LONG BEACH, CA – During the month of February, people across the country celebrated Black History Month. One of the many ways Wilson decided to celebrate Black pride was by having faculty and students participate in a door decorating contest. 

The doors included civil rights activists, musical artists and quotes from famous people.  Augusta Savage, Angela Davis, Malcolm X, and so many others were featured on doors across campus.

One of the doors said, “Music is activism,” and another door said “Anti-Literacy Law (1740-1834), If any person of color or white person, shall teach any other slave or free person of colour, to read or write, [one] shall be punished by fine and whipping.”

The doors are meant to show the history of Black people, and find ways to encourage and uplift students, especially Black students. 

One of the doors that stood out was the door to the choir room. On their door, there was a big tree that had several faces of famous Black female singers and was labeled “The Voices of Black History.” There were women that represented the different aspects of the music industry, spanning from Beyonce to Erykah Badu. The purpose of their door was to demonstrate how music has shaped the Black community.

The attendance office also had particularly interesting doors. Office workers, as well as students, created two different types of designs. On the left door, it said “Say Their Names,” and included photos of Black people who have lost their lives to police violence. On the right door, there were empowering words such as, “Blackness is Beautiful,” and “Can’t Hold Our History.”

“We chose this specific design for our door because we wanted to showcase the people who meant something to this world, who didn’t do anything to harm anyone” Siara Rivers (ninth grader, Performing Arts) said.

Students and teachers appreciated the representation, and the opportunity to be creative.