Black Student Union Visits Museum

Overlake's Black Student Union discovered the role African Americans play in our community. Last Friday, the students visited Northwest African American Museum in Seattle where they spent the afternoon absorbing history, learning about activism today, and ways they can change the future.

Ajala W. ('20) has been a part of BSU since starting at Overlake as an Upper School student four years ago. It's his second field trip to the museum. "At Overlake, where we study black history on a national and worldwide scale, I also feel that it's important to learn black history locally," says the Overlake Senior who says the movement continues closer to home but is distinctly different from the Civil Rights movement in the past. "Seeing the differences between how black people were treated in Seattle compared to the South, identifying racism and oppression was easier in the South because it was so visible. Here in the Pacific Northwest, I think it's more passive aggressive and institutionalized. It can come through policies that target your community."

Ajala's role in sparking interest in BSU has seen the club grow from the time he arrived at Overlake as a ninth grader. He's encouraged by its future and by the number of younger students who attended the field trip. "The incoming classes in Middle School have been so productive, innovated, and motivated. It gives me a lot of optimism for the future of BSU and what it means for Overlake," adds Ajala. 

A highlight during the tour was a meet and greet with Seattle artist Christopher Shaw who not only described his work, but led students through transformative exercises to appreciate everyday art all around them. "I'm not an educator by any means, but in a way we're all educators," says Shaw whose exhibition runs at the museum until April 5. "Even if we can't process it in the moment, just the exposure to concepts that are unfamiliar has a value. There's no such exam for an experience like that."

Click here to see a slideshow of the club's visit.