By Caylee Brown Black History Month is undeniably one of the most (if not the most) important and crucial parts of the year dedicated to learning about the history and culture of the backbone of America, the Black community. First observed in 1924, the period spent deepening the public’s knowledge of Black history and achievements annually was first known to Carter G. Woodson’s community as ‘Black History & Literature Week’ that took place on the second week of February. Learning about simple things like the first observance or celebration of Black history by an entire organization or community, while a very effective start to learning about Black history, still leaves a lot of questions for those who haven’t had the chance to learn in depth about such a pivotal aspect of history in their school textbooks. Questions like, ‘what is Black History Month? How does it benefit Black people and the ongoing fight against racial injustice and white supremacy? Who are some influential Black figures? How can non-Black people be better allies during this month and all months of the year?’ are all questions that are an integral part of learning about the people this country relies on. As mentioned previously, the origin of Black History Month brings us back to about 1915, next to the father of Black history, Carter G. Woodson, and a Black history display in the Chicago Coliseum that he was invited to, to celebrate the anniversary of the abolition of slavery. This display inspired Woodson to later envision a week of appreciation, tradition, and enlightenment of Black culture. Taking place in February to encourage deeper thought with Black procurement and accomplishment, this event was a much easier feat to even fathom when structured around the birthdays of famous abolitionist names like Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass. Beyond Woodson’s death in 1950, and despite the publicization and dissemination of Black History Week that eventually caused it to be celebrated around America, Woodson had actually never imagined Black history celebrations to retain their spark in society the way they did. In 1969, students and teachers at Kent University in Ohio pushed for Black History Month to be observed throughout the nation, and in February of 1976 the holiday was federally recognized by President Gerald Ford, describing the under-appreciated triumphs of Black people as, “the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history…” after 6 whole years of it being recognized back at Kent University. Despite making an appearance in our calendars every February (the shortest month of the year) it doesn’t always do proper justice dealt to the Black community. Nonetheless, February is vital to Black representation and empowerment. Racial injustices and white supremacy that still exists in a modern-day setting is well-combated (or at least given the slightest chance of not succeeding) when considering the education and empowerment that goes on during Black History Month. It’s no secret that having a month dedicated to focusing on the Black community is a gateway for bringing light to issues like police brutality and systematic racism that are fundamental in racial equality activism and still occur to this day. Even things like educating people inside and outside of the community on historical Black figures they don’t manage to teach in school, or deconstructing and speaking out against racial stereotypes and profiling that negatively affect Black people are crucial moments and make big differences in ensuring equal justice in America that should be recognized all year long. Black History Month provides Black people with a few crucial weeks to have a reason to be proud of their Blackness and the culture/heritage behind it. Black figures and the achievements they’ve made in the past and the present heavily impact the way America functions today, whether it be Black people being the blueprint for ‘slang’ used today, or Black women literally inventing home security and the hairbrush. Lyda Newman (inventor of the hairbrush) and Marie Van Brittan Brown (inventor of home security) are both credited with patenting their own inventions that present-day Americans simply wouldn’t be able to function without, whether it be billionaires or people with a decent sense of personal hygiene. Beyond being the reason most people don’t have matted hair and a padlock collection, historical figures like Claudette Colvin and Ida B. Wells-Barnett are people that most students don’t even learn about in their school curriculum. Claudette Colvin, born in 1939, who grew up during the Jim Crow era, was pregnant as a teenager when she refused to give up her seat 9 months before Rosa Parks, even inspiring Parks to do the same. Ida B. Wells, born in 1862, was a Black suffragette who spoke against lynching and the restriction against women (especially Black women) voting. Yet, all of these people share the common experience of being discredited and discriminated against based on their race despite being perfectly competent with what they do, morally or scientifically. Modern day Black figures, like Beyoncé, Ketanji Brown, and Amanda Gorman still pave the way in American history with their achievements and dedication. Beyoncé, born in 1981, is a popular figure in the music industry that has been gifted with the title of many of music’s ‘firsts’. She was the first Black woman to headline Coachella in 2018, after nearly 20 years of the music festival’s origin, and was also the first Black woman to win an ASCAP for songwriting. Ketanji Brown, born in 1970, was the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court. She sets in motion the evolution of representation in the Supreme Court, and is hopefully the start to a Supreme Court that truly represents American citizens. Amanda Gorman, born in 1998, is an American poet best known for her presentation of ‘The Hill We Climb’, a poem she read at the inauguration of President Joe Biden in January of 2021. Gorman proved to be the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate. Modern Black figures prove themselves as inspiration for Black youth around the world in fighting racial injustices, even in their own industries. Allyship (especially during Black History Month) from non-Black people is undeniably valuable to fighting race inequality and white supremacy internationally. Because (specifically) white people have historically been the perpetrators of colonization and racist ideology, the importance of allyship and at least attempting to repay for the damage of these issues is essential. As Emmanuel Acho says, “True allyship demands that it moves from conversation to action.” Addressing issues with one’s self and how they address topics like white fragility (how a white person reacts to being called out on their implicit racial biases as a result of being sheltered from these issues) and performative activism is considered the first and most important step towards being an ally. Being ‘racially color blind’ would be setting America back a few steps in the activism department, while calling out racism, especially microaggressive racism, is a core part of racial activism. By standing up to these injustices, it becomes harder for things like racial profiling and police brutality to succeed in a community where it isn’t welcome by increasingly more people. Being an ally to the Black community is one of the most important things to be during Black History Month as a non-Black person. While these 28 days may not be the longest, their history and meaning will most definitely make them some of the most enjoyable days of the year, and something to look forward to every time New Years rolls around. Learning about and treasuring the heritage and culture of the Black community, it’s figures, it’s traditions, it’s generous contributions to other communities, and it’s messages will hopefully make 2022’s Black History Month one to remember. Happy Black History Month!
