This February, groups such as the Black Student Union, Minority Student Achievement Network, and Pride Unity Leadership Sisterhood Esteem organized events at PHS and the Princeton Public Library to honor Black History Month. Through these events, the student-led groups promote racial and ethnic inclusivity by exhibiting the African American cultures within PHS’s diverse community. …

“Black History Month is a special time to acknowledge the accomplishments of black people. We don’t always feel like [black people] are celebrated,” said Dr. Joy Barnes-Johnson, advisor of the BSU. “This year is special because we have been able to involve a lot of people.”

This year’s events include a screening and panel discussion of the film “True Justice,” the “Museum in Motion” Numina Gallery exhibit, a Spirituals and Gospel Festival, and Ethnic Dress-up Day.

The events will culminate in the evening of Cultural Celebration on February 28, an event meant to acknowledge the excellence of African Americans through honoring their cultures. The evening of Cultural Celebration has been a tradition at PHS for more than 20 years. Lenora Keel, the advisor to the student groups MSAN and PULSE, hopes that this year’s event will have a focus on inclusivity and showcasing diversity.

“[Many] student groups [and staff] come together and share their differences but [also] some of their similarities in terms of music and talent. [The] fashion show [in the Cultural Celebration shows this] in terms of all [the] ethnic and cultural wear,” said Keel.

Keel believes that these events can offer a safe opportunity for students to freely express themselves and their opinions, without the pressure of any social stigma they may normally face.

“The message I want to spread throughout my events is that students have a voice. They have talent, especially students of color, who sometimes don’t get involved in things [because] people see them in a certain way,” said Keel.

The focus on inclusivity for the events this month was what inspired the invitation of guest speaker Richard Ray Miles, who shared his story of wrongful incarceration during the BSU meeting on February 5th. Miles believes that educating the community by telling the stories of those who experience extreme injustice is an important stepping stone to combating social injustice and increasing inclusivity.

“[Racial] inequalities occur at much higher rates than we imagine. [However], there’s a lot of information out there [and] great organizations [that] help [address ignorance],” said Miles.

Miles praises the efforts of the social justice organizations in Princeton High School. He thinks that these events help to solve issues by allowing students to explore and analyze less-exposed aspects of society.

“I think that what you guys are doing now— creating spaces of empathy— you’re creating a space to where somebody can come in and tell their life [story],” said Miles.

“We want to elevate the voices of people that aren’t necessarily always positioned highly in our community,” said Barnes-Johnson. “So we brought all kinds of groups together, whether you’re black or white, or biracial, multiracial, able-bodied, queer. We just want everyone to come together.”

However, the leaders of these events feel that some of the events get neglected, and that sometimes their message doesn’t reach enough of the community.

“Our school has never really celebrated Black History Month. Even right now, even though we have a bunch of structured events and a lot of other things going on, people just aren’t really aware of it,” said Aba Smith ‘20, the president of the BSU and a member of PULSE. “We need awareness.”