“I think we can take a couple days to focus on…this monumental part of America,” said senior Shelby Cloak in reference to Black History Month. 

This month, Advanced Placement (AP) US Government and Politics students created a timeline of civil rights featuring at least one entry every decade since 1780. Students researched developments in the expansion (or contraction) of the rights of numerous groups of people and chose the developments they deemed most important to understanding a holistic view of the fight for civil rights in American history. 

“Understanding brings awareness,” Shelby said. One of the most important components of understanding history that she and juniors Wyatt Prunty and Kiefer Riskosky recognized was the necessity to understand history for it not to repeat itself. 

“It's important that we understand the problems and troubles that certain minorities faced and how throughout history certain laws have been enacted to progress their rights,” said Kiefer.

The students explained that a timeline shows the gradual growth of civil rights over the history of the United States. According to senior Emily Pore, the assignment helped visualize how far the country has come. 

All of the students were in agreement that recognition of Black History Month in school is important. Shelby and Wyatt both said they learned more about the history of slavery and landmark events in history and about the importance of the month itself. 

“It should be a natural thing to talk about in school,” said Shelby. 

Wyatt agreed, and added that African American history is just as important as any other historical topic. “It's our history and we need to learn not to repeat it.”

Emmy remembered learning more about Black History Month in elementary school than in high school. 

It is important to note that Shelby, Emily, Wyatt, and Kiefer have participated in higher-level classes since middle school, which could reflect their experience (or lack thereof) learning about Black History Month. 

All of the students were in agreement that learning about civil rights and Black History Month is important. Several of the Supreme Court cases required for the AP U.S. Government exam deal with important decisions regarding slavery, segregation, and civil rights. 

Shelby, Emily, and Kiefer said that there is plenty of room in history and English courses to dedicate time to learning about African American history during February. Those classes are also the ones where students most often learn about the progression of civil rights in general. 

Wyatt thinks that African American history should be spread out within the school year, and that a specific time dedicated to it may not be necessary. 

Some figures and works that the students said they’ve researched in the past are Frederick Douglass, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Olaudah Equiano, Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. 

MLK’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is studied as required reading in the AP U.S. Government course along with the Federalist Papers and other important historical documents.  

In other news, the government students are preparing for a school-wide voter registration drive that will be held during lunch the week of March 11-15.  All students that turn eighteen on or before April 23, 2024 will be eligible to vote in the primary elections on that date.  

The deadline to register to vote in the Spring Primary is April 8, 2024.  All students and staff are welcome to register during the drive. The government students will serve as helpers to aid their peers in the process of completing the registration forms.

Local businesses and organizations have donated generously for the government class to purchase supplies for the voter registration drive. All students that complete the registration process will receive a free t-shirt. 

Any students registered before the drive will still be allowed to receive a t-shirt indicating that they are a registered voter, and that their voice matters.