From music and sports to politics, African American achievements have made a mark on not only America, but on the world.
The Black Student Union (BSU) is a group of students dedicated to bringing awareness of the importance of Black History Month, which is celebrated during February. This year, they held an assembly, which highlighted African American achievements throughout history.
“We feel it is important to educate WS of black culture not expressed in textbooks,” said BSU sponsor Tisa Frederick. “I feel students [at WS] are aware [of Black History Month] but don’t fully realize the importance of it to the Black community.”
African Americans at WS make up only a small portion of the school and that sparked the creation of the BSU. African American students at WS wanted to make a difference and show how important the black community is.
“We wanted to create a club where African American students and others can voice their concerns about what is happening in the black community,” said Frederick. “I feel that the BSU is going to continue to bring awareness to our school of the importance of black history through various activities throughout the school year and not just Black History Month.”
The BSU is not only important to the black students at WS, but it is also known for bringing together students of all races.
“I think [the Black Student Union is] important because our school’s diverse and has a lot to offer,” said BSU member and senior Jared Ruddock. “You get to talk about problems not only in White America, but as well as Latin America [and] Black America.”
Black History Month is a time for everyone at WS to learn more about the importance of African Americans and the Black History Month assembly showed events of past years, from police brutality to African Americans earning awards in music and sports.
“Every year there’s something new going on in our society,” said Ruddock. “There’s always something to talk about.”
Black History Month is a time for every student at WS to celebrate the achievements of African Americans. It’s an important time for all.
“[Black History Month is] a time of recognition and celebration of how African Americans have helped shape the culture of the United States and brought about change in America and across the globe.” said Frederick. “[the BSU wants to bring] awareness of how impactful the black community has been to the world.”