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A 22-year-old Kansas City artist, Kearra Johnson, transforms a school art project into a tribute to Black history - a standard playing card deck with face cards that portray African American icons.

NOEL KING, HOST:

Kearra Johnson was studying art at the University of Missouri when she found her passion project, elevating a standard deck of playing cards with images of Black icons.

KEARRA JOHNSON: I just really wanted to do something that was, like, inspired by me, really, my Black self and just me tapping into my creative mind and really just put my whole self creatively and physically into a project.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

But first, she would need to figure out who's faces should be included.

JOHNSON: I really just was looking into my Black history and seeing, like, who were the important figures? Who are the dominant ones that people should know more about? And who left the most impact on our culture?

MARTIN: And so Michelle Obama, Martin Luther King and Oprah Winfrey made the cut.

KING: The 22-year-old artist is now a digital designer. She founded Studio LO in Kansas City. She calls her creation Revolution Card Deck. It inspires her. And she hopes it inspires other people, too.

JOHNSON: I want people to be able to have conversations about these people while you're at a game night where it's fun, but you also can leave with, like, a powerful conversation or, really, just being inspired.

KING: She has more ideas for fusing great faces into playing cards. And she wants to make sure her idea endures beyond just the next couple of days.

JOHNSON: I want to make sure that this goes beyond Black History Month, because Black history shouldn't only be celebrated in February. It should be celebrated forever.

(SOUNDBITE OF KEEM THE CIPHER'S "BLOSSOM")

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Young Artist Honors Black Icons With Playing Cards

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A 22-year-old Kansas City artist, Kearra Johnson, transforms a school art project into a tribute to Black history - a standard playing card deck with face cards that portray African American icons. NOEL KING, HOST: Kearra Johnson was studying art at the University of Missouri when she found her passion project, elevating a standard deck of playing cards with images of Black icons.

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Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza represents grad students with powerful speech

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In this part of Scholastic's Culture and Change: Black History in America online activity, students get to know Famous African American Inventors by reading our slideshow, which includes the following inventors:

Alexander Miles, who improved the safety of elevators

Elijah McCoy, the "real McCoy," whose invention allowed trains to run more efficiently

Lewis Latimer, whose bright invention made the lightbulb more practical

Jan Ernst Matzeliger, the creator of a shoemaking machine the revolutionized the industry

Granville T. Woods, the inventor of a train-to-train communication system

George Washington Carver, an agricultural expert who advised President Theodore Roosevelt

Madam C. J. Walker, a businesswoman who became one of America's first self-made female millionaires

Garrett Morgan, the creator of the gas mask and the first traffic signal with three commands

Dr. Charles Richard Drew, who saved thousands of lives with his invention for improving blood banks

Otis Boykin, whose work in electronics resulted in a resistor that made electronic devices cheaper and more reliable

James E. West, who invented microphone technology

Dr. Patricia Bath, an ophthalmologist whose surgical tool revolutionized eye surgery

Lonnie G. Johnson, a NASA engineer and the inventor of the world-famous Super Soaker!

Mark Dean, who co-invented the personal computer

Each inventor's page includes background information, a description of the invention, and a "Did You Know?" fact.

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Famous African American Inventors: A Black History in America Activity | Scholastic

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In this part of Scholastic's Culture and Change: Black History in America online activity, students get to know Famous African American Inventors by reading our slideshow, which includes the following inventors: Alexander Miles , who improved the safety of elevators Elijah McCoy , the "real McCoy," whose invention allowed trains to run more efficiently Lewis Latimer , whose bright invention made the lightbulb more practical Jan Ernst Matzeliger , the creator of a shoemaking machine the revolutionized the industry Granville T.

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Differences in human skin color are determined by different amounts and types of several pigments, collectively called melanin, which are produced by skin cells. Skin color is a complex trait. Unlike simpler, single-gene traits, complex traits arise from the contributions of many genes, as well as from environmental factors.

In human populations, many genes with multiple alleles (genetic variants) affect skin color. Scientists who study skin color often use instruments called spectrophotometers to measure how much light is reflected off the skin of the inside upper arm or the buttocks. (Anything for science, right?) Since these areas of the body generally receive very little sunlight, they represent baseline skin color, which is largely under genetic control.

