Oluwatomisin Falako

Members of Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica read aloud and analyze Afro-Latin poetry. The society has been offering various club activities in honor of Black History Month and the upcoming International Week, with officers being engaged in learning as well. “I helped facilitate the research and discussion of many kinds of Afro-Latin poems, while also getting an opportunity myself to recite a poem alongside my fellow officers,” Falako said.

Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica met Feb. 4 to learn about Afro-Latin culture and poetry. The meeting consisted of a detailed slideshow about significant figures in literature and group poem reading sessions. 

“During our last meeting with our members, we had the honor of teaching them and having them recite Afro-Latin Poetry,” Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica officer Oluwatomisin Falako (11) said. “It was a wonderful experience to celebrate the beginning of Black History Month.” 

This meeting was a precursor to International Week, held Feb. 23-27, where all the language honor societies will work together to spotlight various cultures.
“We have a week full of fun activities coming up towards the end of this month,” Falako said. “Throughout Feb. 23-27, we will have multiple cultural events such as the Parade of Nations and Rams Around the World, which will allow [members] to congregate with their peers and learn about various other exciting cultures.”

AP Spanish Language and Culture classes taught by Maritza Sloan are also celebrating International Week and Black History Month. Students learned about Limón, Costa Rica and the culture, food and language of the region. 

“We spent the last class learning about Afro-Limonese people, and exploring the culture fusion between their African and Limón heritage,” AP Spanish Language and Culture student Eliana Gebrehiwet (11) said. “We also spent time discussing the geography and culture of that area. After learning about Limonese culture, we read a poem by an Afro-Limonese woman that sort of described what it feels like to be a person who is a blend of two different cultures and backgrounds.”

Students are excited to continue learning about Afro-Latin culture in class, similar to Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica. Both the honor society and the class place an emphasis on learning about different traditions and heritages. 

“I think [what we are learning in class] intersects with international week because it exposed us to a different culture that many of us had never heard of before, and has helped us to expand our global perspectives significantly, and hopefully international week will help other Ladue students learn about new cultures and countries as well,” Gebrehiwet said.