It’s 8:20 a.m., students are rushing their way up the stairs, half asleep, in hopes of making it to their first period on time. They scramble through their backpacks to take out their IDs, greet the security guards and as they turn the corner to go up the stairwell, they’re awoken by the vibrant array of paper balloons hung up on the wall. But what is it?
It is Baruch’s way of celebrating Black History Month.
Black History Month’s beginnings can be traced back to 1926 when Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. This celebration promoted the scientific study of Black History and culture and lasted one week. The week was expanded to a full month in 1976 by President Gerald Ford.
This month is dedicated to honor the achievement, struggles, and contributions of Black people throughout history and to serve as a reminder of the importance of diversity and equity.
This year, the newly-founded committee, Baruch Events Committee (BEC), organized their first event in honor of Black History Month. They hosted a pop-up where students get to pull their favorite quotes from friends, family or any figure they look up to and put it on a paper balloon in order to platform and uplift diverse voices. Afterwards, students could take pictures with their balloons to share on social media.
“We wanted to make something the students can interact with and be proud of…students of all different backgrounds were able to decorate balloons and honor Black History Month,” said Tedi Schaffer, gym teacher and head of BEC.
Schaffer also said it isn’t just up to BEC to educate others, it’s important for people to learn the history themselves to truly understand the significance of this month.
“It’s important for our club to honor Black History Month, but it’s everyone in the community’s job to recognize the importance of Black History Month. So, I think that just providing the opportunity to have a pop up [helps to] expose people to the importance.”
Senior Larenz Smith, the leader of the Black and Latino Student Union (BLSU) and school president, shared a similar sentiment.
“Students should expand their learning outside of school,” he said. “Black history isn’t just a separate history either; it’s a part of American history.”
Smith also points out the unfortunate timing for this month. “The month is really short because of the break. Most clubs are coming back from their [holiday] events so it’s kind of hard to organize a lot of things,” said Smith.
Sophomore Saad Moula proposed new ideas for future Black History Months in Baruch. He said, specifically, that it could be a good idea to incorporate the history into teachers’ curriculum.
“I think this year, all the events for Black History Month were great. But, for future years I think it would be cool if for each subject, they’d dedicate a portion of their period to highlight a Black person who specializes in that field,” said Moula.
The vibrant decorations and events that honored the highlights in Black history will be exchanged for new decor—but the celebration of Black History Month didn’t end with the final bell on Feb. 29. February serves as a reminder that the stories, experiences and achievements of Black people are an integral part of our shared history and should be celebrated every day.
Note: Saad Moula, interviewed above, is the brother of the writer.
