‘Black History & Me,’ told by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students

Editor’s note: The Charlotte Observer worked with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools this month to publish student work inspired by Black History Month. Chambers High School was renamed last year as part of an effort to remove racist ideals or names of oppressors from places of honor. The school will host “Black History & Me,” a live performance (free, donations accepted) at 6:30 p.m., Feb. 24, in the Chambers High auditorium.

The student work shows Black History Month as a time of both reflection and looking forward.

Students, along with community leaders, participated in the school’s renaming last year from Vance High to Chambers, to honor civil rights attorney Julius L. Chambers. The school was originally named for Zebulon B. Vance, a North Carolina governor from the 1800s who not only owned slaves but also served as a Confederate military captain and attempted to keep Black citizens from voting after the Civil War.

Black History by Kalea Andrews, 11th grade at Chambers High

black history shouldnt be just a month

and now it’s time that we confront,

for how we fought should be a year

all we got was hurt and tears,

we deserve nothing but justice and praise

we know its disgust for how were raised,

with the pretty colors trying to unite

we can’t depart without a fight,

black history isn’t just a thing

that why martin had a dream,

so black history wouldn’t be just a month

and now its time that we confront

Poem by Nevaeh Boyd, 11th grade

I love being Black

But it’s also scary being Black

Dangerous even

I love the way my curls coil when wet

But It’s scary when the white lady in the store clutches her purse when I stand behind her in the line

I love the way my skins glows in the sun

But It’s scary when every time I see a cop car behind me and my heart begins to beat faster than the music

I love the taste of my grandma’s recipe for collard greens and my mom’s famous peach cobbler

But It’s scary when I’m walking to my car alone and a man starts to follow me

I love the strength of my ancestors that Carries me through the day

But It’s scary when a man follows my car halfway to my house

I love the way our music vibrates my bones

But It’s dangerous being black

I love how my Afro touches the roof when I drive

But It’s dangerous holding your hand in your pocket

I love how my black eyes resemble a beautiful midnight sky

All these common things that are scary in my world aren’t in my white coworker’s world

It causes a pent-up anger to boil my blood

It makes me feel the rage of my ancestors burning my skin

But I love being Black

even though it can be dangerous sometimes

What Black History Month Means to Me by Amia Norris, 12th grade

When I think about Black History Month, I think about black excellence, black power, the BLM movement, slavery, and everything we have gone through as Black Americans to get to where we are now.

I think Black History Month is celebrated as a way for African Americans to reflect on the struggles, oppressions, violence, and systems we have fought against and overcame over the years and some we might still be fighting today.

It’s also a way to pay our respects and look at all the people who have died because of slavery, racism, discrimination, and white supremacy.

My perspective on Black History Month has changed as I have gotten older. When I was younger, I did not understand it as much or value it as I do now that I’m older and have experienced more. I think Black History Month serves as a time to look at all aspects; the past, present, and future of African Americans.

We focus on the past to reflect on and honor everything we have been through, which contributes to the passion we have in the future to stand up for our rights, equality, and respect; which thus affects our awareness of certain things and how we handle racism and discrimination in the present.

This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 3:14 PM.