Since 2018, celebrations for Black History Month at Berkeley Unified School District have culminated in the districtwide Black History Oratorical Festival held in March, which celebrates student achievements across competitions and performances hosted at different schools.
This year, however, community members were notified that the event was canceled.
Kamar O’ Guinn, BUSD’s African American Success Project manager, who has led the celebration since its creation, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
At the district board meeting Feb. 18, superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel announced the pilot of a “site-led oratorical model” following the cancellation of the districtwide festival. In an email sent to a district teacher obtained by The Daily Californian, Morthel explained that the change comes as the district struggles to host an event that “requires significant cross-departmental staff capacity.”
Giving consideration to “long-term sustainability and impact,” the district believes the new site-led model could better uplift the broader community rather than “a small number of students,” Morthel added in the email.
The decision came up in conversations “with a number of stakeholders,” Morthel later said in an interview with The Daily Californian.
“Our goal was really to highlight, support and expand what’s happening at the site level, because we know that the site level is where our families are,” Morthel said in the interview.
In the interview, Morthel also emphasized support for ongoing site-specific events and other district celebrations highlighting Black History Month, such as a screening for “Epicenter,” a documentary about Black studies in the Bay Area by Doug Harris, a Berkeley High School alumnus.
Kamala Asher, a teacher at Berkeley Independent Study, said she felt Morthel’s email regarding the cancellation of the districtwide event was “a very narrow response.” She added that the cancellation itself was a “huge disservice” to the Black community.
“It’s not just about the 37 students who get up on stage at the district,” Asher said. “It’s about all those in the community who come to uplift Black history, past, present and future.”
Berkeley Technology Academy teacher Caety Klingman added that specific site events have always been supported by the district, but that official communication was lacking this year.
Klingman and Asher, who both organize the Black History Oratorical Festival tournament at Berkeley Technology Academy, have repeatedly emailed district administrators since last December for guidance.
After receiving no response, they decided to take initiative in organizing their event, deciding on a theme that highlights Black protests and celebration. The teachers also planned a luncheon and purchased supplies with help from parent donations.
“(District outreach) came to us a week before our event,” Klingman said. “We were not sent any supporting materials (and) at that point, it was too late for us. We had a week until our event.”
Site-specific events that were hosted last month included a spirit week at Berkeley High School organized by the Black Student Union, who also hosted a soul food luncheon for students.
Malcolm X Elementary School hosted School Yard Rap, a performance group that uses hip-hop to educate students about Black history and excellence. The parent teacher association at Rosa Parks Elementary School also hosted a weekend celebration.
Despite the cancellation of this year’s districtwide event, Morthel said the district is still looking for feedback from community members to improve future celebrations.