To celebrate Black History Month, Black Student Union (BSU) and Black Girls Empowerment (BGE) are working together to raise awareness of the different achievements and contributions of African-American individuals. Their efforts aimed to create a sense of unity and recognition for the black student community on campus.
BSU and BGE have organized a creation of posters, showcasing notable black figures in history, which will be displayed in the F and C buildings. “For Black History Month BSU has decided we’re going to make two posters that are going to highlight black figures in history,” said sophomore Skyler Alfred, a member of BSU.
“BSU’s mission is to raise awareness of black problems and to bring together and unite all of the African-American students in our school because there’s not very many,” Alfred added. By bringing the African-American community together on campus, BSU is committed to giving black students on campus representation and a chance to connect with each other.
For BGE president and senior Alivia Morrow, these clubs offer a sense of community. “It means having the space to vocalize how you’re feeling in this school. It honestly just means love and peace and just having a safe space” she said. By creating a safe space for black girls, BGE is encouraging young African-American women to make their voices heard.
Both BSU and BGE are committed to fostering a welcoming environment for students of all backgrounds whilst emphasizing the importance of celebrating black history and representation. The groups aim to ensure that black voices and stories are heard and appreciated.
Club sponsor John Prothro highlighted the significance of creating inclusive spaces on campus. “Everyone needs to feel valued, everybody has their own culture, their own beliefs, their own backgrounds, and everybody regardless of what it is should be valued” he said. Through sponsoring these clubs, Prothro hopes to create a sense of inclusion and diversity on campus, giving a voice to people of color.
As students across campus view the posters and learn about Black history, BSU, and BGE hope to spark conversations about the ongoing contributions of the Black community while inspiring others to appreciate and honor their efforts. “It’s important to celebrate how we’re coming back from that moment and coming back to have more power in the system,” Alfred added.
Through their efforts, BSU and BGE strive to celebrate diverse backgrounds while raising awareness and showing their appreciation of Black History Month by decorating posters to display across campus.
