Every February, Delbarton students join the greater national community to celebrate the achievements of prominent African-American men and women throughout the history of our country. Traditionally, both the History Club and Diversity Among Peers (D.A.P.) sponsor presentations and events throughout the month for members of the Delbarton community to learn about and celebrate Black History Month.

However, with the restrictions placed on in-person gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, student and faculty leaders concluded that the traditional in-person celebration would not be possible. Instead, members of the History Club and D.A.P. groups decided to work together, and conduct a Virtual Black History Month Fair, while trying to involve as many members of the greater Delbarton community as possible. 

Throughout the month of February, the Virtual Fair has hosted numerous live events via Zoom, and created a website to post recordings of these events and other resources on black history. Live Zoom events have included presentations from various members of the faculty, including Mr. John Thompson on African-American Soldiers in the Second World War and Ms. Alecia Ho-Sang’s talk, “I’m Different and That’s OK”, as well as presentations from students like Evan Dolan ‘22 who led a talk on the impact of Redlining and Housing Segregation in the twentieth century.

The fair also sought to include as many student-led groups as possible, including virtual resources from groups like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (F.C.A) on the Early Negro Leagues and the Architecture Club on prominent African-American architects. In the coming weeks, the Fair will also feature presentations from the Current Events Forum, Physicians One Day (P.O.D.), the Photography Club, and many more. 

Another major contribution to the Black History Month Virtual Fair has been from D.A.P., who have worked to combine the historical context provided by the History Club with modern insight into the lives of African-Americans today. They have hosted speakers, such as Chrissy Broderick who spoke about the mental health of young black men. 

As the Black History Month Fair continues to progress throughout the month of February, members across the Delbarton community have been encouraged to participate and attend these fascinating and enlightening events. The link to the website has been provided below, which not only contains a surplus of resources and recordings of presentations, but also a schedule for upcoming events for the rest of the month. 

Link: https://sites.google.com/delbarton.org/blackhistorymonth2020/home

This year’s Delbarton Black History Month Fair has again demonstrated the ability of the student body and faculty to overcome the obstacles presented by the coronavirus pandemic, and at a critical time when our nation has been swept up in so much racial tension, the community has found ways to grow closer yet also gain deeper understanding and appreciation for the differences that can ultimately unite us all.