Celebrating African American Literature and Art

On February 26, a group of PVS high school students participated in the National Council of Teachers of English African American Read-In for Black History Month. The PVS Read In was completely organized by students, from the program design to the reading selections to artwork. Over 40 students and staff attended the reading. The purpose of this program was to show how important it is to know and understand African American literature and history. Students read works from writers such as Langston Hughes, Clint Smith, Lorraine Hansberry, Alice Walker, and many others. One attendee, Yasmeen Abunasrah, said, “It was amazing. I loved the work everyone put together.”

African American Works

• 1619 Project - Clint Smith-” August 1619, A Poem” (Wissal Boudaoud, Senior) (Late 2019)

• 1619 Project- Yusef Komunyakaa-”March 5th 1770” (Mohammad Taysir, Junior) (Late 2019)

• 1619 Project-Eve Ewing-”1773” (Noor Khatib, Senior) (Late 2019)

• Sojourner Truth - ”Ain’t I a Woman” (Deenat Yusuf, Senior) (1851)

• Claude McKay - ”America” (Sara Almoazen, Sophomore) (1921)

• James Weldon Johnson - ”My City” (Samit Ahmed, Sophomore) (1922)

• Langston Hughes - “Dreams,” “Life Is Fine,” “Night Funeral” (Jana Elabiad, Junior) (1926)

• Lorraine Hansberry - Excerpt from Raisin in the Sun (Yusuf Mannan, Junior) (1959)

• Dr. Martin Luther King - Excerpt from “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” (Zainab Malik, Sophomore) (1968)

• Alice Walker - ”Everyday Use” (Nia Yusuf, Sophomore) (1973)

• Ernest Gaines - Excerpt from Lesson Before Dying (Harris Siddiqui, Sophomore) (1993)

• Nikki Giovanni - ”Love Is” (Taqwa Qattoum, Sophomore) (1997)

• Jacqueline Woodson - “February 12, 1963” (Zahra Chowdhury, Junior ) (2014)

• Bryan Stevenson - Excerpt from Just Mercy -(Tasneem Khatib, Sophomore) (October 21, 2014)

• Amanda Gorman - “In This Place” - (Zahra Chowdhury, Junior) (2017)

The program, timeline, and artwork from the program are featured here.