Hotchkiss Hosts Black Link of Independent Schools Summit (BLISS)
Hotchkiss BLISS conference

Photos by Warren Edwards '27

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By Darryl Gangloff

Hotchkiss hosted the second student-led Black Link of Independent Schools Summit (BLISS) on Feb. 18 to create connections, build community, and foster friendships among Black students from New England boarding schools.

Students from Berkshire School, Choate Rosemary Hall, Millbrook School, and Salisbury School joined Bearcats for a day full of performances, an alumni panel, workshops, food, and fun.

This year’s event was organized by Zayda Gordon ’25, Jayden Morgan ’25, and Lily Yawand-Wossen ’24.

“I feel so refreshed meeting so many people who understand what being Black at an Independent school means,” Jayden said. “I am so happy to have been part of such an amazing community full of learning, laughter, dancing, and union. The summit was fun and engaging with deep meaningful discussions, incredible student performances, fun games, and a great dance break during lunch.”

Zayda agreed, saying, “I thought the summit went very well. We had many intriguing, fun conversations, and we fostered some new connections. It was a long day but filled with so many lovely activities such as the workshops, the opening performance, the alumni panel, and the games and dancing.”

For the alumni panel, the organizers invited several Black alumni from different independent boarding schools to share their diverse perspectives. “The group was a perfect size for in-depth conversation,” Zayda said. “A great deal of topics were discussed, from how portrayals in the media affected the boarding experience both negatively and positively to the endearing support of the Black community displayed at these schools.”

Hotchkiss BLISS conference

The alumni panel consisted of:

  • Kinyette Henderson, St. George’s School Class of 2010 and Hotchkiss faculty member (Walter Crain fellow, dean of the Class of 2024, instructor in English, and dorm head of Memorial Hall)
  • Souleman Toure ’19, Hotchkiss’s coordinator of multicultural recruitment and outreach
  • Dr. Lisanne Norman ’94, Hotchkiss’s director of the Walter Crain Fellowship program, associate director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, instructor in humanities and social sciences, and instructor for the Hersey Scholars Program
  • John Coleman, Salisbury School Class of 1977

The workshops featured discussions on a wide variety of topics, including the perpetuation of Black stereotypes in social media, a deep dive into Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s contributions to Black media, Black girl tokenism in childhood shows, family history, white saviorism, and Black hair. An arts block of workshops focused on painting, creative writing, ceramics, knitting, and crocheting.

“I enjoyed all of the workshops and applaud the hard work and creativity of every workshop leader. I'd like to specifically highlight a student from Salisbury for leading an interesting workshop on the history of his ancestors, many who are buried in Town Hill Cemetery right on campus,” Jayden said.

“All of the workshops I attended were enjoyable, and I’d like to highlight specifically the white saviorism and Black girl tokenism workshops,” Zayda said. “They were really insightful. One of them even having an icebreaker game activity that I believe was really integral to some of the connections made at the summit.”

Hotchkiss BLISS conference

The idea and initial planning for the BLISS conference began at Hotchkiss before 2020, organized by a group of Hotchkiss students. The pandemic caused the conference to be delayed until Sydney Jean ’23 and Richie Mamam Nbiba ’23 planned last year’s inaugural event.

“As the idea of BLISS was first created at Hotchkiss, there is a significance in it being held here for the first two years. It was a concept forged before COVID, which derailed it, so I’m very glad it was able to be produced here,” Zayda said. “We do want BLISS to be shared among other independent schools in the Northeast, so we’re encouraging other schools to consider leading it next year.”

Jayden also noted that “it is so important that BLISS and its leadership is open to as many schools as possible to create a more diverse, collaborative event.”

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