February is Black History Month (BHM), a month for celebrating and acknowledging the achievements of black people in history and in the present. The Scholars Leadership Club at Marriotts Ridge is celebrating this month by decorating doors to spread awareness of the achievements of black people everywhere.
Usually, Marriotts Ridge’s Black Student Union works with other clubs to decorate the doors, but this year the job fell to the Scholars Leadership Club.
“I like that this is an opportunity to highlight and celebrate accomplishments in black history,” club sponsor Ms. Jones said.
Members of Scholars Leadership believe it is very important to be educated on black history for many reasons.
“I think it’s important to educate others on Black History Month because it’s a chance to celebrate black achievement and provide a fresh reminder to take stock of where systemic racism persists,” sophomore Awurabena Frempong said.
It’s important to be educated on black history because it serves as a reminder of what struggles had to be overcome by black people in order to become successful. It is also important to be educated on black history due to the fact that the achievements of black people are usually overlooked or underplayed.
“It is important to educate others about Black History Month because we already as a minority don’t get enough recognition. We also get outshined and have our ideas stolen or taken from us,” junior Amel Khalifa said.
Another great importance is to be able to share the intricacies of Black culture with others.
“I think it’s important to educate others of Black History Month because black culture is really beautiful and I think that people will see that if they have the chance to learn about it,” senior vice president Lacee Adams said.
Along with educating others, Scholars are decorating doors for their own personal reasons, including shining light on topics they never had the chance to learn themselves.
“Growing up, I think I had a hard time connecting with my culture and heritage because the majority race I grew up with was white. Thankfully, as I got older, I was put into situations with more diverse groups of people, which allowed me to connect with those who were of the same race as me,” sophomore Makayla Johnson said.
Johnson was able to educate herself on the struggles that black people went through in history, along with the many triumphs, and is grateful for an opportunity to share that knowledge with others.
“This new understanding of not only who I am but also the people in the community began my journey of educating myself, friends, and even family about black culture. I’ve become passionate about the topic and want to involve myself in activities that can further expand my knowledge of my culture while also sharing that information with others in a creative yet educational way,” Johnson said.
This is one of the first activities the Scholars Leadership club is doing together in the year and many members are excited for the opportunity to get to know each other while educating others on black history.
“I’m interested in decorating doors for BHM because I believe I can contribute my artistic touch to representing history that’s close to me. I’m also looking forward to being able to get to know the other volunteers well,” sophomore Nara Obas said.
Members of Scholars Leadership are hoping that decorating these doors will help the students of Marriotts Ridge stop and really appreciate just how much black people have contributed and continue to contribute to society. They hope that this can be a chance to educate others on black history and hopefully inspire others to educate themselves as well.