Black History Month School Project

We've decided to help NICOLE (see picture), another ESL teacher in our school, with her Black History Month project. She is going to cover the hallways with a giant timeline illustrating dozens of African American icons and other personalities, from the time of slavery until today. Students from the school are asked to research and write short texts illustrating the merits of each personalities. We chose a few names in NICOLE's list, then ROSA, MING LI, LARISA, EUGENE, and MOSTAFA worked on the biographies.

Eugene: Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (born January 15, 1929) was one of the main leaders of the American civil rights movement. King was a Baptist minister, fulfilling one of the few leadership roles available to black men at the time. He became a civil rights activist in his 1920's. His efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in front of 250,000 supporters. In 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Martin Luther King Day was established as a national holiday in the United States in 1986.

Ming Li: Marian Anderson

She was a famous low-pitched singer. She started to show her talent at the age of six. She had a very pretty voice. In 1939, Anderson was to sing to an integrated audience in Constitution Hall, but was refused permission by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). But in 1943, Anderson sang at Constitution Hall again as part of a benefit for the American Red Cross at the invitation of the DAR. On January 7, 1955, Anderson broke the color barrier by becoming the first African American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera. Thanks to her intelligence, wisdom and benevolence, she was officially designated delegate to the United Nations in 1958, and later became a "goodwill ambassador" of the U.S. In 1972, she was awarded the UN peace prize.

Rosa: Carl Lewis

Carl Lewis (born 1961) was a track and field athlete who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 golds, and 10 World Championships medals, of which 8 were golds, in a career that spanned from 1979 when he first achieved a world ranking to 1996 when he last won an Olympic title and then retired. Lewis was a dominant sprinter and long jumper who topped the world rankings in the 100 m, 200 m and long jump events frequently from 1981 to the early 1990s, was named Athlete of the Year by Track and Field News in 1982, 1983 and 1984, and set world records in the 100 m, 4 x 100 m and 4 x 200 m relays. His 65 consecutive victories in the long jump achieved over a span of 10 years is one of the sport’s longest undefeated streaks. He was voted "Sportsman of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee and "Olympian of the Century" by the American sports magazine Sports Illustrated.

Larisa: Sydney Poitier

Sir Sidney Poitier, (born 1927), is an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Grammy-winning American actor, film director, and author. He broke through as a star in acclaimed performances in American films and plays, which, by consciously defying racial stereotyping, gave a new dramatic credibility for black actors to mainstream film audiences in the Western world. In 1963, Poitier became the first black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Poitier has directed a number of popular movies such was chosen in 2002 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive the Honorary Award, designated "To Sidney Poitier in recognition of his remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being."

Mostafa: Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou (born 1928) in St. Louis, Missouri, is an American poet, memoirist, actress and an important figure in the American Civil Rights Movement. Angelou is known for her series of six autobiographies, starting with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, (1969) which was nominated for a National Book Award and called her magnum opus. Her volume of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Die (1971) was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Angelou recited her poem, "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1993.She has been highly honored for her body of work, including being awarded over 30 honorary degrees.