You may have noticed that the color of the skin on your forearm differs from the color of the skin on the inside of your upper arm. When skin is exposed to sunlight, the ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths of light may induce skin cells to produce more dark-pigmented melanin, making the skin darker. Melanin can absorb UV light, and thus helps protect molecules in skin cells from damage by the sun.

Many factors affect how much sun your forearm gets which, in turn, affects how much extra melanin the skin there produces. What time of year is it? What's the weather like? Do you live in a sunny or a shady place? Do you usually wear long or short sleeves outside? Do you wear sunscreen on your arms every day, or not? Do you spend a lot of time outside, or only a little?

Comparing your results to others, you may notice that some people tan more than others-that is, there's more of a difference between their inner arm and their outer arm. There can be many reasons for this-some are genetic; some are environmental. Examples of environmental effects might include your hobbies (if you spend most weekends outside playing soccer, for instance, while someone else paints indoors), your culture (if, for instance, yours favors wearing clothing that covers the arms), or your job (an office worker, for example, might spend less time in the sun than a construction worker).

A lack of visible tanning on the forearm can also be due to genetic factors. Some light-skinned people get sunburned rather than tanned by the sun; for genetic reasons, their skin does not respond to UV light by producing more melanin. Some people whose skin is very dark may produce more melanin in sunlight, but it may not be noticeable. In this way, skin color is an interaction between genes and the environment, with people of different genotypes responding differently to the same environmental conditions.

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Differences in human skin color are determined by different amounts and types of several pigments, collectively called melanin, which are produced by skin cells. Skin color is a complex trait. Unlike simpler, single-gene traits, complex traits arise from the contributions of many genes, as well as from environmental factors.

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In September 2016, the opening fanfare of a high school soccer game in Rochester, New York, was interrupted when 18 varsity boys' soccer players took a knee during the national anthem. These players, who attend World of Inquiry School, were protesting racial injustice and police brutality. Their action was inspired by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's ongoing national anthem protest, which he had begun a month earlier at an NFL preseason game.

The protest kick-started the grassroots organizing efforts of a small group of Rochester City School District (RCSD) teachers, parents, administrators and community members. Inspired by the students' passion, the group decided to take action that would send a message to all students in the district: Rochester schools believe that black lives matter. Their work eventually evolved into a full-day event: "Black Lives Matter at School: A Day of Understanding and Affirmation," observed districtwide on February 17, 2017.*

The story of how the Day of Understanding came about is a valuable example of collective action within a school district for racial justice and racial equity.

Teacher Leadership

Chris Widmaier, a science teacher at World of Inquiry and a 2016 recipient of the Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence in Teaching, was one of the leaders of the organizing efforts. "[The district] needed to do something to really educate everybody about why they took a knee, what the significance is, what the controversies were," he says. "We tried to do that in our own way here at our school, but I saw a need for a larger response."

Widmaier reached out to teachers and parents across the district. Together they researched the "Black Lives Matter at School" rallies in Seattle Public Schools, which were endorsed by the teachers union and involved more than 2,000 educators calling for racial equity in education. Widmaier and his colleagues asked themselves, What would something similar look like in Rochester?

After connecting with educators in Seattle to help determine their next steps, the group formed an organizing committee, which started to meet every other Sunday in the café area of a local grocery store.

Widmaier, who is white, saw the committee meetings as a space to engage in dialogue about race and racism, and to be critically conscious about what advocating for Black Lives Matter looks like in a district where, as of the 2015-16 school year, close to 60 percent of students are black and 75 percent of the teaching corps is white.

"We agreed, from the very beginning, Black Lives Matter is about self-determination. It's about black voices being out front," Widmaier says. "We knew that it was a tricky line ... because we're trying to educate and help students who are black find a voice and find leadership. In a way that's empowering rather than co-opting." He notes that key partners for the committee were local Black Lives Matter activists in Rochester, two of whom joined the committee.

