The Mira Costa Black Scholars Union held the annual Black History Month assembly on Wednesday during second period. Speakers discussed the importance of Black History month and the Black Lives Matter Movement, emphasizing diversity and inclusion. Cultural assemblies such as the Black History Month and the Hispanic Heritage assemblies should be mandatory to give everyone on campus an opportunity to learn about these cultures.
The assembly’s theme was “Every Voice Matters” and it focused on the topic of social movements and protests. Approximately 31 classes attended the assembly. Assembly speakers included Vice Principal Dr. Deborah Hofreiter, Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale and English Department Co-Chair Nicole Wachell.
In order to attend the assembly, teachers had to sign up their classes in advance. According to Dale, after the addition of office hours to the schedule, the administration agreed that assemblies took up class time and the only assemblies that should be mandatory are the Homecoming pep rally and Hall of Fame.
However, cultural assemblies allow students to gain unique perspectives on others’ experiences that they may have had limited exposure to in the past. These assemblies allow students to share a part of their heritage with their peers, educate students about aspects of their culture and broaden students’ knowledge about cultures that are often marginalized and overlooked.
Additionally, BSU members spend a lot of time trying to make the assembly inclusive and entertaining for all Costa students, BSU Co-President Taylor Martinez said. Martinez wishes all Costa students could attend the assembly, which BSU members started planning in November.
According to BSU Advisor Janet Allen, educating students about diversity in race, sexual orientation, gender identification beliefs in addition to different cultures is a valuable learning experience. These types of assemblies prepare students for the world outside of Costa, where people have incredibly diverse backgrounds and life experiences, Allen said.
While it is understandable that assemblies take up class time, cultural assemblies teach students valuable lessons about diversity and the heritage of others that can make up for this lost time. Additionally, the class schedule is modified for the pep rally and the Hall of Fame assembly. For Hall of Fame, third period is held twice, with one half of the school attending the assembly and the other half in class, and vice versa. This schedule could be applied to the days with both of the assemblies in question.
In order to promote diversity and educate the Costa community, the Black History Month assembly and the Hispanic Heritage assembly should be made mandatory for all staff and students.
Leave a Reply