Senior Noldine Belizaire is the President of the BSU. She performs in both poetry acts in the BHM Showcase. Photo by Breanna Gordon.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
"Black History Month is honestly a time of celebration, joy, and a reason to be grateful for Blackness and those that have made me proud of my heritage."
What improvements could the school make to be more inclusive?
"I definitely think that our Student Government Association and class clubs should collaborate with not just the Black Student Union for cultural events but the Indian Student Association, Asian Passion Program, Spanish Club and more to highlight and promote inclusion on campus. In order to completely achieve the goal of diversity and inclusion on campus it starts with working together."
How are you celebrating black culture/excellence?
"I am personally celebrating Black History Month and excellence by lifting up my Black brothers and sisters around me in the form of music, writing and performing more Black-centered scripts and poetry, and educating those around me on lesser known BHM facts."
How would you describe Black History in one word?
"Essential."
Do you feel like MSD truly values black history?
"Well, I think that the support and love we receive from MSD as a whole has increased significantly since last year which makes me extremely happy and grateful. I think that in terms of valuing Black History, the MSD community can continue to highlight and support the reasonable causes that the Black community has stood beside for years. As in the Black Lives Matter movement. I will never forget when a specific educator looked at me with disgust when mentioning the idea of writing Black Lives Matter on the bottom of our flier in support of our last day in our spirit week dedicated to the brothers and sisters we have lost to violence initiated by the authorities. I think that MSD has been guilty of suppressing our concerns and form of advocacy since the creation of BSU six-seven years ago. Hence why the club has been on and off during those couple of years. But we have found an amazing group of sponsors that have helped us grow a voice on campus."
Why do you think the BSU is important? How are you displaying your culture through the show? (ex. educating students, sharing cultures)
"The MSD Black Student Union holds a strong importance on campus because it is indeed hard being a student of color on a campus where not many students and educators look like you. Because of Black Student Union many Black students have had something to look forward to for a means of community and support.7 continued: We display the many layers of Black culture through providing dances and segments from and on multiple countries of the African diaspora and Black culture. As I was writing the script for the show I wanted to find a way to bring light into controversial topics that are often overlooked and ignored at schools and communities like MSD which included the appropriation of African American Vernacular English. We found a way to remind our audience that Black culture deserves to be respected and celebrated, not copied and something to poke fun at."
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
"I would like to give a special thank you and shout out to our sponsors of the showcase; Ms. Mighty, Mr. Lamar, Mr. Tracey and Ms. Briggs. I think this is the first time the officers, coordinators, and I have worked with adults that have truly impacted and inspired us to give this year’s show all the glory and beauty it deserves. I would also like to give a huge thank you and praises to Roveschney Veilard and Charlene Noel, both ladies have poured so much love and leadership into this show and I couldn’t have been more grateful for such an amazing pair of directors."