Black History/Liberation Month at CPS

It’s February 22nd, a cold and chilly Wednesday. The bell rings as a sea of students traverse across campus to make it to the courtyard. Music plays as you shortly converse with friends before settling down on the concrete steps. Assembly is a central part of the CPS community. Not only is it a way to share upcoming CAP three-fourths birthdays, but it is also an integral part of our school's communication. Without assembly announcements, we would never know about the upcoming common classrooms or next club meetings.

This February, a central theme of assembly announcements was about Black History Month. Many announcements were based on Black joy. Whether listening to Nina Simone or sharing a way to connect to ancestors, faculty shared countless ways to spread an integral—and sometimes forgotten—part of Black culture: happiness.

We’ve all seen the campus news emails sent by our lovely faculty written about Black inspirations. Some of my favorite and informative emails were about people I haven’t heard of, whether it was the creator of a computer game or the author behind the first Black detective novel.

If you haven’t already read the emails, I strongly urge you to. Not only are they informative, but they offer the opportunity to learn about people who historically have been forgotten. Our learning does not end after Black History Month does. Black history and joy should be spread all year. I hope we can all continue learning, and as Women's History Month begins, we can carry the same enthusiasm to continue our pursuit of history and joy.