Julia Astram

Staff Writer

Black History Month is not something that should be ignored. The fight for Civil Rights is an important aspect of the United States’ history.

According to the Library of Congress, Black History Month was created in 1926 in the United States, when historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced the second week of February to be “Negro History Week.”

Bringing a national celebration to the local level can be difficult, but with the support of the Milford School District’s teachers and staff it has been a topic to talk about.

Ever since I was little, I looked forward to learning about and adapting Black History Month into our curriculum. Senior, Marykate Fallon agreed with me, saying, “I liked learning about [the fight for Civil Rights] ever since I grew up. The Emmett Till trial was eye-opening in the fact that it showed the brutality and unequalness of the time.”

Teaching black history at the high school level is very important. I think black history should be talked about and discussed in every class.

Along with the curriculum used during Black History Month, Mr. Tupka said that, “Throughout the government courses the students will definitely be learning about major court cases impacted by civil rights.” This definitely draws the civil rights movement closer to our school.

Not only is learning about impactful people important, but it is also important to see how far African Americans have come to get the freedoms that we enjoy daily.

In government classes, we discussed the Civil Rights Movement and the students really seemed to enjoy it. Sydney Ellis said, “I really enjoyed learning about Rosa Parks and her impact on the Civil Rights Movement.”

The videos about court cases and freedom marches were really impactful and highlighted the hardships that the African Americans faced. Mrs. Gilman said, “The most impactful topic for me was the civil rights movement, and seeing the amount of work that African Americans had to do to enjoy the rights given to them.”

Other school districts decided to celebrate Black History Month in a more historical and cultural way than we do at Foran.

The District of Columbia Public Schools, for example, announced that “During the week of Feb. 23, Seaton Elementary School in Ward 6 will celebrate Black History Month with a student assembly, after-school food celebration, and daily African-American history trivia. On Wednesday, Feb. 26, students will join together to recognize the talents and contributions of African Americans throughout history using dance, music, poems and art.”

Hopefully Foran will be able to come together and cherish the ideas of the struggles the African Americans faced to live life with the liberties we have today.