Taft students come from all walks of life, but what makes them different is their history and identity. And sometimes, those two intertwine and create a sense of belonging.
This is what Black History Month is about, which recognizes and celebrates the history of African Americans and historical African American figures that shaped the world into what it is today.
“Black History Month is an opportunity to celebrate our perseverance and how much culture we’ve kept historically from Africa but also created while we’re here in America,” said Black Student Union Co-Sponsor Rhavin Haynes.
Taft junior Mouye Diallo, Club President of Black Student Union, said, “Black History Month is a way for me to connect with other black African Americans and the more black diaspora. And it allows me to meet new people and enjoy cultures.”
The club promotes Black History Month by doing facts of the day every school day and fundraisers. “Recognition is a way for us to be seen and be out there, put ourselves out there, and advocate for ourselves,” stated Taft junior Chayse Edmonson.
Haynes said that her favorite black historical figure was Nina Simone. “One of my favorite things about her is that she uses arts and culture to focus on really important historical movements,” said Haynes.
Edmonson’s favorite black historical figure was Henrietta Lacks due to her being a pivotal figure in health, specifically biology and biomedical sciences, and having the only human cell line able to reproduce indefinitely.
“My favorite activist at the moment is Malcolm X only because when I hear some of his quotes, I’m like, this really inspires me and I can connect with some of his quotes,” said Diallo.
“I think our biggest challenge really isn’t within the community. It’s perception of us. That causes us to deal with systemic racism or causes us to face other challenges. Within the community, there’s a lot of connectedness,” said Haynes in regards to the greatest challenges of the African American community.
Edmonson continued, “And I think that there have been a lot of pressures put into place to categorize us.”
“Especially amongst my peers, I see a lot of people, like, conforming to the negative stereotypes put upon us. And we’re still learning to this day, a lot of us. We’re still learning how to show up authentically and genuinely in a lot of spaces in the world, specifically America,” said Edmonson.
“One of the enjoyable things about Black History Month is history is being created every day,” said Haynes. “It’s kind of enjoyable to see that there’s always new barriers for us to break, and there’s, again, just so much perseverance and culture being maintained throughout going through those new barriers.”
It’s important to recognize talents, accomplishments, and most importantly, the culture and history of people that have gone through challenges and struggles in order to achieve success and recognition. As always, happy Black History Month!
