Sage Kiernan-Sherrow | News Editor
February was Black History Month, and students from the Black Student Union at Western planned many events related to the celebration of black culture. One event new to this year was the introduction of three-minute presentations on a historical figure or event related to black history, such as the Black Panthers, the Birmingham Bombings, Andrew Foster and Janelle Monaé. Tati Whitlow, the membership outreach coordinator for BSU, said the event was “highly successful because of its high turnout rate,” adding that multiple organizations came to the event — such as the Stonewall Center and Heritage Hall Government.
Whitlow said that the idea for the three-minute presentations derived from the realization that black historical figures and events weren’t being represented in the classroom.
“We picked people that weren’t in our history books,” said Whitlow. “We’re all constantly learning … if you’re not straight, cis and white, you’re basically blacked out of history and it’s horrifying.”
The presentations were included in the Black History Month festivities, but Whitlow says they may continue afterwards, with student support.
“It’s something we’re just now trying out … it was very fun and educational and it might be good to do on a monthly basis,” they said.
Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu
