APPLETON, Wis. — The lesson plan was several months in the making. And this time, the people usually on the receiving end of the educational process were the ones in charge.
“I hope they get educated a little bit more, and see what being Black means to us,” said Cruz Orozco, a senior at Appleton East High School and a member of its STAR (Scholars on Target to Achieve Results) team.
“And it’s not just a race, it means a lot more to us.”
Orozco, along with roughly 10 other students, were in charge of putting on a Black History Month Community Celebration at East High School on Saturday.
And like any outstanding teacher, they had some specific ideas they wanted the community to grasp.
“I want to show representation,” said Cammy Banks, a junior at East High School. “I want people to get a look at Black culture and Black History Month and representation. This event is a really good way to push the word out, and a nice family fun event for everybody. And we’re going to show a representation of Black figures everyone should know about.
“I hope everybody learns about someone new. We want everyone to learn about Black figures and how important Black History Month is. And I hope they know in the future how important it is.”
Irineo Medina, STAR adviser at Appleton East, said it was important this event was student-led.
“This is a chance for them to kind of make a statement,” said Medina. “Because I think oftentimes, not all the time, but oftentimes, they feel like there isn’t enough done, and traditionally hasn’t been enough done on their behalf, especially during Black History Month. And so, this was like their time to be like, ‘Oh, yeah, we’re gonna go all the way with this one.’”
Medina said one goal was to introduce a side of Black history that doesn’t receive the attention it deserves.
“I think most people, especially those that don’t interact with Black people much, would think of Black history as slaves, Jim Crow era; a lot of Black pain,” he said. “And you’ll see we have some banners, and it’s all about Black excellence. Black inventors, Black business owners, people who did some great things throughout our history that they don’t get taught.
“And that’s oftentimes some of their complaints, is in their classes, they don’t get to talk about their contributions. It’s only about their pain. And so, I think this is a place to celebrate those things. That, to me, is the biggest takeaway, to be able to see the kids in this positive way. That’s the goal: To lift up these kids that are historically marginalized and then being able to see them in a different light that they might not always get to.”
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley’s Appleton East STAR team worked with Appleton Area School District staff, People of Progression and Opportunity Youth Initiative. They met, did some brainstorming of ideas, and then, turned it over to the students to implement the event.
There were some up and downs, but many lessons were learned. And one was especially important to Orozco.
“That we don’t need an adult to speak up,” she said. “You know, we really just did it, as kids alone. We didn’t really have that much adult help other than, like, Medina supervising. But we mostly did everything on our own.”
That’s what has made this endeavor so joyful to watch for Medina.
“This is what I live for, student empowerment and giving them a platform to shine,” he said. “That’s the stuff that fills my cup, to be able to pour into them, and just for them to be the light.
“I just know — myself as a marginalized youth — I never had that platform, or that space. And nobody reached out to give it to me. So, it’s like they can carry this forward for life. They can remember, at least during their time spent here at East, ‘Oh, yeah, we did something amazing.’”
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