Black History Month 2025 at FCS

By Madison Plesser ‘27 (Reporter)

February can be quite a vibrant and bustling time at FCS. It's a month filled with numerous activities, including Valentine’s Day celebrations like Singing Valentines, where our acapella groups deliver heartfelt performances from class to class, and the Service Committee’s Candy Grams fundraiser for Simon’s Heart Foundation. In addition to the celebrations of love and festivity, Friends’ Central honors Black History Month and the contributions of the Black community.

There are various celebrations of Black History Month in February, from the notable Black Out dance to the annual Black History Month assembly. Black Out is an annual event organized by our very own Black Students Connect (BSC). BSC was created for the Black Student Forums/Unions from schools on the mainline and in the greater Philadelphia area to join Friends’ Central-hosted events to develop cross-school bonds. Black Out was started to celebrate Black History Month by bringing together Black students to create new companionships and a shared space. Every February, the Black Student Forum (BSF) at Friends’ Central highlights and observes the achievements and journeys of Black Americans worldwide and in our community. The spirited club hosts an annual school-wide assembly, a key event in our Black History Month activities. Last year, they hosted an engaging assembly about the history of the Divine Nine, featuring video interviews with Friends’ Central alums now attending historically Black colleges like Howard University and Morgan State University. 

This year, aiming to attain more recognition for the accomplishments of the Black students in our own community, their assembly featured a powerful video and a beautifully sung performance, doing just that. The video posed the question: What does it mean to be Black in our community? What does it mean to be Black at Friends’ Central? To answer these questions, the club brought together members of our Black community and shared the achievements and efforts of our students, which may sometimes go overlooked. The Black community sees the importance of highlighting the positives that are brought inside and outside of Friends’ Central and successfully shared those accomplishments with our school.

Thank you to the BSF club leaders for an impactful video and assembly and to Sean Scott ‘25 for his lovely performance of the African American national anthem!

Image from https://www.eatright.org/food/cultural-cuisines-and-traditions/celebratory-dates/celebrate-black-history-month