By Freda Freeman
Correspondent
Hillside High School will soon be home to the first Black Social Emotional Learning Hub in the country. The Black SEL Hub will advance equity and the emotional well-being of Black students.
The unveiling of the Hub on Sept. 25 is not only historic for Durham but the nation, said Black SEL leaders.
“This groundbreaking hub will serve as a dedicated space for emotional liberation and healing through prevention and culturally responsive SEL, nurturing the resilience, leadership, and brilliance of Black youth and families. It’s a declaration that we will no longer be reactive, but we’re building our own systems, building our own spaces and reclaiming the emotional freedom that we truly need in our community,” Donyae Trawick said.
Black SEL is built upon six pillars: Black self-concept, lived civics, inclusion of community stakeholders, civic engagement, critical consciousness and social responsibility.
Trawick said Durham is fertile ground for Black SEL.
“We’re really nurturing our students. We’re asking them, ‘what’s in your emotional and invisible backpack?’ When they come into the room, we ask them to unpack that, and we discuss some of the things they’re going through and work through some of those emotions,” Trawick continued. “We’re really taking the time to understand them and equip them with the resources they need to really move in the world. We’ll have speakers come in to talk about what it looks like to work against community violence, what it looks like to bring in resources to help other youth and what it looks like to be a leader.”
The Hub’s launch will include a full day of activities, featuring keynote speaker Gianna Peterson, Black SEL club president at Hillside High, and a panel discussion on innovative leadership and grounding.
Speaker Eric Moore, Black SEL research lead, will discuss the lived experiences of Black youth, their emotional and social needs, and what parents and teachers can do to make sure their voices are heard.
“We have a responsibility for each other. It’s about owning our own collective power as a Black community. We have our individual actions, but we also have our collective actions, and that’s how we make systemic change,” he said.
Moore said SEL helps Black youth navigate systemic racist systems and institutions.
“A key reason why social emotional learning becomes really important is because the way we emotionally engage things impacts our ability to be successful; it’s managing our emotions. Black SEL gives both youth and adults a framework for how to engage and overcome,” he said.
The evening will culminate with a Dress to Defy Gala (Black Dandyism in the South) at the Durham Armory, 212 Foster St., and awards ceremony honoring community partners. For more information about Black SEL and to register for the gala, visit blacksel.org.
