Student President for Education and Welfare Seth gives a rundown of what’s been happening at RGU this Black History Month and shares inspiring messages to the student community.
What did you think of this year’s theme?
This year’s celebration of Black History Month was themed “Changing Narratives: RGU Stories.”
This theme was a very interesting one especially on the aspect of education. Many students will have been taught ideal narratives, or one-sided stories, throughout their time in school, but in celebrating BHM, the diverse student community stood the luxury of correcting a lot of misconceptions which gave them a sense of direction and true identity.
What did RGU and the Union do to celebrate?
There was a wide array of exciting events that were put in place for the celebration. We held a session of the union’s podcast hosted by the presidents, where an EDI officer joined in discussion of the theme for this year’s celebration and threw more light on some narratives and popular misconceptions.
We held an exciting event of bracelet-making, where students put their creativity to play by making some colourful beads with some wonderful inscriptions to celebrate BHM.
A networking event was also held on campus where a resource person gave a keynote address on the theme and had a lucrative discussion with students for better understanding.
One of the amazing events was a movie show which screened the film “Belle”. This event got students very excited since the theme was best explained with a movie. During the movie, there was a pizza and paint as a side attraction to put more icing on the cake and the experience was very tremendous.
As President of Education and Welfare, what did you hope to achieve?
As student President for Education and Welfare, my aim was to utilise BHM to educate students on untold stories, as well as remind them of the benefits of upholding their various culture and history in high esteem.
In the wake of our recent BHM celebrations, I would entreat students to be confident in what they stand for, represent and get involved in equality, diversity and inclusion campaigns that are at their disposal.
Is there a way for students to get involved beyond BHM?
Absolutely! There are various EDI campaigns which are spearheaded by Student Equality Champions to promote the welfare of the diverse student community on campus and make everyone feel represented.
Do you have a message for the GEM* community at RGU?
You would never know what you are made of, and what you can do until you do it! Take a step with faith and confidence and know that you can do it. The world is a diverse place to accept who you are.
*GEM means Global Ethnic Majority. It refers to people who are black, Asian, brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and or have been racialised as ‘ethnic minorities in the past.
Seth Odei Asare
Related blogs
Celebrating Black History Month 2023 at RGU
Celebrating cultural diversity at One RGU Many Nations 2022
The post How RGU and the Union celebrated Black History Month 2024 appeared first on RGU Student Blog.