During Black History Month in February, the Black Lives Matter Week of Action is organized by a student committee.
This year, the Week of Action included 16 different sessions that students across the school could attend during a special schedule. Each student chose two sessions. The sessions included dance, fashion, sports, literature, makeup and more. They were organized to celebrate and educate students about Black culture and history, as well as Black political and social leaders.
Koko Zemsky, a senior and leader of the Students Active for Ending Rape (SAFER) club, helped lead their session during the Week of Action. Her goal was to educate students about Black women who were leaders in the feminist movement but often do not receive credit for their contributions. One example is Tarana Burke.
“(Burke) started the Me Too movement, but a lot of time the credit is given to this white actress who reposted the hashtag, but in reality the movement was actually her,” Zemsky said.
Another of Zemsky’s goals was to open a conversation about intersectionality, the concept describing how different social categorizations overlap and create systems of discrimination and disadvantage. The discussion focused on the intersection of sexual violence and being a person of color.
In the future, Zemsky hopes to encourage more students, particularly male-identifying students, to attend the sessions.
“I think it would be good if there’s a way to get men into the conversation because everyone needs to be involved,” she said.
Seniors Kendra McPherson and Miyana Grund led the student-run Mental Health Awareness session. McPherson’s goal was to discuss mental health in Black communities and spread awareness about why it can be stigmatized.
“We shared some information such as a video of African Americans talking about what they struggled with in terms of mental health, the stories of Henrietta Lacks and Anarcha, Betsey and Lucy, the reason why there aren’t many Black psychologists, and more,” Grund said.
Students learned about Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman whose cervical cells were taken without her consent and later became known as HeLa cells, advancing cancer research.
Anarcha, Betsey and Lucy were enslaved women in the 1840s who underwent experimental surgeries without consent. Their forced contributions advanced modern gynecology.
The goal of the session was to understand the historical context and root causes of why some people in the Black community do not trust or feel supported by mental health professionals.
“The main takeaway is that it’s not a simple issue,” McPherson said. “It’s incredibly complex, and solving this issue is going to take a lot of time and resources. It’s not just straightforward like ‘oh, everything is equal’ now. There’s a lot of historical trauma that needs to be healed.”
McPherson and Grund said they were able to hold meaningful conversations with the students who attended, but attendance was lower than they had hoped. McPherson believes having a guest speaker could help increase turnout.
“I think that it’s really important that people show up to events like these to learn more about Black culture and to have these discussions,” she said.
The Week of Action creates conversation about race and social justice to spread awareness and build a more inclusive community. The student-led sessions empower young people to speak up, promote equality in society and educate about the past in order to shape the future.