Upper Darby council celebrates students’ Black History Month poems

At a recent Upper Darby Township Council meeting, five students with a flair for writing were recognized for poetry they wrote honoring Black History Month.

“The children did a wonderful job with these poems — it was hard to choose the top five,” said Council Secretary Michelle Billups.

The council’s community engagement committee chose the winning submissions, which students read before receiving an inscribed plaque. The township did not share last names of the winners in order to protect their privacy.

LaRae, a fifth grader from Aronomink Elementary School, earned first place for her poem, “I Don’t See Color,” which touched on some timely subjects such as the impact of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.

“Why is racism even a subject again; in 2026 we are still talking about skin,” Wright’s poem begins. “Where is the love? ICE out here disturbing the peace; what about MLK, I Have a Dream speech?”

Faith, a fifth grader from Garrettford Elementary School, struck a positive tone in her fourth-place poem, “If Only We Were Brave Enough.”

“The black skin color is not a badge of shame, but rather a glorious symbol of national greatness,” reads a line in her poem. “So now I say unto all, own your magic, walk in your purpose and rock your truth. If there is no struggle, there is no progress, for there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it.”

Other honorees included Gbalia, a fifth grader from Aronomink Elementary School, who earned second place for his poem titled “Harriet Tubman,” Faith, a Garrettford Elementary School fifth grader, who earned third place for “Chasing the North Star,” and Karmelo, a fifth grade from Hillcrest Elementary School who was recognized for “The Universe Loves Love.”