Black history is a vast subject, woven with remarkable achievements and generations of struggles. Understanding Black history while encompassing diverse identities is an ongoing challenge but one that can lead to high appreciation.
The inception of what is now known as Black History Month was created by historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926, when he claimed that the second week of February would be called Negro Week.
Negro Week was created to acknowledge the accomplishments and suffering African Americans have faced.
In 1976 under Former President Gerald Ford’s rule, he amplified Negro Week to Black History Month. With this, he urged Americans nationally to recognize African American history in its full and raw complexity.
Now, teenagers in 2025 are trying to connect their personal backgrounds to Black History Month.
“In Jamaica, we usually have a specific day (Jamaica Day) where we would celebrate with food and would dress in clothing representative of Africans or traditional Jamaican clothing,” senior Kemoya-Lee Cox said. While this struggle of bridging the gap is reminiscent to most Pace students, Kemoya feels that “most Black leaders celebrated have the same influence on the large group of people.”
Senegalese student, Maty Bar, said, “I connect a lot with Black History Month because I get to participate in the show, wear an African dress and model but also show off my own culture.”
Pace has a yearly show for Black History in the auditorium that differs year to year. This year it consists of a vibrant runway show organized by Talia Tetteh and Ryan Williams accompanied by performances from Drama Club, the Cheer Team and Choir.
“I feel like the representation made a lot of improvements this year because a lot of cultures are participating in the runway,” Bar said. “Ghanians, Malians and Senegalese like me, Latinos- all those different cultures.”
This addition symbolizes a growing understanding of Black History Month that it’s not monolithic, but a rich platter of different cultures, culinary and music traditions.
“It would be nice if there were different cultural events where we would listen to different types of music and stuff,” Haitian-American junior Jaden Toussaint said.
Toussaint and other students at Pace express a desire for more inclusivity. The student body at Pace is characterized by many varied Black Cultures and pride in individual identities, the schoolwide acknowledgement still lacks.
Black History Month serves as an outline for historical progress but students are still advocating for a deeper delineation of different narratives within the Black community. This ongoing conversation is vital for fostering an understanding of the rich diversity.
