It’s been a rough year for the Boston Latin School (BLS). Considered one of the top public schools in the greater Boston area, BLS is currently under federal investigation for allegations of racism unveiled by the student-created #BlackatBLS social media campaign. Surrounded by the racial tension, graduate Phillip Sossou decided to do something about it.
So, he drew 411 charcoal portraits—one for each member of the graduating class.
Even before the #BlackatBLS campaign began in January, Phillip had wanted to tackle a project to help his class “embrace our diversity,” as Phillip described his project to the Boston Globe.
His teacher, Stephen Harris, was doubtful a project of such magnitude could be completed. “He [Phillip] told me in September that he wanted to draw all 411 seniors. And I said, ‘Phillip, I don’t think that’s possible,’” Harris later recalled in an interview, adding, “At one point, he was trying to do 16 works a day to be able to meet his 411 goal.”
The school’s registrar helped Philip create a list with every student’s name. He then went onto social media sites for reference photos, or even took the pictures himself with his cellphone.
Once all of the portraits were completed, he and a few friends got permission from the school to arrive in the wee morning hours to tape the portraits on the walls of school hallways and thoroughfares.
Students—in Philip’s senior class and every other grade—have been touched by the character and effort the pictures portray. One student told a local news outlet that the drawings helped the school community “see each other all in one light. We all feel like we’re all more connected,” despite the racial tension that has been so publicized by national media.
BLS administrators agreed to let the pictures hang until the seniors’ graduation ceremony. Afterward, students were allowed to take their portraits home, along with their diplomas.
In the end, Philip—accepted to a local community college for the Fall 2016 semester—believes that the project achieved his goals. In the beginning, he said, he just wanted to get better with charcoal drawings. “But after that, the whole thing became altruistic,” he told the Boston Globe, adding, “Having these pictures helps us to embrace our diversity.”
Additional ISM resources:
The Source for Private School News Vol. 14 No. 3 Defining "Normal": Double-Edged Diversity Initiatives in Private Schools
The Source for Private School News Vol. 12 No. 9 Racial Diversity at Sundance Film Festival
The Source for Business Managers Vol. 11 No. 3 Should You Implement Diversity Training?
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 38 No. 12 Defining Diversity in Your School's Culture: Implications for Planning
I&P Vol. 38 No. 13 Your School's Statement on Diversity
