Job Coach Calvin Lamar is a sponsor for MSD BSU. "My role as being the sponsor is just to make sure that help facilitate the proper conversations and to make sure that we are all on the same page," Lamar said. Photo by Breanna Gordon.
What is your role as a sponsor of BSU?
"I help to guide the club. The purpose of the club is to bring about awareness to those who are of black and brown cultures. They're maybe made aware of their roles in society and how they contribute to society as a whole. So my role as being the sponsor is just to make sure to help facilitate the proper conversations and to make sure that we are all on the same page as far as making sure that they understand the importance of self worth and making sure that they understand the purpose of the organization as a whole."
Why did you choose to become a sponsor?
"I was actually asked to become a sponsor. I didn't choose it, it chose me. But I do believe in young people, throughout everything that I do, I have so many hats that I wear outside of school. So it's just a part of what I do to make sure that the young people of today know where they are coming from so that they don't repeat some of the misfortunes that we've had in the past. It’s absolutely a rewarding experience. I worked with ESE, the special needs kids. Being here with all the students, I do find that rewarding. So everything that I do outside of my very personal life, like I work at a funeral home on weekends, I find it rewarding, and that's why I do what I do."
How do you think that Black History Month show exemplifies black history and culture?
"Well, what it does is it allows for those who are black to understand their roles in life and how they help contribute to the America that we have now. But it also allows those who are non-black to be able to see some of the contributions that they don't realize exist. Because even through the music, through the inventions, through some of the things that we bring about, it allows them to see exactly black people’s roles in society is. When we talk about black history, a lot of times everyone thinks that Black history is separate from American history. But once you actually put on a program and you recognize a month like Black History Month, you'll realize that black history really isn't a separate history. It's American history, just like Hispanic history is a part of American history. And Native American history is a part of American history."
What does Black History Month Mean to you?
"I celebrate black history 365 days a year. I don't see [black history] as within a specific month, but the month of February is the time that we invite those who are not black to help celebrate with us. To understand what we've done, the contributions that we've made to society, and that there's more to black history than playing football and basketball. There's more to it than civil rights and, and even George Washington Carver and peanuts, there's a lot more that we've brought to the table. I use this month as a time to help educate and help bring everybody into understanding that there is so much more to black history than just 28 days and it's an essential part of American history too."
Do you feel that the students of MSD are being properly educated about black history?
"I don't feel that any student is being properly educated because there's a lot of restrictions and a lot of redactions that have been done to Black American history. So I do believe that there's a lot more that can be done, but [Black History Month] and the show is a great place to start. I believe that there's a lot more that needs to be done. We've got to take the blinders off and stop thinking that Black history is only relegated to the few inventions that we know of. We need to be able to see that there were some blacks who may not have been the very toughest person in whatever the field they were in, but they helped contribute to bring about a lot of the changes that have taken place. Being able to understand, it's a sad state of affairs that in 2023, we're still hearing about somebody who was the first African American to do this or somebody who's the first female to do some things. This is 2023. There should be very few positions or few things that we hear somebody saying, ‘Oh, she's the first female or he's the first African American or black person to hold that position.'"
What is your opinion on the banning of AP African American Studies?
"I have an issue with anybody who wants to say that there are no oppressed people. And it’s very common to say that blacks weren't oppressed. They were absolutlely oppressed, from dogs and whips, and lynchings and all these things that have taken place. It is a part of history to see that black people have been oppressed in this country. Whether they be a governor or any politician, saying blacks haven't been oppressed is an absolute fallacy, it's a lie. Even to this day, there are still groups of people who are being oppressed all over the world and we can't say that it's not happening. So when I hear governmental officials saying that we should not say those things or we should not allow that and that shouldn't be taught. Absolutely, it needs to be taught because people need to understand what happened in the past. We dare not rule out the Holocaust. We won't say that that doesn't exist, but we will play down slavery as if it did not exist. It existed and there are still some ramifications and still some residual effects of slavery in society. Systemic racism still exists."
What can MSD do to promote the curriculum of teaching African American history?
"I think that we're in a good place with having Black History Month. I think that we can continue to bring teachers who specialize in African American studies. Also, there are courses that are available. Making it available to the students to be able to talk about having just not having just one month or one time, but let that be a course that's being taught. Things like that continuing. I don't like the fact that it seems like the only time that Black history or Hispanic History is brought to the forefront is during those months. You know, if it's not September, we're not going to talk about it. If it's not February, we're not going to talk about it, we're going to act like it doesn't exist."
Is there anything else you would like to add?
"We need to be able to embrace each other understanding that we all are different. And that's the great thing about history and about society is that we all are different. Even as black people, there are different shades and different hues of black, and so there's different countries that we come from. So there are all these layers. And I think we need to learn to appreciate the differences and not try to ignore that we are different, because I know a lot of people like to sit there and say that 'I don't see color.' Well, absolutely you should see color. There should be something in there that you see is a difference. But actually, we do see color, and we should recognize that you're different. And I can appreciate your differences. And let's be different and get along with each other. Because if we sat down and we said that everyone was the same, then you would notice and you will see that when you go into a store to shop, there are different colors of pants, there are different sizes, which tells me that we're not all the same. And that's how life should be, we should recognize that we're different and it's okay to be different. But let's make that difference work in our benefit."