Name: Sharing Our Stories: Celebrating Excellence of Black Women Leaders
Start: 2025-04-09T18:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-04-09T20:00:00-04:00
Location: The Film House At Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center

Sharing Our Stories: Celebrating Excellence of Black Women Leaders

Join us April 9th from 6-8 PM for Sharing Our Story: Celebrating Black Excellence of Female Leadership. This event is BSD’s next step in realizing our goal of making Black History and Excellence a more prominent and consistent part of our school and community.
The evening will begin with a “Ted Talk” format with speakers sharing their experiences. Our esteemed panelists include:
- Esther Charlestin, Gubernatorial Candidate
- Dr. Eliana Castro, UVM Professor
- Melanee Alexander, Principal of Hunt Middle School
- Ferene Paris, Storyteller and Founder of All Heart Inspirations
- Nadia Sylla, BHS Senior and High State Track & Field Champion
After sharing their stories, participants will participate in a panel discussion to engage directly with and answer some of our young people’s questions. After the discussion, there will be a book giveaway, kid-friendly activities, and opportunities to share community resources.
This event is designed to shine a light on Black Excellence in action to honor and promote some of the fantastic efforts and accomplishments of our community’s Black female leaders. All are welcome to join us Wednesday, April 9th from 6-8P in Main Street Landing’s Film House at 60 Lake St. in Burlington. Special thanks to BHS/BTC student (and Vermont Presidential Scholar) Sage Wyndorf for designing this event’s poster!
This event is proudly presented by BSD’s Office of Equity and the Sankofa Project team as part of BSD’s Sankofa Project. Sankofa is a Twi word from the Akan people of Ghana that is used in Black History to represent the idea of learning from the past to create a better future. The mythical bird has its head turned backward while its feet point forward. The egg in the bird’s mouth represents the knowledge of the past that can be used to create wisdom. The word Sankofa translates to “go back and get it.” It’s based on the proverb, “It is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot.” For BSD’s Sankofa Project, we evoke this symbol and message to drive our goal of moving Black History & Excellence forward as a more prominent and consistent part of our school and community. Sometimes, we must return and bring those we left behind.
In addition to this event, Sankofa Project initiatives include:
Sankofa Black History Calendar – Looking for Black History Month inspiration? Bring Black History to your classroom with this amazing Sankofa Black History Calendar that includes daily songs, quotes and educational materials for easy use.
Reading to End Racism – A national program that promotes cultural respect, social awareness, and literacy by hosting guests who read stories that address Black History, racism, and discrimination. Guests read a story to a class and share from their own experiences connected to the themes raised in the book, such as racism, resilience, and community, to name a few.
Legacy and Light (our March event)