During February, the Black Student Union (BSU) held different activities to teach students about people and events relating to Black History Month.
Each leadership team member was assigned a different task for each week of February to ensure activities stay consistent.
“Having different leadership roles is important just because we do so many events and different things throughout the year, especially in February, so having different people take charge allows us to get things done quicker and more effectively,” BSU President Julian Pringle said. “This month is super special for African American culture, so I’m glad I’m a part of doing this. ”
During the week of Feb. 2-6, to start off the month, the BSU held their second annual bake sale
“ It’s always super nice to help out,” Junior Kandi Case said. “ We always make a lot of money from it, so it’s super helpful for our field trips for the year. The other students love it. They especially love when there’s cookie bags. We probably made over $200 this year doing it. I love being in charge of it.”
Feb. 9-12, there was Black History Trivia during lunches, and students had the opportunity to answer questions and receive a prize by entering their name into a raffle.
On Feb. 12, a movie night was held in the auditorium where “Black Panther” was shown. The club’s members had the opportunity to vote on a Google Form to choose what movie would be presented. The options were: “Harriet,” “The Hate U Give,” “42,” “Rustin,” “Cool Running,” “Black Panther,” “The Great Debaters,” “Hidden Figures” and “Remember the Titans.”
“Having a movie night is just one of the many events we planned for Black History Month this year,” BSU adviser Rashonda Coffee said. “We, as a club, especially a newer club to the school, think it is important to be accessible to all who want to participate, join in and listen to what we are all about. A movie night is a relaxing time to invite students and the community to fellowship, laugh and get to know some of our members on a more personal basis while also enjoying a movie that was pivotal in the Black community. As we hold movie nights each year, we hope to have a mix of educational and entertaining selections that are chosen by our student members.”
Following movie night, the week of Feb. 17-20 was a Black History Spirit Week. Tuesday was a Black Out Wednesday was “Forward Movement” (dress as your future career), Thursday was Red, Yellow and Green (wear red, yellow and green to honor African heritage and culture) and Friday was Ruby Bridges Day (wear purple in honor of her strength and impact as the first black child to integrate into an all-white school showing courage and change).
On Feb. 27, the club will also be hosting a games and bracelet making night in room A229 after school.
“The idea for bracelet making and game night came from one of our officers whose goal was to bring everyone together for a shared goal: having fun,” Coffee said. “Game night will be another fun night of food and friends where we get to laugh, joke and learn more about each other through games and crafts. It will hopefully bring out a crowd that loves games, crafting or who are just looking to socialize and find their people.”
The BSU officers spent time together over several meetings planning what they wanted to do for the month of February.
“The meeting allows us to print the calendar and know the events ahead of time so we could put stuff up about February early,” Pringle said. “If events aren’t done early enough, people aren’t going to be accustomed or conditioned enough to see and go through with these things.”
While the officers were the ones planning the events members within the club have the opportunity to help out with any event they choose.
February offered opportunities for the club to showcase what they do, but celebrating in February isn’t the only thing they do. Every summer, the BSU volunteers and sets up a booth at the African American Heritage festival during two days in July, along with attending other events.
This past November, the club officers: President Julian Pringle, Treasurer Kandi Case, Secretary Adrielle McNeal and Adviser Roshanda Coffee were invited to attend the NAACP Gala. This event gave the students the ability to meet those who had stories to tell while representing that the youth still has a part to play in where Black History is going.
“Attending the African American Heritage Festival and Freedom Fighter Gala are very important for leaders of the Black Student Union, as it exposes them to the culture that exists within our own community,” Coffee said. “These events are also a time of networking and learning new things as many come from all over to attend the African American Heritage Festival. I love that our students have been able to have these experiences in the spaces they are celebrated, honored and loved for fearlessly stepping outside of the box and bringing their cultures and experiences to the school community. These experiences and events help to reinforce that the things they are doing throughout the year are important and seen. ”
