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Celebrating Black Voices During Black History Month

Rafhia FosterRafhia Foster
Director of Enrollment

How do you racially/ethnically identify?
African American by way of Trinidad. 

What does that mean to you?
I grew up being told and receiving affirmations that" Black is Beautiful" Langston Hughes has been one of my favorite poets since I was younger and sums it up in this poem:
The night is beautiful,
So the faces of my people.
The stars are beautiful,
So the eyes of my people.
Beautiful, also, is the sun.
Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people.
Kris RyanKris Ryan
Head of Upper School

How do you racially/ethnically identify?
Black

What does that mean to you?
It means remembering the sacrifice, suffering, and hope of my ancestors. It means wrestling with and walking into the the legacy they provided for me through those things. It means struggling for a future where my family, Black people, and all people can live and love in freedom and full self-realization.
Sheri Rider JobeSheri Rider Jobe
Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

How do you racially/ethnically identify?
Black/African American

What does that mean to you?
Being Black means I come from a resilient people. Being Black means I come from a people that not only survived but also thrived and continue to do so today. Being Black means I am thriving, proud, resilient, complex, beautiful, historical, ambitious, innovative, loving, joyful, careful, authentic, intuitive, and loved. Being Black means I belong to a community and a legacy. Being Black means I live in a world that does not always see or appreciate me. Being Black reminds me that self-care is revolutionary.
Stacie RichardsonStacie Richardson
Dining Services

How do you racially/ethnically identify?
African American/Black

What does that mean to you? 
It's been said that a small group of people is going to be taken from one land and be brought to a strange land, and change the world. As Black people we have changed the world.

What does Black History Month mean to you?
The adversity that we have been through has not put us down but has made us great because we are accepted all around the world, because of what we went through here in the US, and what we have become in spite of all the strife. Black History Month is a celebration of our creativity and innovation despite having nothing.

What would you want folks to know about Black History?
In modern times, we have a Black woman who actually created the vaccine. Our greatness is always there, is always relevant, it did not ever stop, even though we were enslaved. We had creators before, it's just that we weren't allowed to publish; we were not allowed to have instruments to create music; we were also not allowed to patent anything we invented nor allowed to have a business. So there is a history, it’s just not written. We need to find and share those stories.

Advice for young people:
  • Learn the stories of who we are as Black people and where we come from
  • Learn from those who have been there – we are here to help
  • Follow your passion and develop financial intelligence
  • Understand the importance of education as a separator
  • Don’t let somebody hold you down or suppress you

Hope for the future:
The creativity that young people will have in the future now that more is available to young people today as opposed to what we had growing up. Now that we have greater access to things, Lord knows where we will end up as a people.
Gregg MitchellGregg Mitchell
Dining Services

How do you racially/ethnically identify?
African American/Black

What does that mean to you? 
That we are a people with that unbreakable spirit, against all odds no matter what they try to do to break you down, to stop you; you are going to find a way over, under, around, or through. Think about how much systemic racism has been put in place to hold us back and we still overcame. Nobody stops you from going to college, nobody stops you from teaching other people. So, no matter how much has been put in place to stop all of us from being successful, we are still successful. It’s that unbreakable spirit that is in all of us.

What does Black History Month mean to you?
Understanding that History is written by the winners, whatever battle or war you got going on, whoever won it is going to be able to tell their version of the story. Our Black History is lost and we need to actively seek it out through events like this.

Advice for young people:
  • Learn our story, our Black History
  • Be proud of who you are
  • Cherish what the people before you have done for you
Cindy NelsonCindy Nelson
Dining Services

How do you racially/ethnically identify?
African American/Black

What does that mean to you? 
  • Being proud
  • Not giving up easily despite adversity
  • People who rise when people try to put them down
What does Black History Month mean to you?
It is a chance for people to learn about how we got to where we are today. The generational struggles and the hope we have for the future. 

What would you want folks to know about Black History?
There is more to the story than what you have seen. Find those stories and share them with the generations to come. They're not going to teach us so we need to teach our kids the job that our parents, grandparents, and rest of our ancestors went through to get us where we are today.  I didn't struggle as much as my parents but I learned their struggle, and my kids learned from me, and now their children are learning from them. We need to keep our side of history going. 

Advice for young people:
  • Stand up for yourself
  • Always stick together
  • Listen to other people
  • Support one another - it doesn't have to be financially; can be mentally or emotionally
  • When your time comes, you have to vote, you have to get out there and let your voice be heard
Hope for the future:
We’ve had generational struggles, but there is hope with justice from incidents like George Floyd. Through the actions of young people who have fought for justice through Black Lives Matter, the perpetrators have been brought to justice. Keep fighting and stand up for what you feel is right.
Joe PittmanJoe Pittman
Dining Services

How do you racially/ethnically identify?
African American/Black

What does that mean to you? 
  • Being powerful
  • Being strong
  • Being proud
  • Being resourceful
  • Being able to overcome
What does Black History Month mean to you?
People need to understand all the hardships and appreciate where things have come from. A lot of people sacrificed and died for us to be where we are. Actively seek out Black History, that is a side that is not often told – Black inventors, Black doctors performing open heart surgeries to separate conjoined twins, people who invented street lights, Black women who created the vaccine or that Black women sent man to the moon. Know that we are a people who are not given much but can still turn something out of nothing. We are resourceful in many ways. We're the trendsetters in the world as far as music, fashion, and sports. 

Advice for young people:
  • Stay humble
  • Don’t stop fighting for equality - “we are everywhere we still aren't everywhere” even though this is 2022
Hope for the future:
Black stigma is going away due to Black prominence in entertainment and sports. More diversity in movies, roles of Black people have expanded beyond the drug dealer and bad guy; and more Black family role modeling is appearing on screen.
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814 Yarrow Street
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010

Phone: 610-525-4300
Fax: 610-525-5082
The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.