This Black History Month, students and faculty members at Bishop Gorman are acknowledging and promoting awareness of the achievements and understanding the struggles of the African American community in the United States.
The celebration of black culture has evolved significantly over the years. “Historically, black culture was celebrated in smaller, often localized settings” theology teacher, Mrs. Grant said.
For a long time racial injustice and unequal treatment of African Americans hindered learning about black culture. “Over time, the Civil Rights Movement and the establishment of Black History Month helped bring greater national awareness,” Grant said.
This national awareness continues to grow more and more every year. Kevin Nixon, social studies teacher and the Black Student Union (BSU) moderator, has seen a positive shift for learning more about African American culture in the time he has been at Bishop Gorman. “I think there’s definitely more of a shift towards learning more about African Americans’ accomplishments throughout the time that I’ve been here,” Nixon said.
Nixon expresses that BSU has really helped with that shift. BSU is really important to many students on campus as it gives African American students the opportunity to connect with each other.
President of BSU, Elle Clinton ‘25 said, “I feel so blessed because I just get to meet so many students I wouldn’t be able to meet with otherwise like I don’t have classes with, or in other grades.”
Nixon and students started BSU five years ago and it has contributed greatly to Bishop Gorman’s recognition of the black community and the push to have African American studies next year.
The opportunity to take this course is significant because it gives everyone the opportunity to learn more about black culture accurately. “Recognizing black history in schools ensures that students learn about the vast contributions of Black individuals in science, literature, politics, theology, and many other fields” Grant said.
Often learning about black history has been minimized to the context of slavery and civil rights. Nixon shared he is proud to celebrate this month because of “all of our accomplishments and how we were able to fight through oppression and still be able to help out this country in very significant ways,” Nixon said.
Clinton shared why it is important to her to celebrate this month. “By recognizing Black History Month in particular you are recognizing all the trailblazers in the past who you know made accomplishments to allow black students to be in school and to desegregate schools,” Clinton stated.
Black History Month is an integral part of American history and that’s why it’s important to celebrate this month and learn about it throughout the year. “Black history is not just for black Americans—it is a shared history that impacts us all,” Grant said.