Kirstin Pryor, an administrator in the Office of School Innovation and the parent of two RCSD students, joined the committee because she witnessed a profound disconnect.

"I knew that my 13-year-old daughter and her friends were talking about Black Lives Matter at home, at swim practice, in the backseat of the car, and yet their classes weren't always engaging in a conversation," she says.

For Lowan Brown, the assistant principal at Joseph C. Wilson Foundation Academy, the committee offered a much-needed outlet. In July 2016, when two black men-Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philandro Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota-were killed in police-involved shootings within a day of each other, Brown felt compelled to take direct action. "I knew I could no longer just sit on my hands and do nothing," she says. "Students really didn't have a venue or an opportunity to discuss the loss of black lives that was occurring, not only nationally, but in their community."

A Plan of Action

The committee-a core group of about 12 people-sought to establish a district-wide day that affirmed the value of black lives and the concerns driving the organizing agenda of the Black Lives Matter movement.

"We talked about how we could use it as a galvanizing tool to bring really thoughtful, powerful discussions about race, racial justice into our classrooms for a day, and then use that as a platform for bringing about change on a broader level," says organizer Mahreen Mustafa-George, an RCSD parent.

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A District Profile | Black Lives Matter at School

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Teaching Tolerance provides free resources to educators-teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners-who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use our materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants.

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The Legacy of Bringing the Noise for Dr.  Martin Luther King, Jr

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This lesson is most effective if students have already begun exploring social justice issues like racism or gender stereotypes. You will need one paper plate per student. First, review the meaning of the word prejudice, breaking down the word into its parts, "pre" and "judge."

Begin brainstorming about the types of judgments people might make without getting to know someone. Ask, "What is something someone might think about you just from looking at you?" I usually model with an example about myself. Younger children often mention judgments based on gender, age, size or clothing. My students have said, "Some people might see I'm a girl and think my favorite color is pink," and "People might think that just because I'm a kid, I don't know a lot." Older students may mention stereotypes based on race, ethnicity, religion, class or sexual orientation. Chart students' responses, writing the broader categories on the board, such as "gender" and "age."

Explain that students will be reflecting on the difference between what others might assume about them and how they truly are on the inside. Students will draw their faces on the outside or "bump" of the plate. They will then write a few words or phrases that they think someone might assume about them. On the inside or "crater" of the plate, students color in a heart and write words or phrases that describe their character/personality-who they really are.

For example, I have seen boys write down "rough" and "violent" on the outside of their plates and "gentle" and "loves stuffies" on the inside of their plates. One of my students wrote down "small," "dumb" and "weak" on the outside of her plate, while she wrote down "strong," "curious" and "loves sports" on the inside. When students are finished, give them time to participate in a short "gallery walk" to admire the collective work of the class. Then facilitate a discussion about the activity, asking such questions as:
What did you discover? Were you surprised by anything? Did you make any connections between your plate and a classmate's? How did this activity help you understand the meaning of prejudice? What can we do if we notice or experience prejudice? How can we try to stop it from happening?
Creating these "paper plate portraits" is a powerful, concrete and hands-on learning activity that encourages students to reflect on prejudice. It also helps them see how multifaceted they are as individuals (thinking about their "outside" versus "inside" selves). The lesson helps students to better understand the complex, pervasive issues related to prejudice and stereotypes, revealing why it is important that we all challenge biased assumptions.

Read answers to common questions about prejudice before teaching this lesson.

This activity addresses the following standards using Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

CCSS SL.1

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Understanding Prejudice through Paper Plate Portraits

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This lesson is most effective if students have already begun exploring social justice issues like racism or gender stereotypes. You will need one paper plate per student. First, review the meaning of the word prejudice, breaking down the word into its parts, "pre" and "judge."

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Day encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods. But their suspicions soon turn to curiosity, and they are delighted to find the joys of their budding friendship.

When Day, a sunny fellow, encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods, sparks fly! Day and Night are frightened and suspicious of each other at first, and quickly get off on the wrong foot. But as they discover each other's unique qualities-and come to realize that each of them offers a different window onto the same world-the friendship helps both to gain a new perspective.

