From 3:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. on June 8, Boston Latin School Black Leaders Aspiring for Change and Knowledge (B.L.A.C.K.) and BLS Talented and Gifted Latino (T.A.G.) held their tenth annual celebration in the Fiction Room of the BLS Keefe Library.
BLS faculty, alumni and current students gathered to celebrate the collective achievements of the approximately 100 members of the Class of 2025 who identify as Black and Latinx.
In addition to a performance by BLS Gospel Choir, alumni guest speakers were invited to give speeches at the celebration. Previous guest speakers have included Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, author and community activist Dr. Omekongo Dibinga and record producer Prince Charles Alexander. A highlight video was also played to celebrate the next step of students’ journeys by featuring pictures of each student and the colleges that they will attend. At the end of the ceremony, students received a kente cloth, a Ghanaian textile worn around the shoulders, or a serape stole, which has origins in Mexico.
The planning process for the celebration was guided by a committee which consists of faculty advisors of BLS B.L.A.C.K. and BLS T.A.G. and non-senior student officers of the clubs. While faculty advisors only started meeting a month prior to the event, preparation started immediately after last year’s celebration. The kente cloths for the Class of 2025, for example, were ordered in June of 2024.
BLS B.L.A.C.K. faculty adwvisor Ms. Rose Delorme Metayer remarks on the purpose of the celebration: “The journey for Black and Latinx students here in this building is so different, so unique. […] The goal of it is to remind them that […] Black and Latinx students have always had a history at BLS, and will always continue to have a history.”
Although 2025 marks the tenth anniversary of the celebration, its origins can be traced back to the 1970s, when Black faculty members would hold small gatherings to congratulate students before their graduations. After a brief interim in the 1990s, the celebration was brought back in 2016, and has occurred annually since.
The longstanding tradition of the celebration marks a strong sense of community within the Black community at BLS. After COVID-19, BLS B.L.A.C.K. and BLS T.A.G. started combining their celebrations, since many students belong to both groups.
BLS T.A.G. faculty advisor Ms. Raquel Jacobson-Peregrino explains, “We celebrate everyone together, and there’s a nice mixture of all the diverse cultures, backgrounds and communities that our students represent. […] I [am] proud that […] this is identified as a place where students can really connect […], support […] and celebrate each other.”
The collaboration of BLS T.A.G. and BLS B.L.A.C.K. seeks to promote unity, as both clubs strive to create an environment for students to celebrate their journeys and those of their peers.
One challenge with planning the event, however, was continuing the event’s legacy at BLS, as teachers hope to have at least 50 out of the 100 students in attendance.
BLS B.L.A.C.K. faculty advisor Ms. Cheralyn Pinchem nevertheless concludes, “To see that BLS continues to celebrate and that everyone is welcome, that’s one thing I’m most looking forward to — […] seeing the tradition continued.”