The month of February is recognized as Black History Month, serving as a dedicated time to honor the legacy, culture, and enduring struggles of African Americans throughout the nation’s history.

The Black Student Union hosted multiple events throughout the month to recognize and celebrate Black figures and their accomplishments. 

“The Black Student Union is providing opportunities and events that support the Black culture. The BSU is holding a schoolwide trivia contest for students and staff. We are giving out prizes to the winners who are drawn from entries in the trivia contest. I have also been talking to some Black professionals and trying to get them to come to a meeting on Feb. 27. Students will learn about different careers, paths, and experiences in both the workplace and college,” Mr. Christopher Faulkens, BSU sponsor, said

Members of the BSU set up fun and educational activities open to all students.

“We set up an African American history walk on the 13th. We chose prominent Black figures from the past and present and separated them into different categories like sports, entertainment, medicine, and law. We also had a karaoke event in the choir room for both PowerHours. It is nice to be able to educate the whole school about Black history and recognize that Black history is and has always been American history,” junior Kiki Beaugris, BSU vice president, said.

For Mr. Faulkens, Black History Month is a good occasion to highlight the success of family members and anyone else whose accomplishments may have been overlooked.

“I personally have many family members who have done some pretty cool things. I have a cousin who played the lead role in the play Hamilton in Indianapolis back in December. There are also a lot of educators in my family, so we are big on supporting the youth to strive academically,” Mr. Faulkens said.

Senior Eliana Anderson is the President of BSU, and she appreciates the attention Black History Month brings to African American history.

“Black History Month is important to me because it recognizes the contributions of Black Americans that are often overlooked. A lot of our positive history has been lost due to racism in America’s past; however, I enjoy finding out any hidden pieces of my history,” Anderson said.

Black history is taught in most history classes but is usually condensed to slavery and racism. Many positive contributions and accomplishments seem to be overlooked.

“I absolutely believe we should change the way we perceive Black history in school. We should focus on the positives and not just slavery. Most Black history discussions feel negative. Mr. Runge is very transparent about what really happened back then. He doesn’t stray away from the ugly sides, but he is also educated on the positive aspects. I think more History and English teachers should further educate themselves on the topic of Black history. I also believe we should do more Black history things at school because the Black population is growing. The Black Student Union will have more events next year in order to highlight topics that don’t get the attention they deserve,” Beaugris said.