CCHS African American Club Celebrates Black History Month

Central Catholic High School’s African American Club has been operating since 1974.  Its mission is to help all races celebrate, embrace, and expand their knowledge of African American history and culture.  The club is open to all CCHS students who are interested in learning more about the history, traditions, and customs of African Americans. 

Senior Zoe Williams is president of the club, and this is her 2nd year as a member.  “I joined because I wanted my fellow Black students at Central Catholic to have a voice and I wanted to help be that voice,” she said.  “I wanted to run for president because I have a very outspoken personality.  I feel like the Black community has gone through so much these past couple years, and I want this club to grow and be a safe space for students like me.”

Junior Andrea Jackson is the African American Club’s vice president, and this is also her 2nd year in the club.  “I started to explore different clubs at Central Catholic and came to the African American Club by a teacher's recommendation,” she explained.  “I loved the first meeting and wanted to join.  I wanted to have a leadership role in the club because as a member I felt like the club gave me an opportunity to have a voice as a student of color.  I had a lot of ideas and things I wanted to see happen at CCHS, and it felt natural to transition into vice president.”

Andrea pointed out different activities Central Catholic has had during Black History Month in the past that highlight the diversity of Central Catholic students in many ways.  She felt the Life Walk that involved students taking steps forward or backward to agree or disagree with prompts about aspects of their life experiences was very surprising and effective.  “At the end when everyone opened their eyes, they saw the difference in where everyone stood in life,” she said.  “There were people on every side of the room, and some results shocked me and my classmates.  We had group discussions about the results, and It was a great bonding experience to have with the whole school.”

Zoe said students at CCHS have had multiple opportunities to learn and celebrate African American history and culture, such as learning the art of stepping, visiting HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities), making ethnic food for the school, and having assemblies to highlight the Black community. 

This year, the club is planning events for CCHS to learn about Black history and how it affects our current students, and working to open spaces for people to learn more about current-day Black hardships.  They want to shine a spotlight on stepping, host an assembly to talk about the meaning of Black History Month, and lead some activities about African American history for our mentor groups that meet every Monday. 

“I think it’s important to celebrate African American history and culture because the world moves so fast and people tend to forget how impactful our history is,” explained Zoe.  “Even African American students tend to forget sometimes.  I think it is important because it reminds us that we come from strong ancestors who fought, and that we always have a community that has our backs that we can relate to when we feel misunderstood by the world.”

Andrea said, “I think it's important to celebrate Black History Month because it ultimately unifies us as a community.  Black History Month not only uplifts us as Black people and helps us to see our accomplishments and strengths, but it lets all races see our common struggles as humans.  Black History Month helps all people to reflect on Black struggles, learn how to be more empathetic, and relate the past to the present to grow as a whole.”