001Greetings and happy Black History Month. >> The culture around Black History Month is important to me because it gives a complete historical picture which corrects the narrative by showing black history isn't separate from American history. Being black means to me representing black excellence and denoting all stereotypes. >> I attended W State University located in North Carolina and the reason I chose an H.B.CU is because of band culture. Uh, Ben culture is rooted in black American history and it represents pride, excellence, and resilience. Um, and it also gave me the chance to travel and connect with other black students as well as be a part of something bigger than myself. I attended the illustrious Clark Atlanta University for undergrad. Uh, that is a H.B.CU, a historically black college in Atlanta, Georgia, next to Spellelman College and
002Morehouse College. Um, and why HB.CU BCUs are important. Um, it was the first time I felt seen. I learned so much about my history, um, my ancestors, who we come from, and I'm so proud to be Africanamean. I attended the Texas Southern University for undergrad. It's a historically black college or university, also known as H.B.CU. I think H.B.CU are important because of the history of how they were created and why they were created. Um, so if you don't know, HB.CU CCUs were created for black students because they could not attend school with white students at that time. And so to give black students the same opportunity of higher education. We now have 107 H.B.CU and I am a proud alumni of one of those. Go Tigers. For my black history spotlight, I would like to
003shine the light on my organization, the illustrious Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. What black culture means to me is remembering the past, like what our ancestors had to do to get us here and how we can celebrate it. To me, black culture means like um the different forms that we all come in, our hair, and our different like background. My black history means supporting my family, my mother, my grandmother, everyone that has became before me and wanted to like spread the same message just that like we are who we are and we want to be known and we want to just be here and to be able to be in the future to be able to like express being black and not like holding back who we are. Growing up in the DMV as a
004black student, one of the things that I really enjoy is the music choices like go- go, reaction dance, and the food. I love soulfood, mumbo sauce, fried chicken, fries, all that. >> Black history month from a female perspective is about celebrating the strength, resilience, and contributions of black women while acknowledging their unique challenges. >> Black culture means to me is where we all get to spend our religion together with different people and learn about other people's culture. And I think it's very fun to do. To me, black culture means sisterhood, black excellence, and keeping black history alive. >> To me, celebrating Black History Month means celebrating black excellence and past and the present, as well as appreciating how far we've come. >> Black History Month fosters empathy and diversity, and builds cultural awareness, promotes respect,
005and counters stereotypes by highlighting the achievements and struggles of black Americans past and present. >> Happy Black History Month. For me, this month isn't just about the past. It's about truth. Black history is American history and it lives in our classrooms, our communities, and our kids' lives every day. At a time when telling the full truth is being threatened, teaching honest history matters more than ever. Our students deserve to learn where we've been so they can better understand who they are and help shape a more just future. That's why Black History Month always belongs in our schools.