This February, Pace celebrated Black History Month with programming in all three divisions. The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) focused on this year’s national theme, Black Resistance, by amplifying the voices of Black artists.

We kicked off the month with assemblies with S.C. Says, an Austin-based slam poet who has been featured in publications such as Huffington Post and The Culture Trip. He is a two-time Austin Poetry Slam Champion, the 2022 Texas Grand Slam Champion and the author of the poetry collection Golden Brown Skin. S.C. Says’s poetry explores themes around empathy, diversity and mental health.

Lower School families partnered with the Office of DEI for a Community Time presentation that explored a wide range of historical figures in Black history. Students represented people whose positive contributions made the world more accessible, inclusive and equitable, ranging from artists like Kehinde Wiley to inventors like Patricia Bath and entrepreneurs like Earl Cooper.

Students also enjoyed assemblies from Creative Soul Photography, an Atlanta-based duo whose lens captures unique and empowering photos of children in personalized and stylized settings. Their photography showcases children across the African diaspora with influences from the past, present and future. Their presentation showcased their large body of work and introduced students to their newest project with Disney to reimagine Disney princesses with the CreativeSoul Doll Collection.

As our school’s Black History Month celebrations come to a close, the Office of DEI encourages you to continue exploring Black history and culture at home using the Activity Passport. Please also check out our Race and Equity Resources for deeper learning. These resources include guidance for how to talk with young children as well as films, books and other media that connect all of us to our shared empathy and humanity.