Oxford’s Black Student Union (BSU) celebrated Black History Month with their second-ever Black History Week from Feb. 18 to 21. Themed around “African Americans in Labor,” the spirit week comprised films, trivia, food, and guest speeches honoring Black Americans’ labor and contributions to America.
The spirit week invited students to a screening of “Black Legacy,” a documentary spanning Black civil rights movements and Black culture’s modern day influence. The club also offered a flight of African-American foods including gumbo, macaroni and cheese, and collard greens for students. In the quad, students engaged in a laidback game of Black history Jenga, and Oxford ASB technician Mr. Barnett made a special appearance as a guest speaker.
Alongside celebrating Black History Month, students were given the opportunity to earn extra credit for English, history, and Spanish classes upon spirit week engagement through stamped “passports.”
President Samuel Gatonye and vice president Tatiana Otieno, both seniors, began planning Black History Week in Nov. 2024. Their extensive preparation did not come without hurdles, however; the club struggled to balance respecting Black Americans’ struggles while also engaging students through fun activities
“We definitely struggled to find trivia-slash-games that could accurately represent Black people in labor without being disrespectful,” Otieno said. “The labor and issues Black people have to deal with in America are really difficult to kind of talk about. It’s even harder to find a palatable way to demonstrate that to people. So we decided against doing a [traditional] game because Black people in labor is not a game. That’s why we did trivia instead.”
Black History Week also sought to empower students alongside Barnett, who spoke to students about his past and aspirations. Having supported Oxford’s BSU since its revival in 2023, Barnett had previously performed his own rap music for the club’s events, but opted to instead talk about his personal life for the spirit week.
Barnett encouraged students to not let their struggles define them, and to let their professions fuel their dreams rather than staying confined. He hoped to connect with students beyond as a faculty member, sharing anecdotes and vulnerable stories to bridge the gap.
“I think sharing my story was important for a lot of people. I had a lot of kids come up to me after and express how they felt stuck, [and] how [my story] reminded them to keep pushing and persevering through all of the traumas,” Barnett said. “[With my speech,] I wanted to represent myself as well as my culture, as well as also staying true to who I am.”
Barnett, who was previously a nationally recognized YMCA program coordinator before coming to Oxford, is working towards earning his teaching credentials and hopes to eventually explore city politics as well.
Beyond celebrating Black heritage on campus, the Anaheim Union High School District mandated Thrively lessons for students to complete in their English classes for credit, shedding light on forms of systemic racism like the school-to-prison pipeline and racial wealth gap.
