Black Mystery: A Black History Month Poem
Ali is Senior Deputy Head Boy at Loughborough Grammar School. He wrote a poem called Black Mystery, which he read out in assembly during Black History Month.
Black History Month is the annual commemoration of the history, achievements and contributions of black people in the UK. and is an opportunity to reflect and celebrate Black people, history and culture, as we reaffirm our position as an inclusive and diverse community. Throughout October, events are taking place and experiences and histories are being shared across Loughborough Schools Foundation to commemorate Black History Month in the UK.
“As I am approaching three years of being part of the Diversity committee, from planning cultural appreciation days where students got the opportunity to dress up in cultural clothes and feast on cultural delicacies. I knew that when the time came for me to get on stage and speak in front of the whole school, I wanted it to be something everybody would remember.
As Year 13 Senior Deputy Head Boy, poetry was never something I really enjoyed. I study Chemistry, Psychology and Maths A levels, so how did writing poetry come to mind? I was inspired by Dr Barnett, our previous Headmaster, and how he began his first assembly with his own poem and also finishing the year with another. What stood out to me was how, in just a few words, he managed to captivate my attention. This is what initially gave me the idea to write my own poem.
That following summer I became fascinated by the style of speech and messages that can be conveyed through just a few lines. I became invested. I listened to spoken word poetry and also current and previous world leaders who used poetry in their speeches. However, one thing captured my interest immediately, slam poetry. Poetry in the style of a performance, where every line had meaning and not a word was wasted. I knew at that moment that’s what I wanted to do.
On top of that, Leon Ellis, last year’s Head Boy mentioned a very inspiring quote during his very own Black History Month assembly: “You’re going to relegate my history to a month” – Morgan Freeman. This is what sparked the theme for the poem as it was really impactful and resonated with the students. Many conversations had emerged amongst us boys after Leon’s amazing assembly.
So, combining all these aspects together I wrote my first Poem ‘Black Mystery’.”
– Ali (Senior Deputy Head Boy)