Celebrating Black History, Every Day!
At RPS, we understand that the recognition of Black History should never be confined to a single month but is at its essence a call for the celebration of black excellence and cultural achievements throughout the year.
Black History Month Events
The dates and events below were part of the 2022-2023 school year. Black History Month events for the 2023-2024 school year will be updated at a later time.
Date/Time | Event |
---|---|
February 1-28 5:00 pm |
BHM at the VMFA VMFA |
February 15 6:00 pm |
Road to Richmond: Transforming Through Music, Art, Culture & Education Main Street Station |
February 16 6:00 - 6:30 pm |
Richmond Short Stories Tour |
February 22 |
Community Screening of "Aftershock" |
February 25 |
Remembering, Honoring & Sharing Richmond's History: A Public Discussion |
Ongoing through March 5 |
Celebrating Black History Month Through ART |
Ongoing |
2023 Black History Tour: Presented by the Cary ES PTA |
Ongoing | Maggie L. Walker House Call-ahead for a free tour. |
Ongoing | Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia: Forging Freedom, Justice and Equality Free entry for RPS staff and students, plus three guests. |
RPS Black History
Mikenzie is an honor roll 8th grader at Franklin Military Academy. She is a leader in classes and has aspirations of going on to get a degree in Law. She takes her academics very seriously but also is a star athlete. She plays on the JV basketball team at John Marshall. Mikenzie's favorite subject is history and today she sat down to talk to us about Black History and some people that inspire her.
Lucille M. Brown Middle School Science teacher Andrea Bryant is a true example of dedication and commitment. Listen to what she has to say about the importance of positive role models and celebrating each other.
Meet Ta'Dreama McBride, a junior Open High School. Ta'Dreama believes in the importance of staying connected to our heritage and history through storytelling.
Emmanuela Bekrou, a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School shares her story and reasons why we need to remember our ancestors. She is a member the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, Partnership for the Future, and various other student organizations.
Philip Canady is the 2022-23 Teacher of the Year Fairfield Court Elementary School. He shares his views on why it’s important to have a male role model a student’s life.
Sgt. Edward Gore is the Safety and Care Specialist at Fairfield Court Elementary School. He shares acts of kindness not only during National Kindness Week but all throughout the year.
2019 National Teacher of the Year, Rodney Robinson, is an advocate for teachers and students. He represents a small percentage of men in the education field. Listen to what he has to say about celebrating each other at RPS.
2023 RPS Teacher of the Year Christal Corey talks to us about why it’s important to celebrate those who came before us. Ms. Corey comes from a family of educators and teaches science at Franklin Military Academy. She takes pride in her students and her role as a teacher.
Mr. Scott is a history teacher at Armstrong HS and the grandson of Wendell Scott, NASCAR's first black team owner and driver. Join us in learning why its important to continue celebrate our history and legacy from Mr. Scott.
Jamar Billups' passion for history started when he was a young boy in search of answers. Today, through his work at RPS as K-12 Instructional Specialist for History and Social Science, he hopes his contributions will provide answers for future generations.
Natoryae' Carter is a junior at Armstrong High School where she's a stage performer participating in school theater. She loves to sing, dance, act and cook. Natoryae' talks about some of her most memorable moments at Armstrong and her future plans.
Assistant Coach David Harvey, sits down with us to share his thoughts on coaching the John Marshall Justices boys basketball team, who are making history with their national rankings and state championship titles.
Xavion Hill is a member of the National Honor Society at John Marshall High School, currently holding a 3.57 GPA. He has a passion for photography and videography and hopes to make it on the BIG screen some day. Watch this inspiring clip about Xavion and his dreams for the future.
Cassidy and Jackson are members of the first-ever Armstrong HS Battle of the Brains team. They share their experiences competing on the big stage and making history!
Armstrong High School Senior Imani Adewale is a published author who has inspired other students through her book “30 Days of Self Love”. Check out her story:
Ginter Park ES student and author J'ana Price has turned her best-selling children's books, Loving Myself and Finding Myself, into an animated read-along. These incredible stories brought to life can be viewed on YouTube.
In January 2023, RPS principals were honored at the 45th Virginia Union University MLK Leaders Celebration. The celebration highlights leaders in the region who are making a positive impact on the community. VUU recognized RPS leaders for their the perseverance amid challenges since returning from the pandemic, but also the dedication of those who have remained steadfast in their commitment to children and families.
Author Aarenne Milton recently paid a visit to the classroom of her former teacher, Valerie Schwarz, at Mary Munford ES. Aarenne, who is now a teacher herself, has written and published two children's books, and has started her own publishing company, One in a Million Publishing, focused on authors of color.
Send In Your Stories
Share how your school is celebrating Black History Month or submit a story about RPS Black History past, present and future to be included in the archive.
RPS Love Store
We have some new options in the RPS Love Store so everyone can proudly celebrate our Black History Month theme! All proceeds will support education programming at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia.