Members of Haven’s Black Student Union (BSU) and Young Activist Coalition (YAC) came together for the annual Black History Month Assembly on Wednesday, February 4. The entire performance was student-led, featuring artists, singers, dancers, and poets.

Students attended the assembly during second block on a morning assembly schedule. Senior and co-president of BSU, Elizabeth Mboowa, led rehearsals, working with a large group of students in the weeks leading up to the assembly.

“It’s really relieving to see the end product,” Mboowa said. “You have to work around everyone’s schedules, and sometimes this might not be the priority [for them] until the very end when we are getting really close.”

The assembly celebrated Black History Month by honoring black figures that are less known, but still significant, to black culture. YAC and BSU chose the tagline ‘Unsung Heroes’ to honor the theme.

Sophomore and BSU member Bianca Blake helped organize and develop most of the script for the assembly. 

“There are just so many aspects of black culture that people just don’t think about, and people don’t consider,” Blake said. “They’re just so many black heroes that aren’t recognized, and that’s what we really wanted to do here.”

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Kathryn Barrett '27

Bianca Blake (10), Daija Bradwell (11), and Kara Siri (11) perform an original slam poem during the assembly.

The assembly was split into five separate chapters, identifying heroes in art, poetry, dance, music, and remembrance through a student-made video. Chapters one and two concluded with student art showcasing culture and identity. Poetry included ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing,’ often called the Black National Anthem, and a student slam poetry performance of ‘What is a hero?’ written by Blake.

“I don’t necessarily get stage fright,” Blake said. “I’ve been doing this since sixth grade, but I am always nervous, especially when I’m being vulnerable with my work.”

Chapter three included a dance choreographed by senior Thandiwe Jemwa and junior Leah Reece to music by black artists like Beyoncé and Timbaland. The dance was inspired by 1980’s and 90’s hip-hop culture.

“That’s my specialty,” Jemwa said. “I want to give high hts, beats and all that stuff, I feel more fluid when doing hip-hop so I just wanted everyone to immerse themselves in that.”

Seniors Jack Logue and Alex Thyme performed the song “Bless the Telephone” by Labi Siffre, known for its raw, intimate theme, and seniors Pearl Tweedy and Eli Graves performed “Summertime” from the opera “Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin, significant for blending operatic vocals with traditional African American tunes.

“I’ve seen that song a lot on TikTok and it’s been growing very popular again. So I kind of just chose him because I like his song, and I like his music,” Thyme said. “I’ve never performed in front of anyone with a guitar. It was really nice.”

BSU and YAC continue to aim to share awareness and bring community to underrepresented students.

“A part of me feels like some students just think, ‘Oh, it’s another assembly.’ You don’t see a lot of white people here. That’s why we have this assembly,” senior and emcee Bailey Anderson said. “I think [the assembly] was a good way to not downplay black history and show that it’s something that we need to keep pushing onto people, because if we don’t, it’s just going to be erased.”