For senior Trey Williams, one of the two leaders of La Salle’s Black Student Union (BSU) along with senior Yedidiah Gebremariam, the Black History Month assembly highlighted the significant contributions of African American culture and heritage to the United States. It was about Black excellence, and how, through her life experiences, the assembly’s keynote speaker — Ms. Kimberly Howard Wade — illustrated the importance of ingenuity and growth, particularly in creative fields or in the face of difficulty.
But it was also about music.
It was also about hip-hop, breakdancing, and krumping.
It was also about the power of the performing arts to connect people, bridging cultural differences to spotlight the ways we are all connected, and how celebrating the heritage of minority groups in the community emphasizes that.
“Black History Month is a time to celebrate, acknowledge, understand, and be educated about Black excellence and what that means,” Williams said. “With music and dance, people feel that. I feel like that’s another thing that’s very important… the impact of everybody in the whole entire school engaging with it.”
At La Salle, both Williams and Mr. Mario Garza, Director of Equity and Inclusion, said that acknowledgment of Black History Month — which is observed annually in February — should include educating the community about the achievements of Black individuals, along with their role in shaping society and U.S. history.
This heritage month, he explained, provides a chance to increase awareness of Black history.
“It gives an opportunity to really delve into the stories that make up this American tapestry,” Mr. Garza said. “Black history is a part of our American history.”
This perspective was echoed by Gebremariam, who emphasized that far from being a stagnant part of our collective past, Black history is an essential and interwoven part of American life.
“Black history isn’t only about the past,” she said. “It is also about the present and the future … it still has an impact on all of us.”
In Performing and Fine Arts Department Chair Ms. Cha Asokan’s classes, the significant accomplishments of African American painters, sculptors, and creatives are highlighted regularly, owing to the deep roots and far-reaching impacts of their work and culture. Not only does Ms. Cha aim to educate her students about minority communities in art history, but she expressed that all of the artists in her courses are encouraged to celebrate their culture through what they create.
“As I often say, every day in the art room is Black History Month because of the contributions of Black American artists,” she said.
In Ms. Cha’s opinion, two core components of art are culture and community.
Reflecting that — and out of a desire to honor the BSU students during Black History Month — a group of National Art Honors Society photography students facilitated a photo shoot for members of the BSU, with the hope of “recognizing the beauty in people’s culture and their individuality,” Ms. Cha said.
“I thought it was a really good way to celebrate the students in the BSU during Black History Month,” she said. “Art always brings people together.”
The final photos, which were printed and edited by Ms. Cha, are now on display in the main lobby.
For Williams, his biggest takeaways from the assembly — and the Q&A lunch hosted for Ms. Wade and the BSU members afterwards — reflected what Ms. Cha explained, underlining the importance of remembering and appreciating your identity and ethnicity.
“Never forget your skin color and the meaning behind it,” Williams said. “It is who you are… Know that, respect that, love that, because you can’t change that. It’s something special about you.”
According to Mr. Garza, not only does recognition of Black History Month encourage students to better understand the diverse backgrounds of their peers, it also allows for students of color to feel seen and represented.
The work that goes into creating a culture of inclusivity on campus is “never done,” he said, and it is important to be constantly progressing in efforts to uplift minority communities within our school, through communal appreciation of heritage months, cultural potlucks, and more.
“It’s a way to show that we value them,” he said. “We value their experience, we value their history, and we value what they bring to the school.”
For sophomore Egzi Desta, the significance of ensuring that marginalized groups feel acknowledged, appreciated, and valued can’t be overstated.
“It’s important to feel heard and seen in a community,” she said. “It’s important to recognize everyone, especially minorities.”
However, the ripple effects of highlighting minority communities stretch beyond the students who belong to them, Mr. Garza explained. Actively working toward greater awareness and understanding regarding the background and culture of students of color is part of creating a broader environment emphasizing inclusivity, opening students and staff to points of view different from their own.
Building that empathy and understanding takes work, though, he said, and is something the school must continuously strive for.
“I think for the most part, our students feel like they do belong here,” Mr. Garza said. “But I think part of that reason is because we intentionally try to do things that make sure that they understand that they’re valued here.”
According to Mr. Garza, it’s necessary for the school community and faculty to have self-awareness and assessment of their progress, acknowledging the strides that have been made towards more inclusive education and what La Salle still needs to do.
“You never reach where you’re trying to get to,” Mr. Garza said. “You’re constantly moving forward … Because once you settle, then that’s not a good spot to be in and say ‘oh, we’ve done it,’ you know? It’s never done.”
While the additional focus that comes with a designated Black History Month is positive, both Gebremariam and Ms. Cha expressed, it’s crucial that the culture and contributions of the African American community are showcased year-round.
Still, Williams emphasized, the attention it brings to Black excellence across U.S. history is essential.
“It’s a time [to] celebrate the Black excellence that not just this Black community is a part of, but us as a whole nation,” he said.
Mirroring Williams’ point of view, Mr. Graza expressed that appreciation for Black History Month isn’t only important inside La Salle’s community.
It — along with the lessons of empathy and open-mindedness that come from learning about different cultures — are relevant on a wider scale, including the broader national perspective the U.S. can lean towards, he said.
“We’re a nation that lacks a lot of empathy for others. We’re very concerned about our own situations and not anybody else’s,” he said. “I hope that when students leave here, connected to our core values, that they have an understanding and want to be involved in the world around them and not just about themselves.”
Mr. Garza explained that everyone has an understanding of themselves, the people around them, and the world built on their life experiences, and the way that their identity — gender, race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation — has shaped how they treat and are treated by others.
However, when that worldview becomes limited to only what they know, Mr. Garza said they can become ignorant of the different but equally valid perspectives and experiences of others. He expressed that combatting that comes through highlighting communities who are often marginalized, along with the points of view and culture of students of color.
“The more people are educated, the more open-minded they can be,” Williams said.
At the end of the day, everyone isn’t going to agree, Mr. Garza explained. But understanding where other people are coming from and listening to their perspectives is crucial to building a diverse school community, he said, something especially important to recognize and appreciate during Black History Month.
“The more we understand each other, the better we’re going to be,” Mr. Garza said. “Every student is stronger because of the richness of diversity around them.”
