By: Anaiya Patel & Annalisa Fletcher

Black History Month, celebrated annually in February in the U.S. and Canada, is a dedicated time to honor the history, achievements, and contributions of African Americans. Established to recognize the central role of Black people in U.S. history, it highlights triumphs, cultural heritage, and resilience while addressing ongoing systemic racism.

Nana Yaa Otchere-Gyamera, the sophomore president of the Black Student Union says, “It’s a month where I could express my blackness, I feel more free.” Nana adds, “Black history month empowers people to stand up for themselves and speak out, using their voice to express what they think is right.” Black history month allows students to share and represent their culture, be proud of their heritage rather than shying away from it due to constant prejudice and racism.

Nana says, “Having a diverse community in general exposes you to different cultures and its comforting to be around other people of color as it’s uplifting.” Nana wishes that schools taught more about Malcolm X as she looks up to him because he fought against the slavery movement and was aggressive towards the oppressions. She says at times you really have to take the upper hand in order to survive.

Ayesha Muhammad, the senior co-president of the Black Student Union talks about how Black History Month is a great way to spread awareness and educate people. Ayesha says, “I feel like the schools don’t educate the full extent of what African Americans have been through especially during ELA or in History.” The Black Student Union hosts and organizes events and activities and Ayesha wished more people would come as mainly only Black students attend rather than a diverse population. Black History Month is a reminder to honor the pivotal, often overlooked, contributions and achievements of Black Americans across all sectors. It highlights the necessity of recognizing African American resilience, addressing ongoing systemic racism and inequality, and celebrating the continued pursuit of equity. Ayesha adds “Schools mainly cover the surface level of events and I think we should be taking a look into the gravity and severity of each event.” Ayesha discusses how our generation is progressive and if we came together and cared, we could accomplish and achieve a lot together. She feels as if people take everything as a joke nowadays and they should have more sympathy. Ayesha then goes on to say that students should take the initiative and have the urge to research more on their own personal time.