During the month of February students held a series of events to celebrate Black History Month — a time to reflect on the history and achievements of Black Americans and to honor the individuals and groups who have worked tirelessly toward racial justice.
With the theme, “Representation, Identity, and Diversity,” the members of the Black Student Union, held a Black Culture Night on Feb.25th, an evening filled with poetry, discussions, speeches, and food.
“It is amazing, the organization started in 2018 with seven students to give African American students a safe place to talk,” says senior Amaya, president of the BSU. “Now in 2022 BSU has 40 members and keeps growing. It has become a group for all students of different backgrounds to come together to listen and learn about the issues that the African American community faces. Our job is to educate others through not only presentations, but discussions and activities.
Throughout the school year, the BSU members have been raising their collective voices calling for a diverse, changing world with respect and appreciation for the uniqueness of others. They’ve held discussions on topics such as “Race vs. Education,” “What is Racism?” and “How do African Americans Feel about their Race?” They also packed food at Feed My Starving Children, created a video highlighting their voices, to build respect, appreciation and understanding of one another. They held Friday theme days, which included honoring the significance the colors red, yellow, and green play in the African American culture. On Fridays during the month, students were invited to dress in colors reflecting and honoring the black history and culture.
The students hope to educate themselves and others about African American history and culture, says Amaya.
They hope their actions will create a ripple effect of inspiration and action.
“Our hope is that we will be able to start including African American history into our school system so that all students feel equal,” she says. “In past years, many African American students feel as if they go unseen and we no longer want that to be the wall that stops them from stepping out in the school. We have also witnessed great conversions of how we can start moving forward with BSU for our next year’s students”.
It is especially meaningful at CRSM to honor namesake St. Martin de Porres, a Peruvian Dominican brother who lived a life of humble service and charity and became the first Black saint of the Americas.