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A fashion show wraps up the Ben Lomond High School Urban Student Alliance's second annual Black History Program on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

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Delores Green, director and advisor of the Urban Student Alliance shows of a copy of the Ben Lomond Spirit during the Ben Lomond High School Urban Student Alliance's second annual Black History Program on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

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Ben Lomond High School Urban Student Alliance President Lavell Walker addresses the club's second annual Black History Program on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

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Utah State Board of Education Member Rod Hall uses a brick to demonstrate how progress is built brick-by-brick during the Ben Lomond High School Urban Student Alliance's second annual Black History Program on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

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Cari Bartholomew reenacts Elizabeth Freeman attaining her freedom at the Ben Lomond High School Urban Student Alliance's second annual Black History Program on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

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Lil Ogden Way performs for the crowd at the Ben Lomond High School Urban Student Alliance's second annual Black History Program on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

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OGDEN — The brand new Marshall N. White Community Center’s first Black History Month program served as a reminder that the community has great assets for students and that progress is built brick-by-brick.

On Saturday, Ben Lomond High School’s Urban Student Alliance presented its second annual Black History Program and the first its held at the recently opened Marshall N. White Community Center.

Delores Green, director and advisor of the Urban Student Alliance (USA) at Ben Lomond High School, had a message for her students.

“You mean the world to me,” she said of the students. “We have built a legacy together that will remain in our hearts. You have had so many challenges — so many, I’ve watched them all — but you made it through and you’re still pushing through. You are warriors, USA, and that is the Ogden Way.”

She said the club took on the USA acronym for an important reason.

“I wanted every student at Ben Lomond to feel that they are welcome and that they can join the club as well,” she said. “I don’t believe in tribalism. Our students, today, form friendships across cultures. They learn from one another. They grow together. They will build families and communities together. USA is a space where cultures are shared, ideas are exchanged and respect is practiced daily.”

Green noted that 90% of the students that she has worked with in the club have had a 3.5 or higher GPA and that the students have toured colleges statewide.

She also noted that Ogden City’s administration has worked closely with USA students in the last couple of years.

“In 2024, we were the first class to have a field trip to meet our current mayor, Ben Nadolski,” she said. “When we met with Ben, our students asked him questions about the plan for the city and what was his plan for their future. After Mr. Nadolski told them, he turned around and asked them how were they doing in high school and how were they doing at Ben Lomond High School. That’s when the relationship between USA and our mayor began. That meeting did more than answer questions — it showed our students that their voice mattered and it opened doors for other schools to meet him and do the same.”

Green said that there is still a lot to overcome.

“As proud as we are as a group and an organization, there are still challenges,” she said. “My vision for Urban Student Alliance is very simple but is urgent.”

She said that the community needs to step up for the students as they transition out of high school.

“My students deserve the same opportunities as everyone else,” she said. “We need donors, we need grant writers, we need funding that allows our students to earn while they are learning and building real hands-on career skills. Urban Student Alliance, we aren’t just a club. It is a movement of diverse students coming together, sharing culture, sharing ideas and preparing to lead. And this is only the beginning, everyone. We are not waiting for the change — we are building it.”

Saturday evening also featured remarks from Utah State Board of Education member Rod Hall.

“What if someone could tell you what your life and your community would be like in 10 years?” he said. “Would it be stronger? Would it be closer to God? Would it be more united? Would it be financially healthy? Would it be more influential? Would it be more hopeful? Here’s the truth about tonight — the life that we’re living right now is shaping the life that we’ll live tomorrow.”

Thought his speech, Hall wove in the Biblical story of Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and how progress is built brick-by-brick — at times, using an actual brick as a visual — with faith, planning and determination.

“Tonight is Black History Month and as we celebrate that, it reminds us of something powerful,” he said. “It reminds us that change rarely happens overnight, but it does happen brick-by-brick. … No movement was ever built in a moment, no freedom was ever secured in a flash, no progress was achieved without persistence and neither will ours. It will take all of those things.”

Additionally, Saturday evening’s festivities included a historical reenactment of Elizabeth Freeman attaining her freedom performed by Cari Bartholomew, a cultural dance performance by Lil Ogden Way and a fashion show featuring USA students.