University of New Mexico’s African American Student Services (AASS) celebrated the start of Black History Month with the raising of the Pan-African flag on Monday, Feb. 3.
The event began with over a dozen students marching from African American Student Services at Mesta Vista Hall to Scholes hall, where the Pan-African flag was raised alongside the United States and New Mexico flags.
“Personally, this event means a lot to me. We’re here at a university where the population of black people is under 5%” said Mateo Wells, a sophomore film and digital media student at UNM, “For us to be able to raise the flag, everybody on campus can see that at any time. That means a lot because it means the university is also standing with us and celebrating and commemorating Black History.”
According to npr.org, the Pan-African flag was first adopted in 1920, and represents people of African descent across the world.
Patricia Lott, senior student success specialist at AASS, explained the meaning of the Pan-African flag
“The black on the flag represents the people, the red represents the blood that was shed from our people, and then the green represents growth and prosperity among our people,” Lott said.
The raising of the Pan-African flag is just the start of a series of events planned for Black History Month.
“It’s a tradition in our office to start Black History Month with something visual,” said Brandi Stone, director of AASS. “It’s symbolic and it gives (students) an opportunity to really see that we truly are moving into Black History Month, and we’re ready to start the programming and celebrate our history on our campus.“
The AASS works to help African American students succeed at UNM, and has created an important community for many UNM students. One of these students is sophomore Miles Harris, who is participating in a work-study through AASS
“African American Student Services helped me out from the beginning,” Harris said. “The personal interactions that you make, and the connections that you make with people creates a warming welcome, knowing that there’s a home away from home that’ll take care of you.”
More information on AASS and the events they have planned for Black History Month can be found at afro.unm.edu.
Fischer Knapp is a multimedia reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at multimedia@dailylobo.com
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
