We are proud to celebrate Black History all year long. This month, we are even more excited to celebrate our students, what they love about themselves, and who inspires them. We sat down with Blessed, a fifth-grader at Amistad Academy Middle, to learn more.

Thanks for talking with us! Tell us about yourself.

I am African-American. I’m 10 years old. My favorite subject is math. I like that my teacher makes class hard, and he really wants to make sure we understand the material, but you can tell he really loves us, too. I love learning in class, and right now we’re learning how to multiply decimals and whole numbers. Outside of school, I like to play tennis two days a week. One day I stay until 8 p.m.! When I’m playing tennis, I feel at home.

What’s something you love about yourself?

I love that I am proud to be a Black girl, and I have been all my life. I love that I get to show who I am, and I get to live a life that some people didn’t get to. I also love being kind to people. When they’re upset, I try to cheer them up. I love helping homeless people, too—I feel for them, and I am always asking whether there is something I can do to help.

There are so many amazing things about you! Who inspires you? Is there a specific role model from Black history that you’ve learned about in school, and you look up to?

I am inspired by Harriett Tubman. At first, she was a slave—she never learned how to read or write—but that didn’t stop her from helping so many people to freedom on the underground railroad during a horrible, depressing time. She was a leader. She made sure people today don’t have a bad life. Because of people like Harriet Tubman, we get to stand up, and be bold and say we love that we are Black.

Why do you think it’s important to celebrate Black history and people like Harriet Tubman?

It’s important to celebrate Black history and Black History Month because it shows all Black people that we are a part of something great. People who came before us did the right things, and they didn’t do it for the wrong reasons, like to make themselves popular. They did it so that the next generation could have a better life.

Thank you for sharing, Blessed!