LYNN — Lynn Classical’s Black History Month assembly featured a familiar face Wednesday morning.
Secretary of the Executive Office of Education and former Lynn Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Tutwiler was the keynote speaker for Wednesday’s assembly. Tutwiler spoke of the pain and pride he feels when he thinks about Black history.
Audience members stood as Lynn Classical High School [LCHS] junior Billy Norzile opened the ceremony with a rendition of the national anthem. Immediately after, the president of LCHS’s African American and Black Studies Club Destiny Egbuta welcomed Tutwiler.
“We are thrilled to have the space and time to bring together our community to celebrate Black history this morning and we’re equally thrilled to welcome our friend and former public school superintendent, Dr. Patrick Tutwiler, as our keynote speaker,” Egbuta said.
The crowd roared as Tutwiler approached the podium and said that although he now serves as an education leader for the Commonwealth, he would “always be a teacher at heart.” He invited a student volunteer, Payton Hansen, on stage for a Black History Month trivia session.
Tutwiler asked Hansen if he knew the significance of Tuesday, Feb. 14. When Hansen responded that it was Valentine’s Day, Tutwiler explained that the day also marked Frederick Douglass’s chosen birthday. He said that Douglass, who was born a slave, is believed to have chosen Feb. 14 as his birthday.
“For many Black folk in the early 19th century and years prior, birthdays and even birth years were unknown,” Tutwiler said. “The dominant culture demanded that slaves be treated as property, and to this end, slaves needed to believe that they were property having no birth record, no knowledge of one’s age.”
President Gerald Ford first recognized February as Black History Month in 1976, to “honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Tutwiler, who was born during the Ford administration, told the students that he first took an interest in the civil rights movement when he was 11 or 12 years old and his mother made him and his siblings watch the “Eyes on the Prize” documentary series on television.
Watching the series, Tutwiler said, provoked a range of bittersweet emotions for him.
“I remain incredibly indebted to my mother for forcing us to watch that documentary, because it really opened my eyes to the depth of the struggle, and perhaps more importantly, to the lengths that Black folk have gone for justice and equality,” Tutwiler said. “Watching it evokes two opposite feelings — one of deep resentment and anger based on some of the things that I was seeing, the way that black folks were treated, but also pride in the way that we responded and in many ways, overcame.”
This summer, Tutwiler visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. with his 17-year-old son and a group of educators, including Interim Superintendent of Schools Deb Ruggiero. He said that the museum trip was, for his son, a similar experience to that of him watching “Eyes on the Prize” with his mother.
“As I walked through the museum with my son William, sometimes shaking our head in disbelief at what we were seeing, and other times, nodding our heads in shared pride, I realized that this experience was for him what watching the ‘Eyes on the Prize’ series at my mother’s request was for me many years ago. That tradition was passed on,” Tutwiler said.
Tutwiler said seeing the hip-hop artists Biggie Smalls and Tupac at the museum brought him a sense of pride, as it showed him that the Black community’s more recent achievements are being recognized in history. He concluded his speech by encouraging Black students to write their own additions to Black history.
“As African Americans, as Black folks, we stand on an important legacy in history. The elements of courage, resilience, and ingenuity are a few of many things that are part of our legacy in this country’s history. This month is about acknowledging that, but also the fact that the story continues, and the writing utensils are in our hands,” Tutwiler said.
The assembly went on to feature a performance medley from LCHS Dance, vocal performances of the Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and Nick Jonas’ “Jealous” from the LHCS Concert Choir.
Egbuta recited the poem “A New Day’s Lyric” by Amanda Gorman.
“Know what we’ve fought, need not be forgot nor for none. It defines us, binds us as one. Come over, join this day just begun. For wherever we come together, we will forever overcome,” Egbuta recited.
