BLACK HISTORY MONTH
story and photos courtesy of Kylin McKean
Throughout the month of February, the University of Sioux Falls Student Life helped the campus celebrate Black History Month with a number of student events, some led by the Culture Club. Sophomore Criminal Justice and Media Studies major Sonia Agasaro started the Culture Club last year and also works in Student Life, so she was involved in hosting many of the Black History Month events. Agasaro said, “To me it means amplifying black voices and being able to applaud the works that got us where we are today but also acknowledging the fact that we are still constantly working to get a better sense of race and appreciation for who we are. It’s just really being kinder to ourselves and recognizing that windows outside of student development we’re putting in the work daily and just remembering that it surpasses February.” Agasaro, who is also president of the Culture Club, said she hopes it will be a resource to learn more about many different cultures. “It is all-inclusive, where you can just learn about different cultures and applaud different people, learn different dances, watch different movies, and then get to talk about it together,” Agasaro said. Culture Club meets every Tuesday at 3 p.m. and is one of the ways she says people can learn. Agasaro says that learning about the black community goes beyond your friend group and “knowing that there is such a rich history that affects each one of us that it’s not only black people that are going to be affected. So just remember that we are all tied into this.” She encourages asking questions and doing things like shopping at minority owned businesses. Overall, Agasaro said she just wants people’s voices to be heard and for people to keep educating themselves. “I just hope that this brings awareness that lasts past the month of February and I know that with the pandemic, people are stressed, so I hope that being able to talk about our culture and being able to raise our own voices helps you just center yourself and recognize that there are amazing people every single day that can pass you by,” said Agasaro. Students on campus shared what Black History Month means to them, and here are some of their responses.
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sophomore Sonia Agasaro
