Greene Early College has embraced the observance of Black History Month throughout February with activities for the students. Established nationally in 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

The initiative to include Black History in student activities throughout February is completely student-driven. Students are passionate about the inclusive nature of the planned activities. This movement at GEC began a few years ago. Seeking the advice of Mrs. LaKeisah Barnes, Counselor, and teachers Mrs. Natasha Martin and Miss Shontia Blount, as they continue the tradition, five students - Miracle Neal, Jacquez Johnson, Tamaya Porter, Akayla Wooten, and Zaniyah Latham - developed a calendar of activities for the entire month. The activities are held during Smart Lunch; this is a designated time in the day which allows students to have meetings, seek additional help, or a time to relax. The organizers also assumed the responsibility of providing any needed materials for all activities. Participation in the activities is completely voluntary.

One of the organizers, Jacquez Johnson, explained, “Throughout February, we have set up events to celebrate, encourage, and teach our students and staff at Greene Early College about the importance and history of Black History Month. The events that we have planned will not only be fun but also bring forth knowledge about our culture to our school. The goal behind the Black History Month calendar as a whole is to represent and introduce new factors that play into the lives of people of color; with the events we planned, we welcome every person at our school to commemorate and celebrate the month with prowess and strength as we hope to encourage others not to be discouraged and push forward in pride.”

During Hair Day, students styled the hair of mannequin heads. Johnson stated, “Hair Day was created to showcase uniqueness as one of our features that sets us apart the most: our hair. We wanted to educate them on different textures. It was essential to incorporate a fun activity to give them experience with a different hair texture and to create a fun new style commemorating the month, thus also giving them more experience with hair.”

The first activity of the month was Black History bingo. Another day was the introduction of a “step” activity, complete with a short history and tutorial, which proved to be an engaging event for participants. Later in the month is jewelry making, poetry reading, and creative poetry.

The month will conclude with a relevant movie and a celebratory cookout.

Student hair style creations. Photo: Submitted by GEC