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Partly Cloudy Students say Black History Month is more than a month
At Plaza, study of Black history continues
In February, Plaza Elementary School students learned about great African-American men and women who made contributions to politics, law, science, art, music, literature and sports. Once Black History Month was over, however, students didn’t want to simply leave it behind, along with all the luminaries they’d come to know.
Taking it upon themselves, the fifth-grade Student Council decided to get as many other students involved to draw iconic Black figures for a calendar, which would serve as a reminder, month after month, of the impact they have had on history.
From April 2022 to March 2023 dozens of familiar faces can be seen on the pages of the calendar — legends such as Shirley Chisholm, Maya Angelou, Ruby Bridges, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Chuck Berry, to name just a few. After putting the collection together, students sold the calendars, made with help from the school, to friends, family and staff, raising $204 for the African American Museum of Nassau County in Hempstead.
Last Friday, all the students who had contributed a drawing to the calendar gathered in the Plaza gymnasium to discuss their work. There they met special guest Monet Green, the museum’s program director. Green went from group to group, listening in on students’ discussions of equality and history, offering input on the figures they had drawn. Afterward, the Student Council presented Green with a calendar of her own.
Aubrey, a Plaza fifth-grader, decided to draw a symbol instead of a person for the calendar — three multi-skin-toned clenched fists, an anti-racism salute from the 1960s, which she said felt empowering. “It shows that everyone is equal, all colors, different people coming together as equal [and] not fighting,” Aubrey said.
Alanna, a second-grader, drew the singer Etta James. Although she didn’t know any of James’s oldies, she took away from her story that even if you struggle or mess up, you can “keep on trying.”
The event was touching for Green, who told a similar story of students not wanting a Black history celebration to end — which led to the creation of the museum. In 1968, Professor Leroy Leonardo Ramsey, of Nassau Community College, set up a Black History exhibit that was simply left in place due to popular demand by college students.
Ramsey used his own collection of artifacts to change the exhibit from time to time, but before long it had to be moved, having outgrown its space. It was initially relocated to a storefront on Main Street in Hempstead, and in 1984 it moved again, to 110 N. Franklin St., where the museum is now.
Green said that the goal of the museum is to “teach young children where they come from, so that they know that they can do anything, they can go anywhere. It’s powerful for all young children to know that they’re in the generation that can make history, it doesn’t matter how young.”
Students from Baldwin High School’s Education Academy joined the elementary school students and Green in the gym, to facilitate conversations about the historical and contemporary figures the students chose for the calendar. The Education Academy helps students prepare for a variety of careers by immersing them in real-life training. During the conversations, questions such as “Why did you choose that person?” “What does she mean to you?” and “Can you tell us more?” bounced off the gym walls.
One student teacher, Brendan Kaminski commented, “I think it’s wonderful to see these kids who are so young just know so much about Black History Month and portray it through art. We’re in good hands.”
Another teacher, Samantha Cruz, said she learned a few new things herself, and that it felt good to see the younger generation care so much about history. “To see the elementary school put so much effort into this month, it’s really cool,” Cruz said. “With everything going on, I think it’s important to celebrate everyone’s culture. We all need to be equal.”
Mark P. Gray, the principal of Plaza Elementary, said the school focuses on coming up with projects that will teach kids about diversity. “When February came around and conversations with our community, there is always the hope and wish that Black history is discussed and moved beyond February,” Gray said. “So that’s when we decided to come up with this project, and give the kids a chance to express themselves.”
Taking a moment to watch the students lead discussions, Gray added, “I’m super proud of these kids … I think the conversations they had today are a testament to their willingness to have a solid dialogue about diversity.”
