“Black History Month to me is to celebrate Black culture and our history in this country, and the struggles we’ve endured because of racism,”Black Student Union member, junior Kennedy Stevens said. 

Tuesday is the start of Black History Month and African American history and accomplishments will be studied, depicted, and honored in different classes on campus.

“Every day is Black History day in African American Studies, but what we’re going to really do is focus on making sure that the work we’re doing in class, that we have ways that we are sharing it out with the rest of the campus,” African American Studies teacher Sarah Wiseman said. “When we learn about the Harlem Renaissance, we’re going to create a mural together that we are going to hang up as part of the Black History Month celebration to celebrate the artists, writers, and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance.”

Some students on campus such as senior Sonja Huntwork are taking are taking steps to celebrate the month.

“We study history because it shows us how we grew into the communities that we are now, with extraordinarily differing experiences with justice, the arts, family, heritage, and more,” senior Sonja Huntwork said. “Regarding justice specifically, studying specific areas of history, such as Black history, helps us understand the deficits in our communities and how we can come together to solve them.”

As the month encompasses many different aspects, classes such as African American Studies, and organizations, such as the Black Student Union, are making efforts to present the mural and share the experience. 

“I hope that for students, it is a gateway to a few of the most celebratory and most enduring parts of Black history,” Huntwork said. 

Other students agree the mural and month will provide ways to share experiences and stories of Black individuals. 

“Basically around campus, I would just like for us to spread awareness and appreciate everyone, regardless of race, and spread positivity,” Stevens said. 

Stevens, along with members of the African American Studies and Black Student Union, want the work to leave a positive impression on all students, and for the history to be understood or appreciated. 

Members of the African American Studies class and Black Student Union want to impact students with the work they will be sharing.

“I would hope that Black History Month brings a sense of joy and pride in the history of great Americans, and this community that has often been marginalized, as well as bring an awareness to the past that help us think about issues that we are confronting today,” Wiseman said. 

Similarly, Huntwork believes in the importance of spreading history, so it is understood in a proper context.

“It is in the stories of our common humanity that we grow kinder and wise, and by acknowledging Black history month, we are treasuring perspectives and stories that, until recently, were suppressed,” Huntwork said. “When they come into focus like in Black History Month or an African American Studies class, they are given the context and purpose that they have been denied. Behind our most cherished arts, sciences, political thoughts, and more, there are Black stories to be learned and shared for general love and curiosity.”