Black teen summit at Rolling Meadows H.S. cast spotlight on ‘beautiful diversity’ of School District 214

For nearly a decade, the “Black Teen Empowerment Summit” in Township High School District 214 has included students from across the six-school district who take part in what has become an annual tradition.

This year, the summit was held April 19 at Rolling Meadows High School, and featured motivational speakers and inspirational activities with goals according to organizers, to promote belonging, personal appreciation, wellness and self awareness.

Principal Megan Kelly said approximately 150 students attended from across the district. The Arlington Heights-based school district has nearly 12,000 students, with 49% of them of minority heritage — including 2% African American.

“I love this because it is a celebration of the beautiful diversity of our district,” said Kelly. “And to be able to host it in our own building and to share our home with our African American students across the district for the first time … is just a really great honor. We’re so happy to open our doors to our community members/”

The day began in the Edward H. Gilbert Theater at the high school, located in the northwest suburb of Rolling Meadows, where the welcome included the singing of the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Students were seen swaying to the song, with some lifting an arm in the air with a fist as a show of unity and strength.

Chicago native Allen J. Bryson, an author, poet, spoken-word artist and education specialist, was the morning keynote speaker.

Bryson said it is vital to empower Black youth as lifelong learners. Additionally, he said one effort of the summit was to bridge gaps – getting older generations to interact with the youth, and vice versa.

“When you’re talking about empowering teens, it comes from the knowledge that they gain from the older generation,” he said. “We’re also here to celebrate, and being unapologetic and being Black and being proud about our heritage and our culture.”

Bryson talked about the importance of confidence.

“Throughout every school system, regardless of the suburban, urban, rural, [Black students] face these challenges within the dynamics of their own school where they feel ostracized, left out, marginalized, not counted for,” Bryson said. “We’re here today to remind them that ‘you matter.’ … Every student here is a gift, some of them just haven’t been unwrapped yet.”

He admonished the teens to present themselves daily in their personal best, their proud uniform, and to sit in the front row of a classroom and in front of a bus, for example, to assert a solid presence for themselves and to inspire others.

Poet and performing artist Moe-Mentum, of west suburban Broadview, made an appearance on stage in the auditorium and also in the Mustang Hub room of the school’s Academic Resource Center.

“I want them (the teens) to feel impacted. I want them to feel that they’re there, they’re worthy; that’s my main thing, that they matter,” he told Pioneer Press.

“So my thing isn’t just being a performer, just making words rhyme. I want to do something that’s going to change their mind, change their thought process, change how they live from here on out.”

Moe-Mentum told the teens in the auditorium if they fall down eight times, they have to get up nine.

“Get up,” Moe-Mentum said. “No time out.”

In the audience, accompanying the students from John Hersey High School, were Black Student Union sponsor Vivian Lopez and school psychologist Marie Mbi. There were six Hersey Huskies who attended the summit, Lopez said.

“I think it’s just important to really celebrate Black excellence,” Lopez said, adding the summit helps to, “celebrate everybody and lift everybody up.”

Mbi said she found it important to gather as a community and “uplift Black voices and then celebrate Black joy,” calling the summit a great time for students.

Teens were seen playing challenge games and snaping shots in a photo booth.

One Elk Grove High School sophomore said the summit was an opportunity to “celebrate our culture.”

“Black voices are not always pushed out in the media so we need to be here to push Black experiences out more,” the teen told Pioneer Press.

Attendees said it was important to them to have a Black voice because they feel their culture is underrepresented. The summit, some said, offered a chance for the students of color to support each other.

Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer.