February is the shortest month of the year, however, the most important in terms of honoring, commemorating and celebrating the contributions that African Americans have made in American society. This month is also intended to acknowledge the continued struggle for racial equality that still permeates our society today. In an effort to both commemorate and educate, Young Liberals along with the Black Student Union, organized a lecture series of local educators, activists and professors with topics ranging from how non-black people can dismantle white supremacy to the intersection of race and sexaul oriantation. The lecture series, which runs until the end of the month of February, has been viewed by both students and faculty alike. “Hearing others perspectives on race and the role of non-people of colors in dismantling white supremacy was interesting, especially from college professors” says Gabriele Price, a senior who attended the first lecture as a part of her becoming a global citizen class.

The lecture series was created as a collaboration between the Black Student Union and Young Liberals in order to educate as well as the issues that face the black community in today’s day and age to students at Charlottesville. This interactive learning environment 

allows for students to be educated in a manner that is more comprehensive transcending the traditional classroom setting. In addition to bringing these issues directly to Charlottesville students, the topics that the lecture series covers are more complex, tailored to the modern era, and reflect on the types of issues students at Charlottesville deal with on a daily basis. “The series of lectures at CHS have broadened my perspective of the underlying problems in Charlottesville. As a white privileged woman, I grew up in a bubble and it both frightens and intrigues me that these issues are just now coming to light in my world”, says Sophomore, Annika Antholis.

The lecture series has been incredibly popular among both students and faculty, often filling out all of the spaces that were alloted for each lecture. This came as a surprise to many of the organizers; “It was a complete shock when all the slots started filling up for so many of the lectures, we thought the turnout was going to be a lot lower and there definitely was some anxiety around the idea of literally no one showing up at all.” Says Fre Halvorson-Taylor, one of the student organizers. As a result of the lecture series success both Young Liberals and the Black Student Union are considering making this a yearly event in the month of February, with each new year having different speakers and topics and hopefully a larger space so that more students and faculty can attend. For those who couldn’t attend any of the lecture series this year, all of the talks are recorded and posted on the Charlottesville High School library page. In closing, while all C.H.S. students are aware of the diversity that makes our school so unique, it’s incredibly important that students engage in our incredible diverse environment in ways that go beyond the scope of the classroom.