The African American Residential Caucus (AARC) at Wright State University brought students together for a fun and educational celebration of Black History Month with a Jeopardy-style trivia game, blending competition with cultural learning.
About the event
The African American Residential Caucus, or AARC, is a Wright State University campus organization designed to support African American students. They have weekly meetings, and they switched things up for Black History Month.
Brea Goines, the president of the AARC, talked about how this event was different from their weekly meetings and how it was important for students.
“We built momentum with our formal, so we thought we’d have a good turnout for this event. We wanted something that incorporated education and a way to have fun while learning things people might not already know about Black History Month,” Goines said.
This was the first year hosting the event, although they are planning to repeat it in the future. Goines, along with other members, created a Kahoot game with trivia in order to play “Jeopardy” in one of the classrooms in Rike Hall.
Aleia Samuels, the vice president of the AARC, discussed what she was hoping to see from the students at the event.
“I want to see what everyone knows. This is all about Black History Month and I want to see how much everyone really knows about our culture,” Samuels said.
What is Black History Month?
The purpose of Black History Month is to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of African Americans. It was established in 1976 and is observed every February. For many, that is all the information they know about it.
The idea was created by Carter G. Woodson and Jesse E. Moorland. It began as a week for schools and organizations to celebrate and educate on African American culture.
“Today, Black History Month is a time to honor the contributions and legacy of African Americans across U.S. history and society,” the Black History Month website reads.
Another fact people might not know about Black History Month is that ever since it was established, there was a specific theme each year. This year the theme is “African Americans and Labor.”
In addition to education, a big part of this month is community. Chris Syeh, the Donor Relations Coordinator at the University of Dayton, shared what he believes the purpose is.
“Black History Month is all about inclusivity. That’s what the meaning of the month is. It’s for all Black people of all shades and colors,” Syeh said.
The AARC will continue their weekly meetings, and they have many events throughout the semester such as Soul Food Sunday and their Valentine’s candy gram sale. Be sure to look out for their events in the future.
