Sections
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The Assembly
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The Discussion
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Interviewee Advisor – Nicole Churchill
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Interviewee President – Savannah Dupart
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Extra profiles + Future plans
On Friday, February 28, Stagg’s Black Student Union hosted an assembly dedicated to Black history month.
The assembly was held during 3rd and 4th period in the theater and consisted of multiple events including games and dances to celebrate Black history.
Two days before the assembly, BSU had a meeting about the assembly and what they could improve and create. They also set up their trivia game, Black Jeopardy, for the assembly.
The assembly firstly started with the national anthem, “Lift Every Voice,” sung by BSU Vice President Jhada Tullmon. After the national anthem, the current set of BSU officers were introduced and was followed by a recap of what was discussed in “Confronting the N-word”, After that, insightful poems were shared by the officers, such as ‘Black History (You say)’ a poem by Quiana Souder and ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ by James Weldon Johnson.
Soon after, they hosted Black Jeopardy, a trivia game solely focused on cultural/historic facts of known black activists, artists, including acronyms within the black community. Students in the assembly were fully participating in the game, expressing themselves loudly by excitedly shouting when they believed they got the answer for the given question.
The assembly ended with a final performance by BSU, with one Majorette and cultural dances.
Nicole Churchill, BSU’s Advisor, has been at Stagg for four years and reveals this would be her first time hosting an assembly for BSU, which she felt nervous about.
“I’m nervous, just really nervous,” Churchill says, “Yesterday, [BSU] had their discussion on ‘Confronting the N-word’ and it turned out really good, so you know, by time I think it will be alright on Friday, but for now I’m just nervous,”
Confronting the N-Word
To recap, earlier that week, “Confronting the N-word” was an event hosted by BSU on February 25, which was a deep, in-depth discussion of the racially divisive word. The purpose of this event was to spark meaningful conversations within the community, to build recognition, and allow students to share personal experiences to contribute to a more inclusive environment.
Member Profile – Josiah Small
Josiah Small, a member from BSU, attended the event, which was during after school, in the theater. “Just hearing it, it was very resourceful, it was something that I would want a lot of people to go, because it just really gives you the history and it also helps educate you.”
Small said that being in BSU was a good experience for him, it provided him a sense of community, gaining a lot from it and also learned new things from there, along with expanding on history and self-identity. “I learned a lot from it, I gained a lot from it, it’s a really good experience, it helped me grow closer to my culture.”
Small performed in the assembly, as one of the Majorette performers.
Small believed schools in general should host cultural events more often. “I believe schools should definitely do more cultural events, especially since schools like Lincoln – they do a lot of cultural events, so I think definitely our school, and Chavez should do more cultural events to lift up school spirits in communities.”
Black Student Union and its advisor, Mrs. Churchill
Looking back at her childhood, Churchill saw a need for more resources for the Black community. “I grew up in a strictly diverse neighborhood and so, when I grew up, we did not focus on black history.”
Churchill said that later, she advised a Black Student Union in an all Black university. She worked as a student advisor to provide help and support, and now advises the Black Student Union at Stagg.
“There´s still a lot I need to learn,” says Churchill, “..but what I do know as attending a Black university, I would like the students here at Stagg to know they could be seen from there, [rather] than what society is telling them. So this is an opportunity for them to lead, to have fun and learn too.”
Member Profile – Savannah Dupart
BSU President Savannah Dupart was nervous, but also excited for this possibility and event. Dupart, along with the other club officers, were going to participate in the assembly, with her being the hostess, whose job is to recruit and get new students excited in joining BSU. Dupart hopes this assembly will build a sense of community for every student, with a special emphasis on black students.
“I know this isn’t something that we typically do, and so I really want it to become a tradition or at least something that could continue, even after I leave,” Dupart says when asked about how she had felt about this given opportunity, before she graduates this school year.
Dupart also has another message she hopes to deliver through the upcoming assembly, “I want people to know that they’re seen as individuals, specifically black individuals,” Dupart says. “ I want my people to know that we have people here on campus, that there’s a community and there’s a place for them.”
Dupart reveals that regardless, if there’s hatred coming out of students’ mouths, she still wants them to know that they still have a sense of belonging in this school, and to recognize their self value. “You do have a place, you’re important and you’re a person as much as everyone else.”
With that being said, Dupart plans to continue to help Churchill with BSU, influencing students to participate more and know they are welcomed in the community, which ties into the whole purpose of BSU; the idea of being more connected as black students, to help out each other academically and socially, and to encourage students outside of BSU to join and to learn more about black history.
Member Profile – Jhada Tullmon
Junior Jhada Tullmon had enjoyed the assembly, saying it went well and the experience was fun. “I think it went way better than I thought it was going to be, I obviously thought it was going to be good, but like it went way better. I’m glad everyone was having fun, we were hyped, we were hyped, I like that.” said Tullmon.
What black history month personally means to Tullmon is to recognize and appreciate the history and culture that has developed within the African american community, that “a lot of America doesn’t know about or does not want to know about.”
“Black history month means to me is just recognition, for our people and for all we’ve done as black Americans. What we have accomplished is so watered down and we don’t get enough credit for it.” Tullmon says. Tullmon plans to continue to be in BSU, as she joined in it to be a part of a community she is comfortable with and to find people the same within the culture.
Member Profile – Charlise Stewart
Junior Charlise Stewart, BSU´s secretary officer, also participated in the assembly. She was one of the performers in the majorette dances. Stewart shares her thoughts about the aftermath, stating that “I think it went really well, I enjoyed it and I hope to do it again.”
Stewart says she joined BSU because of the lack of community, and wanting black students to be more involved. She also states that she wants to “advocate for black people and to encourage black people to be more involved with themselves and the community.”
Hope for the Future
BSU’s goal for hosting this assembly was wanting students to learn and recognize the cultural accomplishments and importances of black history month while also having fun through learning. This event welcomed a lot of classes to learn about the members of the club, culture and community of black history. BSU hopes to host these events in the future.
