The BUSD Black Oratorical Fest, an event that usually happens in late March, is a valuable way for students to take part in celebrating Black history and culture. While the themes of this tournament-style event vary, all aim to guide students into discovering historical context, visionary figures, and powerful excerpts from different eras. Past themes include “Black Artists: Art for Change, Art for Joy” in 2024, and “A Reclamation of Narrative: The Cultural Revolution of the Harlem Renaissance” in 2025. Students of all grades are encouraged to participate, although the majority of the competition is made up of elementary students. The Oratorical Fest has been happening annually since 2018.
Students prepare artwork, songs, and speeches that relate to both the theme of the competition and a Black historical figure. Students have the option — and are encouraged — to craft original pieces, which consist of monologues, spoken word pieces and scenes, and more. Additionally, students are able to compete in groups with students from the same grade. “What we really want to ensure is that we use these opportunities to encourage students to learn,” Kamar O’Guinn, the manager of the African American Success Framework, said. AASF, part of the district, aims to improve academic, social-emotional, and cultural outcomes for Black students by closing opportunity gaps.
When writing original pieces, students are pushed beyond just finding an already written piece and are able to create something more personalized and creative. “I had said a poem for my Godmom's baby shower, maybe a month or two before, and so she had helped me write it and everything,” Shavon Johnson said. Johnson participated in the Oratorical Festival when she was in 5th grade and again in 6th grade. Johnson is now a senior at BHS.
This tournament-style event has different phases, eventually leading up to a final competition. Students start the competition inside their school, where they can be selected as finalists and advance to the district level. At that point, finalists from each school perform and compete at the district-wide competition. Anyone can attend the Oratorical Fest, and most of the audience is made up of family members. “I think roughly 37 students were on stage last year,” O’Guinn said. The Oratorical Fest goes beyond typical classroom learning and gives students the opportunity to share pieces of their culture, as well as learn from other students, in a unique style.
“I think it's a chance for kids of all different races to honor Black culture, as well as a good chance for our Black kids to celebrate their own culture,” Allyson Bogie, a librarian at BHS, said. There are then multiple winners crowned across different grade divisions — high school, middle school, and elementary school. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places are awarded across each grade division. All students who compete receive a participation medal at the end of the competition, regardless of if they placed for an award.
While the BUSD Oratorical Fest was introduced to the school district in 2018, Oakland has been hosting a similar event since 1987. According to Oaklandside, the MLK Junior Oratorical Fest students perform speeches, poetry, monologues, and scenes based on Martin Luther King Junior’s legacy. “Definitely influenced and inspired, but putting a Berkeley twist on it to make sure that it was rooted in Black history and culture,” O’Guinn said. Oakland’s event has been a popular district-wide competition and is coming up on its 40 year anniversary.
Beyond celebrating Black history, the Oratorical Fest gives students the change to develop skills that go beyond the competition itself. Preparing for the event pushes students to research influential Black figures, and hone writing skills when presenting an original piece. “It was a fun experience to be able to have people hear my writing in a bigger setting than just writing an essay for a teacher,” Johnson said. Because a large majority of competitors are from elementary school and middle school, younger students get valuable exposure to speaking and performing in front of a large audience. Such an opportunity is rare, especially for young students. At the Oratorical fest, students are able to take ownership of learning in a way that classrooms may not provide. “It's a public space for African American students to be able to showcase their writing and their emotions and how they're feeling,” Johnson said.
Although the Oratorical Fest is an important tradition for students and communities in Berkeley, there is limited information on if there will be a competition hosted in 2026. “I do know that there's already rumblings at school sites to be able to make it happen, whether or not we host something at the district,” O’Guinn said.