As February comes to a close, so too does Black History Month. The month focuses on recognizing the hardships, triumphs, and excellence that exist within the African American community. Founded in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, it began as Negro History Week and slowly morphed into the first Black History Month in 1970, at Kent State University.
Each year, the Benjamin community celebrates the month through different events, activities, and presentations. This year, an assembly with various guest speakers was held in order to recognize the Black community.
Hosted by the Diversity Council, the assembly began with videos of various alumni sharing what Black History Month means to them and why it is important to them. After this, junior Nahla Bond mediated a panel discussion of various Black History Month topics.
This panel consisted of the US Assistant Athletic Director, Mr. Jason Belser, and Alex Flemming-Lake, ‘23.
Both of these speakers stressed the importance of all people, no matter their identity, getting involved in Black History Month, as well as shared what Black excellence and recognition meant to them.
While everyone in the Benjamin community has different connections and interpretations of why Black History Month is important, it is a popular conclusion that the month has extreme value to all members of society, not just those who are Black.
“I feel like Black History Month is a chance that we have to recognize all the accomplishments of a certain group of people that are often not recognized for everything that they’ve contributed to our world and to our culture. In this world, there are so many times when people try to tear us apart, and I’ve heard a lot of people who say that Black History Month is discriminatory in and of itself because it’s celebrating the history of one group rather than the history of everyone. But I think that by celebrating black history specifically, we can give a group the recognition and celebration that they deserve,” expressed Senior and Student Council President Liam Duffy.
Junior Beckett Yeary had similar remarks: “It allows us to celebrate the history of African Americans and allows us to remember all of the sacrifices made in achieving freedom.”
“I think it’s very important to celebrate everyone and acknowledge some negative aspects and to move forward and have a productive future,” shared junior Isabelle Charlton.
Ariel Powell, a junior, explained her views. “Yes, [Black History Month is important to me because] I’m black. I care about black people and my people.”
“As a black person myself, it represents the power that we have, the strength that we’ve built over the years of hardships and struggles that we have faced from others who look down on us simply because of the color of our skin,” said sophomore Roman Cantave.
Isabella Anthon had a slightly different reasoning: “Personally, I don’t have any attachments to it, but it’s still important. We must celebrate and recognize the hardships that people have overcome and celebrate a group of people who have contributed so much to art and culture.”
Black History Month has a rich past and future as it continues to be celebrated by not only Benjamin but worldwide. Enjoy the rest of the month!
