansion is a testament to Poly’s commitment to celebrating diversity in trying times. “In the current environment with so many diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives being removed from organizations, I think the fact that Poly is continuing to celebrate diversity at an event like this is absolutely amazing,” shared El-Amin.
Above all, the event allowed people to connect with one another, sharing stories and smiles while engaging in card games and enjoying delicious food. “
The ability to connect with so many faces that look like me on campus is an experience that I will forever be grateful for,” shared sophomore Julia Swanson. “I love conversing with the generations before and after me to build bonds that will last a lifetime.”
