WRITTEN BY Matthew Williams

GRAPHIC BY Matthew Williams

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Walking through the halls of Las Lomas the next few weeks, all will be able to see artwork on the doors. The doors are going to be decorated by the students as part of a competition celebrating Black Excellence Month. The doors will each celebrate a person or persons of color who have had an impact on the African American community. The doors will also have either a short piece of writing about their life accomplishments or a quote from the selected person. Doors are to be decorated by the first of February. Las Lomas will see many historical African American figures from Martin Luther King Jr. to Jackie Robinson being showcased on their doors throughout the month. 

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Black History Month was first recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976 and has grown into what it is today. However, there is a much longer story of how it even reached the oval office. The history goes back to the time of the Harlem Renaissance and the Great Migration. Starting in 1915, when historian Carter G. Woodson and other notable members of the African American community, founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) which is now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). The ASNLH started “National Negro Week” in 1926. The week would go on to be celebrated by communities all across America. Thanks to the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the week was becoming more and more popular and evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses. From there it was recognized by President Ford and since then, every American president has designated the month as Black History Month. Today it is recognized as Black Excellence Month. 

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Every year the president also has decided on a theme. The theme of 2024 will be “African Americans and the Arts.” The National Museum of African American History and Culture plans to honor the theme by “highlighting the ‘art of resistance’ and the artists who used their crafts to uplift the race, speak truth to power and inspire a nation.” This event will be celebrated at many events over the course of February, including film screenings and museum exhibits across the country. This also includes recognizing the month at a number of universities and cities all throughout America. One such example in our community is this door decorating competition, which will be judged by the Las Lomas Black Student Union on February 23rd, giving plenty of time for people to take a walk through the halls and see these historical figures being celebrated for their contributions to society.