To wrap up Black History Month, Lakeview’s NAACP Youth Council celebrated Black history at its the general monthly meeting at the Lakeview Public Library on Feb. 25. Attendees took part in a group discussion about important black figures in history, leaders, and the current day culture creators.
Parker Leary, council president, researched Malcom X after watching the 1992 biographical film “Malcom X” directed by Spike Lee.
“Malcom X was one of the most influential and powerful leaders of the Civil Right Movement,” Leary said. “He quickly became known for his bold speeches and strong belief in Black pride, self-defense, and economic independence.”
“He encouraged African Americans to reclaim their identity, learn their true history, and build strong communities,” Leary continued. “Today, Malcom X is remembered as a fearless leader who challenged American to confront racism directly.”
Club advisor Stuart Oates also encouraged the group to learn more about less well known figures in history, who still created change.
Caleb Crawford presented on Roy Wilkins, a civil rights leader who led the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for many years and made significant contributions to African American literature. “He worked as a journalist at The Minnesota Daily and became editor of The Appeal, an African American newspaper,” Crawford said. “And after graduating from the University of Minesota in 1923, he became the editor of The Call, another African American newspaper.”
Malia Nembhard researched Mary Eliza Mahoney. “At a time when African American women were largely excluded from professional spaces, Mahoney became the first black person in the U.S. to earn a professional nursing license,” she said. Nembhard was inspired to learn about Mahoney as she also wants to enter the medical field.
“Beyond her medical roots, she recognized that individual achievements wasn’t enough to change a biased system, leading her to co-found the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses,” Nembhard said. “By blending medical excellence with civil rights activism, and becoming one of the first women in Boston to vote after the 19th amendment was passed, Mahoney didn’t just practice medicine, she turned it into a more inclusive profession for everybody.”
Michael Nembhard wrote about Earl Lloyd, the first African-American basketball player to play in the NBA. Romelo Waddell dressed up as the singer, songwriter, musician, dancer and actor, Prince, who pioneered the Minneapolis sound and influenced various genres of music.
Oates also researched his own historical figure, Madam C. J. Walker, the first female self-made millionaire in America. Walker made her wealth by developing her own line of cosmetic and hair care products for Black women, which she was inspired to do after suffering from hair loss. “She had to fight through the layers of oppression being black, on top of the layers of oppression being a women,” he said.
The committee ended the conversation by discussing modern Black figures that inspire them, including singers, actors, streamers, directors, and athletes, all of whom are contributing to a wider conversation about race in America.
