February is Black History Month, and the Black Student Union (BSU) will be holding many events to inform and honor all of the African Americans that have made lasting contributions to history.
To give some background on the creation of Black History Month, according to the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915 (ASNLH), Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard graduate and trained historian, and his organization advocated for Negro History Week, which was first celebrated in 1926. The ASNLH later chose the second week of February to be the national Negro History Week, as it fell on the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two influential figures who paved the way for African American freedom and rights. The nationwide response to Negro History Week was drastic; clubs teaching Black history sprouted across the nation, schools pushed to teach Black history and many people of a variety of races came together to endorse these teachings. Along with these responses, the Black Awakening and the Civil Rights movement had focused the nation on the importance of celebrating Black history, and the momentous accomplishments of African American people.
Then, in 1976, the celebration was expanded to a month after being nationally recognized by the president at the time, Gerald Ford. Since 1976, Black History Month has had a specific theme that honors the culture of African Americans. According to ASNLH, this year’s theme is African Americans and Labor, which highlights the work, whether free and paid, skilled and unskilled, vocational and voluntary, that mesh with the experiences of African Americans throughout history. This theme celebrates and honors the profound impact that their work has had on our nation, from the cruel traditional labor of enslaved Africans in the colonies to their role in organized labor combating economic and social injustice. Their work has transformed the United States and deserves to be honored.
This month, the Black Student Union (BSU) will be helping Champe students and staff celebrate and honor Black history. The club has many activities and events planned for the Champe community; from morning announcements to field trips, BSU is connecting Champe students and staff to the history and culture of African Americans in the broader community.
“For Black History Month, we are planning to have an advisory lesson explaining BSU and the accomplishments of Black role models around the United States,” events coordinator Dorothy Agyekum said. “We also plan on continuing our morning announcements, posting informational slides on our website daily, and BSU plans to work with the African-American history classes to have the Black History Gallery Walk later this month.”
In their morning announcements, BSU has highlighted the accomplishments of historical figures like Martin Luther King Jr, a Baptist minister, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and a social activist during the Civil Rights Movement who inspired the nation to rally together in a moving nonviolent manner and fought to end legal segregation and establish equal rights and representation for African Americans; Jesse Owens, a track and field athlete who excelled at the Berlin Olympics, winning four gold medals during a tumultuous time in Germany where Adolf Hitler pushed discrimination and inequality in Nazi Germany; and Shirley Chisholm, the first African American women elected to serve in Congress, and founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Women’s Caucus.
“BSU prepared for the morning announcements during one of our regular meetings, and we talked about all of the events we had coming up in accordance with Black History Month,” Agyekum said. “Whichever student is interested in doing the morning announcements will sign up for a day on the sign-up sheet, and then they are assigned a person to speak about, whom they will have to research and create a script to share with the school.
Throughout the school year, the club has held many meaningful meetings. From conversations about the power of black voting in the U.S., successful college application tips, and celebrating Kwanzaa, to taking trips to visit Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), BSU honors Black history all year long and creates a welcoming and supportive community here at Champe.
“In the upcoming weeks, BSU will be attending the Howard University vs Morgan State University HBCU Basketball game on Feb. 22nd,” Agyekum said. “This trip is only available to BSU members, so it’ll be a good time for the club members to bond and make new memories”
As the nation and the Champe community celebrates Black History Month, through honoring the accomplishments of the black community and learning from their strength and resiliency, the nation will continue to grow and change as the years pass.
“I hope that Champe students gain knowledge about Black history and culture this month,” Agyekum said. “I also hope students recognize all that BSU does in its efforts to increase people’s feelings of belonging, increase what people know about the Black community, and all the opportunities the club has for all students to participate in.”
