Graphic by Clara Boberg
Hannah Hepner
Managing Editor of News
On April 4th, the Black Student Union will hold its annual Black Culture Day, with different presentations open to all classes during each block of the day.
The BSU has been preparing for this day since December by planning which panels will be made available for students to attend and which issues will be discussed in those panels.
“We’ll start off with a list of 20 different panels or 20 different ideas and we cut it down to 8, the number of blocks in the day,” president of the BSU, Khyla Turner, said.
The panels are designed to start conversations on race and diversity in and out of South, so everyone’s ideas are welcome. The topics of the various panels are decided by students so the discussions can be as applicable to as many South students as possible.
To ensure that the widest range of students can relate or engage in the panels, BSU advisor Katani Sumner has the BSU students ultimately determine what will be discussed during Black Culture Day.
“During BSU meetings, [the students] decide what topics they thought were important and relevant,” Sumner said.
These topics can range anywhere from talent shows and performances of creative expression to discussions of historically black colleges and universities.
For instance, one of this year’s panels will focus on black hair and the stereotypes and cultural appropriation surrounding it. Sophomore and treasurer of the BSU Anicia Ellis will be involved in this panel by showing students the products she uses in her hair in an attempt to educate the audience on her hair and others like it.
Other topics include multimedia projects on black culture created by students in the senior elective, African American Literature.
While Black Culture Day was originally scheduled for March 14th, the date was changed due to the national school walkout against gun violence.
When Turner first found out about the walkout being on the same day as Black Culture Day, she was frustrated because she felt that it would overshadow the day that the BSU had worked so hard on.
“We had to go back to the drawing board to decide whether we cancel a whole block for the walkout,” Turner said.
However, once she realized that the walkout was a nationally organized day, not under the control of South students, she understood and took an active role in the walkout.
Sumner explains that while the walkout created a brief obstacle in the planning of Black Culture Day, most of the teachers who had originally signed up would still be able to attend the panels on the new date.
In addition, April 4th has another importance in American History that directly coincides with Black Culture Day.
“Interestingly, April 4th is also the 50th anniversary of when Martin Luther King Junior was assassinated, so that was serendipitous,” Sumner said.
Overall, students of the BSU hope that Black Culture Day unites and educates the South community.
“I hope we all learn from each other. I hope it brings us closer and that it’s a day of education that not only can educate people on African American history, but also on current issues,” Turner said.
Ellis also hopes that Black Culture Day teaches students to be aware that what they see in the media regarding black culture is not always the truth and they should not believe everything they see or read.
“I want people to realize that just how you see things on television is not exactly how we actually act,” Ellis said.
While Sumner is excited about Black Culture Day this year, she has high hopes for next year.
She hopes to incorporate more pieces of African American history into the South community during black history month next year through daily announcements for teachers or little black history moments for students to appreciate.
Sumner and the students of BSU also want people to realize that Black Culture Day is not the only day to learn about and honor African American history.
“Black history is American history, which is actually everyday,” Sumner said.
