BLACK HISTORY MONTH! The one month of the year that recognizes the rich history and culture of African Americans from the past and the future. 

This month, The Voyager is recognizing the work and leadership of the African American Student Union of Eastern Regional High School (ASSU)! I was able to meet with the club co-leaders, sophomores Mirbella Gibson and Laanca Amankwaah to talk about the club’s purpose, upcoming activities, and more.

Both Gibson and Amankwaah said they wanted to be co-leaders to help spread awareness and make a difference in our school’s community. 

“The main purpose of AASU is to unite as one because there’s not that much representation in school. It is a club that gets together to do activities that relate to our culture,” Gibson said. “We want to spread education about not only African American culture, but also African culture. 

Naturally, for the past couple of weeks, the club has created amazing events to highlight BHM, from debates, to meetings with Black creators who are breaking barriers and making headway in their respective industries. 

The first event that took place was a debate on February 8th. During the debate, participants talked about various topics such as “Do you think it is a big deal for people to touch your hair?”, “Should teachers skip the N-word when reading a book aloud?”, “Should Black Lives Matter fight for all lives?”, and so many more. Both Gibson and Amankwaah said that the debate was successful, as many came to take part in the conversation so that their voices could be heard. 

The second event on February 22nd was a conversation with Chef Eric Adjepong, who is an acclaimed chef and the host of “Alex vs. America” on the Food Network. During this conversation, Adejepong talked about how he loved to share his African culture in his food, and discussed the various barriers he has had to face in the food industry.

   The final event for BHM was a screening of the critically-acclaimed movie The Hate U Give in the Learning Center on February 24th.

   Gibson hopes that more students participate in future activities, “I want more freshmen and seniors to come out and just join the fun!” 

   Make sure to spread the word about the amazing things AASU is doing not only during this month, but for the whole school year!

(For information about the club, follow AASU’s Instagram page: @aasu_eastern)