The second month of the year has been dedicated to celebrating the lives and accomplishments of African-Americans since 1970. At Linsly, Upper School students Luca DiLorenzo, Brinley Steen, Rachel Ekanem, and Gioni Ferguson (shown from left to right) have come together with the help of social studies teacher Mr. Wallace to organize commemorations, conversations, and events throughout the month.
The agenda for February includes trivia games about African-American history, videos, and discussions, which will take place in classes and in advisory periods. Additionally, the four students have been reading facts and quotes about and from famous African-Americans during the daily announcements.
Black History Month at Linsly
To ponder and plan their goals for the month, the four students met with a lawyer and Linsly alum, DeMarr Moulton. A member of the Class of 2009, he advised the group as to how to present their information to the school and discussed his past experiences with Black History Month at other schools. Ekanem, a junior, stated “…This gave us a much better perspective of how we should approach teaching Black history to our school.”
With advice and a plan of action, the students are working hard to start the conversation and spread awareness. Said Steen, “This month is a great opportunity to better educate people on the history of African-Americans. We hope by the end of this month people grow towards a better understanding of our culture and are more open to respecting our differences.”
Ferguson added, “We hope that the conversations we have this month will not only be talked about in February but be carried on throughout the year.”
How Black History Month Starts Discussions
Their goals — to start lasting, meaningful conversations, share impactful information, give people a better understanding of Black history, and ensure people are comfortable to speak up — are off to a good start. With deeper goals of social change and long-lasting awareness and recognition, the four are ready to start some challenging discussions. “There are still some topics that people may not want other people to address because the discussion is uncomfortable, or they might just not understand it as much as we do,” mentioned Ekanem.
However, the Linsly School, having educated students from dozens of countries and all over America, is quite receptive to begin with. According to DiLorenzo, “We simply want to progress towards change and our Linsly environment is a great place to start.” While acknowledging the positives, the students emphasized that there is always room for positive change. Their focus will be on improving and adapting Linsly settings through their plans for the month. In the end African-American history, while highlighted for one month of the year, is intended to create lifelong learning and acceptance about other cultures.
