Black History Month a sure thing in Swampscott

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Last Updated, Feb 5, 2024, 10:01 PM

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Swampscott Unites, Respects, and Embraces Diversity announced that their third annual Black History Month celebration will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 27.

The volunteer group invites the entire community to Swampscott High School at 6 p.m. This year’s event is titled “Black History is our History.”

“The concept is that black history is all of our history,” said S.U.R.E. member and co-founder Margaret Somer. “To truly understand American history, you need to understand black history.”

The featured guest of the upcoming event is local poet Enzo Silon Surin. The Haitian-born artist has won awards such as the Massachusetts Center for the Book Poetry Prize. His four published works all contain the theme of black heritage and history. Swampscott Historical Commission Chair Nancy Schultz will also be present to discuss significant historical figures both on a national and local level.

“I probably will be mentioning Charlotte Forten… Swampscott appears in her diaries. And Frederick Douglass, of course, those are well-known people,” Schultz said. “Lesser known people might be some of the enslaved people who lived here and worked for the wealthy people in Swampscott.”

She said one possible topic that could be explored is the house located at 3 Boynton St., as it was the only house on the North Shore listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book.

Other scheduled presenters and performers include the Lynn Museum, the Swampscott Middle School Chorus, and the Swampscott String Quartet. The String Quartet will perform the music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier, a French composer with African heritage.

S.U.R.E. was founded in 2016 by residents as a response to hateful acts. They are responsible for local events such as “Map of the World” and “Tell Us Your Story.” Somer emphasized the broad approach of her organization when it comes to diversity and inclusion and how that reflects on the organization’s makeup as well as the varied programs they offer.

“We all came together at a local church and realized we were all different religions, races, and ethnicities,” Somer said. “We basically celebrate everything and everybody.”

“Black History is our History” is sponsored by the Town of Swampscott, The First Church in Swampscott, and Tzedek Lakol: Justice For All.

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