27-03-2025
7th Annual Black History Oratorical Festival crowns winners in Berkeley
The Brief
Students from Berkeley Unified School District participated in an oratorical festival that honors the artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
Students from elementary, middle and high schools joined in at the event.
Students from Silvia Mendez Elementary School and Willard Middle School won the competition.
BERKELEY, Calif. - Students from the Berkeley Unified School District dove into the history of the Harlem Renaissance on Wednesday at the seventh annual Black History Oratorical Festival in Berkeley.
"We are fifth graders, standing on a stage, remembering our past and telling our future…" Saba Mazzola and Linnea Montano recited. "African American people of the diaspora have a rich tradition in oration, in telling our story…it is a part of our legacy," Jazz Hudson, an emcee for the event and an educator with BUSD told KTVU.
Dig deeper
A blend of old and new works, the student performers in Wednesday's festival are already winners. Each group was selected as a finalist after performing at their school.
Families were thrilled to see their students on stage, particularly honoring Black history.
"It's one of the most essential things we do in our country because it's our history… It's all of our history," Billie Connolly, a grandmother of a BUSD performer, told KTVU.
Some students shared works written during the Harlem Renaissance, a period known for its prolific Black writers and artists.
While others shared their own words, inspired by the great awakening in Harlem.
While the festival is a competition, the educators at the event say it holds a much bigger meaning.
"Oftentimes in America, we think about legacy as something that you leave behind, but I like to think of it as something that evolves from what you leave behind," Hudson said. "And these young people represent the living legacy of the history of the Harlem Renaissance. " Hudson said.
