May 2019 Regular Edition

The 2019 Black History Month Program featured an artistic mix of music, acting, poetry, and
story-telling. Our goal this year was to demonstrate how music, from our earliest African
ancestors to today, tells the story of who we are. The Many Meanings of our Hymns was written,
performed, and produced by the very talented and dedicated students of Male BSU. They
poured their hearts, minds, voices, and bodies into sharing their musical cultural heritage with
the Male student body and staff. Dr. Jury remarked that this year’s program was the best he has
seen from our BSU since he has been principal.
One of the most talked about figures of
our program is the little known history of
Queen NZinga of Angola. Queen
NZinga’s story challenges the narrative
that all Africans sold and traded slaves to
Europeans, as well as the assumption
that women cannot be great warriors.
The audience was stunned by the tale of
greatest warrior in African history in her
royal purple and gold jewels.
Each year, Male BSU develops and
strengthens. In reflecting on this past
year, we realized the necessity of
academic support for black students in
AP and duel credit courses. In
discussions, we identified some of the
trepidation students of color feel with
regard to AP and duel credit course.
Some of these are lack of minority teacher representation, the lack of parental understanding
and support for such courses, and lack of knowledge about the benefits of setting higher
academic goals. We are hoping to create and organize a committee specifically to address these
hurdles and raise funds to purchase academic resources to support students of color and their
parents.
Along with our motto: Educate, Equip, and Empower, Male BSU provides a safe place for
students of color to be themselves while working to promote healthy social, cultural, and
academic relationships among, between, and within the traditional atmosphere here at Male.
We strive to be the change we wish to see in our school and community.
9