WEST SENECA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Black History Month is coming to a close. Still, one West Seneca East Senior High School student is making sure stories about African American culture are told for generations to come.
"We finally have a voice here," Ciara German, a senior at West Seneca East, said. "The club isn't only to inform them, it's also like, to create a sense of belonging and to amplify and uplift them and their culture."
She started an African American studies club after feeling a gap in the history she was being taught in the classroom.
"I was kind of disappointed that, like, a lot of our history was being left out," German said. "We learn about Martin Luther King and learn about the civil rights movement, but we don't learn about Matamula, for example, or the Ashanti Kingdom. Even Fred Hampton."
So she started reading about Black history, approached four teachers and her principal with a plan.
WATCH: 'We finally have a voice': West Seneca East senior starts African American Studies Club
"She came up with a presentation, and I was extremely impressed," Ashley Sorenson, club advisor, said. "That is the goal for educators; we want them to recognize gaps that they see and take initiative."
Now, once a month, German and about 30 others get together over food and culture.
"I hope that kids see this and want to continue that and have this at their own schools, to see that I did this and you could do it too," said German. "My future goal is to be a civil rights lawyer and also journalism, so this has kind of been the catalyst for that. If I can just impact one person's life, I'll know that I've done a good job."
The goal is to have the club continue after she graduates and into the future.
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