This year’s Black History Month celebrations at Loomis Chaffee have centered on a common theme — Black joy.  

“A lot of what we have been hearing in the media around Black individuals or leaders is around trauma,” explains Ashley Augustin, chief diversity officer and director of the Loomis Chaffee Center for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI). “We want to change the narrative and center more on joy, and that Black joy exists.” 

Ashley says that, for her, “Black joy is someone who identifies as Black and feels authentically joyful and does not have to think about it. … For a lot of our Black students and individuals, we tend to think about how am I showing up in a space because of my identity, and that can be very taxing. So it is about not having to think about that and just being authentic and happy.” 

One of the many events celebrating Black History Month was a February 9 trip to the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford to hear author and educator Jelani Cobb speak. Seventeen students attended the event, which was a collaboration between DEI and the History, Philosophy & Religious Studies Department. Dr. Cobb discussed the complex dynamics of race and racism in America, inspiring his audience to collective activism to achieve equity in the form of genuine democracy. 

“When I went through the photos,” Ashley said, “I was able to see the kids engaging with confidence and joy, and they also got to speak not only with [Dr. Cobb] but the mayor of Hartford [Luke Bronin], and that was a joy to see.”  

On Saturday, February 25, Loomis Chaffee students are connecting with students at Westminster School, which will host a "Bring Back the ’90s" dance. This event is sponsored by Westminster’s Black Affinity Group.  

“The ‘Bring Back the ’90s’ is more about celebrating the culture around Black identity in the U.S., so that is another piece about how joy is showing up this month,” Ashley said. 

On Monday, February 27, the community will mark the end of Black History Month with an LC Black Excellence Reception with Head of School Sheila Culbert. The goal of the reception is to bring Black students together to commune with one another and to connect with Sheila and share highlights of the year. The menu, in collaboration with FLIK, the Loomis dining hall provider, was created by the students and highlights the Black diaspora. 

“This is yet another way to provide space for our kids to be joyful,” Ashley said. 

Each dorm this month also has celebrated Black History Month. In a presentation in Cutler Hall, where Lillian Corman, the associate director of the Norton Family Center for the Common Good, is the dorm head, sophomores Mamadito Chipfunde-Nong, Kikachukwu Ebie, and Zaryjha Harrison; and freshmen Mariam Ali and Malado Landoure shared their personal experiences. All five are members of PRISM (People Rising in Support of Multiculturalism).  

Other Black History Month events on the Island: 

Intersectional Movie Night: Spectrum, in collaboration with Sister Circle and Brothers in Unity, will host a Moonlight screening on Friday, February 24. The showing will take place on the second floor of the SNUG from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. There will also be pizza provided by Student Activities. The Oscar-winning movie portrays the intersectionality between race and sexuality. The screening is open to everyone, and afterwards there will be an affinity space for BIPOC LGBTQ+ students. 

Black History Month Game: Throughout the month, students, faculty, and staff have been given a chance to win weekly prizes while learning more about historical Black figures who are often overlooked.  

DEI Interns Board Curation: Student interns with the Center for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion created visuals for poster boards in Founders and Chaffee halls. The Founders board is dedicated to Black history at Loomis Chaffee, and the one in Chaffee focuses on Black innovation in medicine. 

The DEI Interns’ “Did You Know” Series: Featured in the Daily Bulletin, the series celebrates and honors Black innovators and pioneers in the field of medicine who have played an essential role in caring for the well-being of the community and the nation.  

The LC Black Joy Project: The Center for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in conjunction with the DEI Interns sponsored the LC Black Joy Project, which invited student submissions of photos of Black joy. The project was inspired by the work of New York writer Kleaver Cruz's "Black Joy Project" and the work of Vogue writer and broadcaster Chanté Joseph.  

“There are a lot of joyous occasions on campus, and the students wanted to celebrate that and each other,” said Lilian Hutchinson, associate director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Two DEI interns will print the submitted photos and caption them for display in the DEI Center and possibly elsewhere on campus. 

The Kravis Center Black History Month Design Challenge: Interested faculty have the chance to design authentic assessments and competitions (for departments, centers, or other student-facing offices) that celebrate the lives and contributions of Black Americans. The design challenge runs throughout February. At the end of the month, the faculty of the school’s Kravis Center for Excellence in Teaching will discuss the submissions and provide feedback. A previous example was Mathematics Department Head Lauren Riva’s Graph Talks, which encouraged students “to explore ways in which mathematics is used to disseminate information and impact views and understanding of issues of social justice."