Honoring Black History Month: Portrait of a People 2026
Honoring Black History Month: Portrait of a People 2026
![Honoring Black History Month: Portrait of a People 2026]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1612203405/marlborough/zede9or62ctxk7uw7eqq/portraitofapeoplenews.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1612203405/marlborough/zede9or62ctxk7uw7eqq/portraitofapeoplenews.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1612203405/marlborough/zede9or62ctxk7uw7eqq/portraitofapeoplenews.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1612203405/marlborough/zede9or62ctxk7uw7eqq/portraitofapeoplenews.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1612203405/marlborough/zede9or62ctxk7uw7eqq/portraitofapeoplenews.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1612203405/marlborough/zede9or62ctxk7uw7eqq/portraitofapeoplenews.jpg","width":2200}])
Students in Honors African American Literature have honored Black History Month through their Portrait of a People video series for the past eight years at Marlborough. This year, students focused on highlighting the influential contributions of Black Americans in visual and performing arts.
On the importance of preserving and sharing these stories, English Instructor and Dean of College Counseling Brian K. Smith said, “As America approaches its semiquincentennial, we acknowledge that our history is not perfect…But every year counts, especially those where we refuse to let certain stories be deleted or erased.”
The student-created series invites the community to learn about and acknowledge the vast contributions of Black Americans by highlighting individuals who have had an immeasurable impact on the world through their art. You can find each student’s project linked below. Links will be added as videos are published throughout the month of February.
2026 Projects
- Josephine Baker
- Katherine Dunham
- Kehinde Wiley
- Faith Ringgold
- Bill Traylor
- Cynthia Erivo
- Nina Simone
- Louis Armstrong
- Jimi Hendrix
******
Previous Year's Posts
2025 Projects
- Daisy Bates
- James Meredith
- Dr. Pauli Murray
- Annie Lee Cooper
- Rev. James Lawson
- Coretta Scott King
- Mamie Till-Mobley
- Ella Baker
- Dorothy Height
- The Greensboro Sit Ins
- Victoria Gray Adams
- Bayard Rustin
- Leah Chase
- Barbara Johns
- Alain LeRoy Locke
- Florynce Kennedy
2024 Projects
- Octavia Butler
- Kiley Reid
- The Lady Chablis
- Sojourner Truth
- Jesmyn Ward
- Imbolo Mbue
- Jessie Redmon Fauset
- bell hooks
- Elaine Brown
- Jacqueline Woodson
- Angela Davis
- Isabel Wilkerson
- Toni Morrison
- Terry McMillan
- Zora Neale Hurston
- Audre Lorde
- Alice Walker
2023 Projects
- Brittany Packnett Cunningham
- Constance Baker Motley
- Barbara Jordan
- Ida B. Wells
- Nina Simone
- Huey P. Newton
- Septima Poinsette Clarke
- James Weldon Johnson
- Ruby Bridges
- Jackie Robinson
- Melba Pattillo Beals
- W. E. B. Du Bois
- Justice Thurgood Marshall
- Fred Hampton
- Amelia Boynton Robinson
- Carter G. Woodson
- John Carlos
- Terrence Roberts
2022 projects
- Sidney Poitier
- Alicia Garza
- Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw
- Dr. Mae Jamison
- Angie Thomas
- Ursula M. Burns
- Amanda Gorman
- Angela Bassett
- Allyson Felix
- Kendrick Lamar
- Debbie Allen
- Joycelyn Elders
2021 projects
- Etta James
- Aretha Franklin
- Louis Armstrong
- Jean-Michel Basquiat
- Claudette Colvin
- J. Cole
- Josephine Baker
- Oris 'Dino' Smiley
- Mae Jemison
- Stacey Abrams
2020 projects
- Wilma Rudolph
- Elaine Welteroth
- George Washington Carver
- Lorraine Hansberry
- Misty Copeland
- Viola Davis
- Nat King Cole
- Harriet Ann Jacobs
- Sheryl Swoopes
- Octavia Spencer
- Ava DuVernay
- Tiger Woods
- Alvin Ailey
- Nina Simone
- Octavia Bulter
- Matthew Henson
- Ella Fitzgerald
2019 projects
- Marian Anderson
- Madame CJ Walker
- Audra Lorde
- Quincy Jones
- Fannie Lou Hamer
- Eartha Kitt
- WEB Dubois
- Muhammed Ali
- Shirley Chisolm
- Alexander Crummel
2018 projects
More News
![Leaning into Legalities with Professor Cahill]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1770163662/marlborough/vtju38ehskakdmmzchh8/ProfCahill.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1770163662/marlborough/vtju38ehskakdmmzchh8/ProfCahill.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1770163662/marlborough/vtju38ehskakdmmzchh8/ProfCahill.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1770163662/marlborough/vtju38ehskakdmmzchh8/ProfCahill.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1770163662/marlborough/vtju38ehskakdmmzchh8/ProfCahill.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1770163662/marlborough/vtju38ehskakdmmzchh8/ProfCahill.jpg","width":2200}])
Marlborough welcomes law professor Courtney Cahill to provide important context on recent immigration enforcement action in Minnesota.
Students enrolled in Honors African American Literature celebrate Black History Month with their video series, Portrait of a People.
![Spirit Week 2026: Community, Camaraderie, Competition]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1769818629/marlborough/rpljb0g9m05ubv3kalcy/SpiritWeek26.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1769818629/marlborough/rpljb0g9m05ubv3kalcy/SpiritWeek26.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1769818629/marlborough/rpljb0g9m05ubv3kalcy/SpiritWeek26.png","width":640}])
Marlborough’s annual Spirit Week brings the School together through friendly competition, giving back, and class unity.
![Creating What Matters to You]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1769799758/marlborough/txdbidttmlnzo68qjqhv/DianaMadisonASA.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1769799758/marlborough/txdbidttmlnzo68qjqhv/DianaMadisonASA.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1769799758/marlborough/txdbidttmlnzo68qjqhv/DianaMadisonASA.png","width":640}])
Multi-hyphenate Armenian-American creator Diana Madison joins the Armenian Student Association for an inspiring All-School Meeting.
![From Survival to Joy: Herta Amir’s Remarkable Story]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1769040446/marlborough/ubzr4bvid9hk5sgz9khy/HertaAmir_HolocaustSurvivor.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1769040446/marlborough/ubzr4bvid9hk5sgz9khy/HertaAmir_HolocaustSurvivor.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1769040446/marlborough/ubzr4bvid9hk5sgz9khy/HertaAmir_HolocaustSurvivor.png","width":640}])
Marlborough welcomes Holocaust survivor Herta Amir to share her remarkable story during an All-School Meeting.
![TreePeople’s Work Toward a Climate-Resilient Southern California]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1769193472/marlborough/vgcijh2hn0hntjrimx7d/TreePeople.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1769193472/marlborough/vgcijh2hn0hntjrimx7d/TreePeople.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1769193472/marlborough/vgcijh2hn0hntjrimx7d/TreePeople.png","width":640}])
Non-profit environmental organization TreePeople joins Marlborough for a Pushing Perspectives about their work in reforestation on the one-year anniversary of the Eaton and Palisades Fires.