This year, for Black History Month, the Black Student Union has put up new decorations in the Upper School. Among these decorations is a periodic table of famous Black icons in the Elliot Center.
These decorations were mostly done by the parents of BSU members, and parents of Black students in the Middle and Lower School also contributed.
“This year, the parents wanted to play a bigger role,” senior and BSU president Angela Kamgang said.
The Middle School also has a periodic table, and the Lower School has an exhibit of famous Black inventors and scientists.
The pictures of famous Black icons displayed across campus were AI-generated. Many of the original photos selected looked outdated, according to Kamgang.
BSU says they wanted to convey the message that Black History Month is not just a celebration of the past, but rather it plays a role in the present as well.
In addition to the decorations, BSU organized a luncheon during the first week of February to commemorate Black History Month. It was open to Black students in all divisions as well as their families.
As Black History Month came to an end, the decorations came down. Sophomore Hazel Goes-Young says she enjoyed the increased number of decorations this year.
“I think it was better this year; I think the effort was there,” Goes-Young said.
Goes-Young also says there was more recognition that it was Black History Month. She says that last year it felt like there wasn’t as much recognition and that this year there was more of an effort to recognize black history.
Additionally, she says the help of the parents bolstered the decorations as it allowed them to have a higher budget and more leeway from the school. It also allowed her to feel hopeful for future years.
“I think that this year and in the next coming years [there will] be more effort put in [and] there will be a lot more decorations, which I think is really cool,” said Goes-Young.
