When I was in the Los Angeles Unified School District, Black History Month was impossible to miss: murals covered the school walls, announcements were made and activities were done in classrooms.
On September 13, 2023, LAUSDs School board passed a resolution that “unanimously approved promoting Latino/a/x Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15.” This is one of many regarding National History/Heritage Months. It also states that “Los Angeles Unified encourages all students, faculty, administrators and parents to celebrate the cultural contributions of the Latino community.” Nowhere in this resolution does it mandate any teachers to integrate celebrations into their curriculum, but it encourages, it promotes.
Taft Charter High School, located in Woodland Hills, features a Black History Month page on their online website. The school uses this platform to celebrate the diversity of their school and highlight all students on campus.
When I transferred to the Oak Park Unified School District, it wasn’t nearly the same. I couldn’t believe that a cornerstone of my previous school district was, in my experience, hardly talked about in this community.
All students, especially those who have the opportunity and resources to further their education should be in a position to understand all experiences; an understanding that is best achieved through exposure to a variety of experiences, cultures and communities. People are a product of their environment and being exposed to diversity has positive effects.
“Researchers have documented that students’ exposure to other students who are different from themselves and the novel ideas and challenges that such exposure brings leads to improved cognitive skills, including critical thinking and problem-solving,” Century Foundation explains.
At a school where 55% of the students are white, 26.1% are Asian, and African American and Hispanic students make up less than 15% combined, how can we ensure that students are exposed to perspectives that are underrepresented or not represented at all? And why is it important to do so?
OPHS has student run organizations that put on events. Recently, The Grassroots Club celebrated Hispanic Heritage month. Hindu YUVA organized a Diwali celebration on the great lawn. These events are powerful and well-received on campus. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to add more of them?
We can start with celebrating ethnic months. We should talk about Black History and Hispanic Heritage. We should educate our students on the horrors and hardship in this country, not to sympathize but to empathize with the struggles of our fellow citizens. We should read books by diverse authors. In doing so, we can come to understand that these months, books and discussions aren’t exclusively highlighting one community, but working towards a greater understanding of the American experience.
To promote the celebration of these months, is to promote empathy, or at the very least, is to try.
