Mrs. Jennifer Lasure – African American Culture Club
“Being of service, particularly to young people, is really a lifestyle for me,” African American Culture Club (AACC) Adviser Mrs. Jennifer Lasure told Eastside. “It's not just a job.”
Having advised the AACC for 13 years, Lasure cites her role as a true labor of love. As she tells her students, participating in MCD should not only act as a source of personal fulfillment, but an opportunity to serve and educate the East community – to use their time and talents to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
“[My husband and I] were both raised in families where community, culture and legacy were so important – where whatever we’d do in our adult lives had to be things that gave back to our community, and I feel the most important way for us to do it is through young people,” Lasure said. “I expect [my kids], when they leave East, to continue to be of service in whatever they do in life.”
Lasure explained that she is especially proud to have watched the AACC grow both in numbers and in their sense of empowerment since she began advising. Having watched her community unify and blossom through the Black Lives Matter movement up until now, Lasure has seen East students — and, by extension, the Cherry Hill population at large — grow in awareness of African American culture and history through the club. Namely, Lasure cites receiving Eastside’s 2021 “Person of the Year” award and their successful lobbying efforts toward implementing African American Studies as a graduation requirement as the club’s proudest accomplishment and the catalyst for their persisting growth.
“We believed that education was key, and that we needed to create a multicultural community where everyone was seen, heard and valued so we can all learn more about each other,” said Lasure. “When people say that young people are apathetic and don’t care about things, I know that is false because I see how passionate [students] are about things [they] care about, and that if [they’re] given the opportunity, [they’ll] do amazing things.”
Michaela Randall (‘21), one of the AACC’s co-presidents at the time, received the Princeton Prize in Race Relations and was profiled by Aramark for her work with the club. As generations of AACC members pass the baton — quite literally, as former presidents return to East annually to pass on club stoles — Lasure hopes to continue establishing a legacy and lasting impact on the East community through performance and education.
