First Black American to host a television show, Nat King Cole.

First Black person to win an Oscar, Hattie McDaniel.

First Black teenager to refuse to give up her seat on a bus, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin.

These were among the African-American figures mentioned in February during the second period morning announcements in celebration of Black History Month.

“I was the one who requested the announcements that presented the information for Black History Month,” said freshman Ava Brown, Black Student Union [BSU] club president. “I doubt that many students were listening, but I hope that [they] at the very least made black students feel happy during a month meant to celebrate them. … I felt that it was important to have some sort of recognition of the fact that it was Black History Month as the school did not have any events or anything.”

Besides her campaign to raise awareness about her heritage, Brown has been instrumental in resurrecting Black Student Union this school year, which had stopped holding meetings in the second semester of the 2022-2023 school year.

Even before enrolling here, Brown said she knew about the lack of representation of African-American students on campus, as she often visited the school gym to watch volleyball matches in which her older sister, junior Marli Brown, plays in.

“I realized that there were not many people who looked like me [in the bleachers],” Ava Brown said.

While her older sister had informed her about the existence of BSU, Marli Brown also shared with her younger sister that the group was not well-known or advertised.

So when Ava Brown enrolled at Sunny Hills, she made it a goal to be the one to initiate a change for the better.

“When [applications for clubs] opened, I decided that I needed to be the change that I wanted to see in my school community,” the freshman said.

On Friday, Oct. 13, she said she submitted her application to the Associated Student Body [ASB], and her proposal to bring it back was approved the same day.

“We didn’t [need to] approve them because the club existed before, but because we viewed it like the other cultural clubs, there wasn’t a reason for them to be rejected,” ASB activities commissioner senior Ashley Kim said.

As the new leader of the group, Ava Brown said she aims to make BSU, which comprises 14 members, a space where all students can learn and appreciate African-American culture.

Club member junior Ryan Miano, who was also a part of the BSU before it stopped holding meetings, said he admires Ava Brown’s courage to revitalize the group as an underclassman.

“She is young and wants to make this club work, [and] it’s pretty cool what she’s doing,” Miano said. “I doubt the club will disappear again because our new club adviser [English teacher Jennifer Kim] is likely to stay for a while compared to the last one who left.”

During lunchtime meetings, the club president said she plans to teach members about African-American culture through a review of various texts or viewing of scenes from such movies as “Hidden Figures” and “The Help.” 

As part of Black History Month, Ava Brown said members of the club were encouraged to attend the 25th Annual Black College Expo on Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Los Angeles Convention Center to get more information about these institutions.

Ava Brown said she hopes to see the club grow in membership as BSU is not limited to just African-American students. She also envisions collaborating with other BSUs in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District to organize club-sponsored visits to historically black colleges and to volunteer at some festivals held at those campuses.

“These colleges host events with guest speakers and celebrities quite often,” she said. “I would like to give the members of the club an opportunity to tour [these] college campuses and ask questions about the school to the faculty.”

Ava Brown said one of the colleges she hopes to collaborate with is Fullerton College sometime next year when she is a sophomore.

In the meantime, the president said she plans to continue devising ways to spread awareness of African-American culture at Sunny Hills.

“One of my goals for the future is that we can have successful Black people come talk about their jobs [during lunch meetings],” Brown said. “I will probably ask my parents, or anyone I know who is successful [for connections].”

The Black Student Union meets every Wednesday during lunch in Room 13. The club posts information about its activities on its Instagram account @shhs_bsu_. For more information, contact Brown at [email protected].