By Kate Stockrahm
Flint City Councilwoman Ladel Lewis and Flint Poet Laureate Semaj Brown are inviting the community out to an evening of inspiration in honor of Black History Month on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
The event will feature presentations on Brown’s poem, “Black Dandelion,” by area students who have taken part in BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™, a multimedia educational platform the poet developed in response to the international reception of her poem in the early 2020s.
“I received letters,” Brown explained of how the platform came to be. “These students were responding to ‘Black Dandelion’ the poem. And they’re from every ethnicity, and they’re saying all kinds of things. They’re talking about intergenerational genocide, as well as extreme bullying and just the hope for the future that the poem is giving them – helping them, in a sense – to hone their skills on resilience. It was really beautiful.”
Brown said that initial worldwide response moved her to share “Black Dandelion” directly with Flint students and use it as a tool for developing their writing and critical thinking talents.
“When people usually think about poetry, they think about a beautiful piece of creative literature that they read or they hear, and that’s where it stays,” Brown said. “But I use poetry as a technology, as an application.”
She said that over the years she’s seen social workers use the poem for wellness, teachers employ it to support SAT-prep, and students interpret it through multiple academic lenses, even math.
And tomorrow at the Second Ward’s Black History Month event, Brown noted that guests will hear presentations on the poem from students of Madison Academy, Hamady Middle/High School, Academy West, and Higher Learning Academy as part of a family-friendly celebration of Black history, culture, and achievement.
“We’re also looking to acknowledge scholars from Burton Glen,” added Councilwoman Lewis, who is providing monetary prizes to tomorrow’s presentation contest winners.
Lewis said that that the Flint Mass Transportation Authority (MTA) held a poster contest that garnered 50 student submissions, and 10 of those submissions were selected to be displayed on MTA buses and on the perimeter of tomorrow’s event space for guests to admire.
Lewis said the event, simply called the “Second Annual Black History Month Contest & Celebration,” is free for all, will include light refreshments, and is meant to uplift local students during this important month for African American history.
“It’s going to be just a full day of Black History celebration – celebrating excellence,” Lewis said. “Residents want us to engage our scholars in more positive activities… This event is showing that. [It’s] so very important to give them this space.”
The Second Annual Black History Month Contest & Celebration will take place on Feb. 26 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Gloria Coles Flint Public Library, located at 1026 E. Kearsley St., in the C.S. Mott Foundation Community Room.
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