Campus visitors and special programming bring to life “MLK Jr. and the Moral Imagery”
February 26, 2025
Cultural, educational and celebratory events highlight Black excellence in education and the arts.
BY KRISTIN DUISBERG
With a focus on the theme of “Black Excellence in Education and the Arts,” St. Paul’s School marked Black History Month with a slate of cultural, educational and celebratory activities for the SPS community. Programming kicked off with fine art — the monthlong Crumpacker Gallery show “Flicker, Flutter, Flourish,” which includes the work of textile designer and painter Rachel Gloria Adams — as well as food: a Southern-food meal in the Upper on Feb. 6 that was the first of four themed dinners held throughout the month. On subsequent Thursdays, students enjoyed meals that highlighted West African, Afro-Cuban and West Indian cooking. Throughout the month, Ohrstrom Library offered a special display that featured the work of writers who graduated from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and several students participated in a field trip to Manchester’s Currier Museum to view the show “Jean-Michel Basquiat and Ouattara Watts: A Distant Conversation.”
A student plays the saxophone on stage in Memorial Hall during the 5th annual Onyx Black History Celebration.
A piece from “Flicker, Flutter, Flourish” on display in the Crumpacker Gallery during Black History Month.
While a winter storm on Feb. 9 meant the student-run Black History Celebration had to be postponed by two weeks, the month’s observations finished strong with that event as well as a visit with the Step Afrika! dance troupe. A Washington, D.C.-based group dedicated to the art form of stepping, Step Afrika! spent the evening of Feb. 22 on the grounds, leading a workshop for students that culminated in a performance for the community in Memorial Hall. During the afternoon of Feb. 23, the Onyx affinity group hosted its fifth annual Black History Celebration, with student dance, music and poetry performances in Memorial Hall as well as remarks by the Hon. Talesha Saint-Marc, the first Black person in New Hampshire to serve on the federal bench as a United States magistrate judge and an African drumming performance and lesson by Theo Martey from The Akwaaba Ensemble. As was the case in 2024, the celebration welcomed students from nearby independent schools, including attendees from Tilton, Phillips Exeter, Andover, Northfield Mount Hermon and Cardigan Mountain.
Students and faculty pose for a group photo with campus visitor the Hon. Talesha Saint-Marc.
Students and faculty attend an African drumming performance and lesson by Theo Martey from The Akwaaba Ensemble.
As Bethany Dickerson Wynder, the School’s director of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice initiatives, explains, Black History Month provides an opportunity to promote a greater knowledge of, and respect for, the diverse heritage, cultures and contributions of people of African descent to the development of societies. Of this year’s programming, Wynder says, “As SPS community members intentionally work to foster Beloved Community in ways that are aligned with the School Prayer, we co-labored to curate a holistic programmatic experience that would appeal to an eclectic mix of students and the wider community.”
