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Parents, Educators/Teachers & Students in Action

February 25, 2021
YESTERDAY’S HEROES INSPIRE TOMORROW’S LEADERS

PESA commemorates Black History Month by educating young students about the celebration

By Nathaniel Flores
Every year during the month of February, Americans make a concentrated effort to recognize the accomplishments of Black individuals throughout history. This year, PESA joined in the national celebration of Black history by hosting a virtual presentation for the students of Challenger Middle School (CMS).
 
PESA's presentation covered multiple aspects of Black History Month, including its origins, facts about the celebration and heroes of Black history. To help the CMS students understand the significance of the commemoration, PESA's presenter first showed them a video produced by Global Citizen, an international organization that works to fight poverty, of Black students explaining what Black History Month is and why it is important. For one student in the video, Black History Month meant remembering the struggles "that Black leaders went through in order for you to be here right now." For another, it meant "remembering where [she] came from and … who came before [her]." 

With an understanding of what Black History Month is, PESA's presentation transitioned to covering the origins of the celebration. Participating students were introduced to historian Carter G. Woodson, who is today recognized as the "Father of Black History" for his efforts to include the history of America's Black population in textbooks. In 1926 Woodson established "Negro History Week," the precursor to Black History Month. He chose to designate the second week of February as Negro History Week to honor the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Fredrick Douglass. 
 
The presentation concluded with an opportunity for the CMS students to test their knowledge of Black History Heroes by identifying them through their accomplishments. This section of the presentation taught the students about the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., President Barack Obama and Jackie Robinson. The presentation also introduced the students to lesser-known heroes such as Claudette Colvin and Ruby Bridges. Colvin is remembered for being the first to refuse to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger—nine months before Rosa Parks did so in protest of segregation. In 1960, six-year-old Bridges was escorted by U.S. marshals to William Frantz elementary school during the New Orleans desegregation crisis, becoming one of the first Black students to attend the formerly segregated school. 
 
The students of Challenger Middle School left PESA’s presentation on Black History Month with a better understanding of the celebration, how it was founded and why black history is an integral part of United States history. ■

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