We are proud to celebrate Black History all year long. This month, we are EVEN more excited to celebrate our scholars, what they love about themselves and who inspires them. We sat down with Shaniyah, a fifth-grader at AF Iluminar Middle, to learn more!

Tell us about yourself. What’s your favorite subject in school?
I like to play basketball and video games like the Sims and Minecraft. My favorite subject is reading because Mr. Snider makes the class fun! I really like reading “The Odyssey” because it’s a little complicated, but really fun to figure out.

What’s something you love about yourself?
I love that I can stand up for myself. For example, at home, sometimes I have to stand up for myself when I want to go somewhere that my brother doesn’t want to go, like the zoo. I also like that I can speak up in school. In reading class, we were debating whether Odysseus was a good leader, and I spoke up to share my opinion. I said he wasn’t a good leader because he killed a lot of people, and most people agreed with me.

We’re sure you made a very convincing argument! As you know, we’re celebrating Black History Month, so can you tell us about a role model from black history that you’ve learned about in school?
I learned about Rosa Parks and how she didn’t give up her seat on the bus. Even though people told her to get out of the seat, she didn’t give it up. She persisted. I feel inspired by Rosa Parks because she is a strong woman who stood up for herself.

Why do you think it’s important to celebrate black history and people like Rosa Parks?
It’s important to celebrate people like Rosa Parks because without her and other people like her, we wouldn’t have all of the rights that we have now. Like when people go on buses, they can sit anywhere they want. I also learned about Martin Luther King Jr. and how he marched for civil rights. Even when his feet hurt, he kept marching. I want to stand up for others like that, even if it doesn’t help me because it’s the kind thing to do.

Thank you for sharing, Shaniyah!