The Ladies of Color Keeping Excellence Transcendent (LOCKET) concluded its first year as a club, teaching girls of color to serve as role models for their community, while increasing positivity and love.
The club is run by senior co-presidents Lauren Graham, London Graham and Annette Seka.
“Since Chapel Hill High School is a predominantly white school, we wanted to create a sisterhood for all girls of color where we can empower them and ourselves to embrace our uniqueness and to strive to be happy and confident in our beautiful brown skin,” London Graham said.
The club is advised by English teacher Erica Kinney, who believes the club “represents teen empowerment because we emphasize the importance of appreciating inner and outer beauty, as well as reaching for big dreams and realistic goals.”
The club holds meetings once a month where the girls participate in a variety of discussions and activities. At one meeting, the club had a mock interview event to help club members practice for college interviews. At another meeting, the club Skyped with motivational speaker Jaunai Walker to discuss working toward and achieving goals.
Many meetings are devoted to conversations about issues related to race. LOCKET “discusses social issues as it pertains to our community while brainstorming solutions,” Lauren Graham said.
The club’s culminating event for the year was a field trip to Washington D.C. on April 5.
The trip was intended to create lasting memories for the senior members prior to their departure for college. “Because the majority of our regular members are seniors, [the trip was] a highly memorable way to send them off as they begin their new chapter,” Kinney said.
The club visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Mall and Georgetown University.
Since its opening last year, the National Museum of African American History has served to educate citizens and celebrate African American culture.
The club visited the museum because of its cultural significance. “Seeing pieces of our heritage in person and learning seldom-known or untold stories of our collective history as persons of color was a multicultural and educational experience unlike any other,” Kinney said.
Senior Jadah Smith echoed Kinney’s sentiments. “The LOCKET trip was a great opportunity to explore different cultures,” Smith said.