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By Savannah Smith
Audiences of all ages were delighted to experience Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, in January of 2022. The special was announced as, “a celebration of the series on the 20th anniversary of the franchise's first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.” In the interview before the anniversary started, director Chris Columbus told the interviewer that his team had “Hail Mary” casted Radcliffe to be Harry Potter. Because his parents had worries about their young son taking on such a huge role, it took some convincing for Daniel Radcliff to actually step into the lead role. After all, Radcliffe's parents knew signing him to a seven-film saga would and could be a “huge disruption to his life”. Despite his parents' reservations, Radcliffe knew from a young age that he was a very resilient child and had apparently learned that he had a “really haunting quality that made him a perfect Harry Potter.” Rupert Grint, who is famous for portraying Ron Weasely in the film series was a fan of the books growing up and was “always attracted to the character Ron.” Grint saw himself in Ron, “in quite a deep way.” As for Emma Watson, known for her witty Hermoine Granger role, she said she and her brother were “obsessed” with the books and she knew immediately that she could be Hermoine. When rehearsing the lines the three just clicked like they were meant to play the characters they were auditioning for and perhaps they were even meant to meet. After securing the roles, they were warned that there would be a lot of media outside of their homes. Regarding the protective nature of the director Chris Columbus, it’s been said that he truly took on a father figure towards the young actors. The entire cast and crew looked back at their humble beginnings with warm hearts, and felt grateful for their experiences throughout the years. By Adrianna Bailey-Stewart and Miss Fontanez Encanto is a 2021 animated Disney musical. The film was directed Jared Bush with original music by Lin-Manuel Miranda. A little about the movie’s background (SPOILER ALERT; do not read if you’re planning to see the film) , the Madrigal family is forced to leave their village in Colombia because of civil unrest. Alma Madrigal, the mother of the family, loses her husband Pedro but is able to save her infant triplets due to the magic of her husband’s sacrifice. Though he is gone, his love leaves behind a candle that miraculously holds magical qualities. The miracle, or encanto, blasts away the villains, and creates a magical house, the Casita, for them to live in. The miracle also creates a magical realm bordered by mountains to protect the people who call the encanto home. Fifty years later, the candle continues to burn. The candle's magic grants gifts to all the Madrigals when they turn five years old, which they use to help the villagers. Well, almost all the Madrigals… Mirabel learns that she is the make or break of her family's powers and she must do everything she can to save their Encanto. The film is extremely moving, and has been praised for shedding light on family pressures often overlooked in pop culture and society. Criticized by some as being “too sophisticated” in content, overall, the film has broken barriers and created a new generation of exciting characters and stories for audiences everywhere. By Leo Martinez and Suyen Santiago The Super Bowl is one of the most exciting games of the year for sports fans. This year, fans got to see the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals play against each other. It was a very close game with a score of 23-20 and the Rams won against the Bengals! There have been 55 Super Bowl Games before this, each one being just as exciting as the last and fans get so into it every time. In football, there are many different positions and plays that make the game interesting. The players train all year round just to give their fans a good and entertaining game that will be remembered. While the Super Bowl itself is so fun to watch, the halftime show is enjoyed by even those who don't like football. The halftime show is an event where singers and performers put on a performance. Songs like “Next Episode”, “California Love”, “In Da Club”, “Family Affair” and many others were played during the halftime show all by the original artist who made it. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar And Mary J. Blige all performed in the Super Bowl. But something very surprising happened during half time too! A surprise performance was made by the legend himself, 50 Cent! The halftime show also includes many commercials that are entertaining. Such as "Bring down the house" and many others. In other cute news, Van Jefferson of the winning Rams rushed off to his wife who was going into labor mid game! They had an adorable son and named him Champ Curtis Jefferson. Not only did he have life changing news that day but his teammate, Taylor Rapp proposed to his girlfriend Dani Johnson following the Rams winning! Believe it or not, surprisingly more news came on for that team. Another player, Eric Weddle also made the announcement that he will be retiring again after claiming to retire in 2019 that same day. A final interesting fact about the game is that this was the first time in history that the Super Bowl was hosted the same night as The Olympics. The Super Bowl is and will continue to be a major event that connects people around the world in many ways. In conclusion, it is worth the watch and if watched will be an enjoyable experience. By Addison Markoja
First Meet Review We are very proud of our Meriden CO-OP swim team for their first swim meet of the season. Although we lost together, we won for the girls and lost for the boys. Congrats to the Girls portion of the team for their fantastic win against Plainville, it was a tough meet with some tough competition. And to the boys, congrats, we’re proud of how hard you tried and how much we accomplished together and how much we have all grown in this short period of time. This sure was a meet for the books, first Middle School Meet since 2020! Plainville has some tough competition, and kept us waiting in suspense as they took quite some time to arrive but I think we all surprised ourselves with the outcome and how we all did. Team spirit was definitely shown and heard at our meet; if non-swimmer had heard our cheering out of context, they may have called the police on us! Everybody showed their team spirit and not only worked hard for themselves, but for their teammates too, although we lost, we gained so much together. Final Meet Review Congratulations to our Meriden Co-Op Swim Team for their last meet of the season. This meet was against East Lyme, an excellent team with some tough competition. Despite East Lyme’s talent, we only lost by 3 points! Our Co-Captains Addison Markoja and Adrianna Bailey-Stewert are so proud of the entire team. In their words, “We all grew together.” They are happy with the outcome of this season, but wish there could have been more meets, and more fun end of season activities that they could have participated in. So, as their season concludes, let’s give them one more Wildcat Congratulations! Congrats, Meriden Co-Op– let’s see what next year has to offer! |
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