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Watch Day & Night | Full Movie | Disney+

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Day encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods. But their suspicions soon turn to curiosity, and they are delighted to find the joys of their budding friendship. When Day, a sunny fellow, encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods, sparks fly!

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Black Lives Matter at School Resource Toolkit

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He created one of the most popular toys on the planet - but the inventor of the "Super Soaker" isn't done making a splash.

Lonnie Johnson is now focusing on new battery technology, but his most rewarding pursuit may be sharing his knowledge with a new generation of engineers.

The mild-mannered Johnson grew up in Mobile, Alabama at the height of the civil rights movement.

"There was a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety, a lot of stress," he remembered. "When I was a child the 'White-only' bathrooms were still very prevalent."

He turned that fear into motivation - and a career as a NASA rocket scientist. But his "a-ha" moment came unexpectedly while he was designing a water pump. He had built testing the pump out in a bathroom when he noticed something.

"I thought to myself, 'Geez, this would make a neat water gun!'" he said. "At that point I decided to put my engineering hat on and design a high performance water gun."

That idea would change his life.

He built the first prototype for what became "The Super Soaker."

The toy, which first went on sale in the early 1990's, eventually topped $1 billion in sales. Johnson also went on to come up with the NERF gun and other toys.

"It's interesting that the Super Soaker gets so much attention," he said. "I really like to think of myself as a serious engineer!"

Now, he's getting serious about giving back. His nonprofit helps fund high school robotics teams. One of them - the DISCbots from the nearby DeKalb International Student Center - is made up of refugees from nine countries.

Kalombo Mukuca fled the Central African Republic a year ago. "Even babies -- they kill them," he said. "So we don't want to get killed."

Emanuel Tezera came to the United States from Ethiopia. "I want to fix something in this world," he said.

Incredibly, in just its second year, the DISCbots qualified for the world-wide robotics competition in Texas.

For Johnson, this idea may be his most rewarding.

"If I can have a positive impact," he said, "clearly it's something I want to do."

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Super Soaker inventor takes aim at funding young engineers

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He created one of the most popular toys on the planet - but the inventor of the "Super Soaker" isn't done making a splash. Lonnie Johnson is now focusing on new battery technology, but his most rewarding pursuit may be sharing his knowledge with a new generation of engineers.

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Harlem by Langston Hughes | Poetry Foundation

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K-2:
-Soul
-Princess and the Pea

3-5:
-The Color of Friendship
-The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
-Akeelah and the Bee

6-7:
-Hidden Figures

8th:
-Hamilton video version
-The Hate U Give
-The Butler

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Read Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions on Epic

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Author - Chris Barton , Illustrator - Don Tate

Illustrator - Don Tate

Create an Epic account to start reading!

You know the Super Soaker. It's one of top twenty toys of all time. And it was invented entirely by accident.

Read this Book on Epic!

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Read Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions on Epic

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Author - Chris Barton , Illustrator - Don Tate Illustrator - Don Tate Create an Epic account to start reading! You know the Super Soaker. It's one of top twenty toys of all time. And it was invented entirely by accident. Read this Book on Epic!

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bay area based (from oakland, works in SF); paints murals and connects with students to focus on Black joy

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President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama Host Black History Month Reception

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This Black History Month, we honor some of the bright young activists who are challenging the status quo and working to build a better future for us all.
Ed. Note: This is part two of a three-part series, "Young, gifted and black." For part one, featuring researchers, click here. For part three, on artists and entrepreneurs, click here. This Black History Month, we have the audacity to look forward, rather than back, so we can highlight some of the bright young activists who are challenging the status quo and working to build a better future for us all.
From passing legislation to securing clemency to starting a worldwide political movement, these young leaders have already accomplished a lot - and what they do in the future promises to be just as powerful.

Mariah Watson

Mariah Watson was a second-grader when an 18-year-old named Adnan Khan helped steal a bag of marijuana and ended up sentenced to prison for life under California's felony murder rule. The law enabled anyone involved in certain crimes in which a death occurred to be charged with first-degree murder.

Sixteen years later, the UC Davis graduate was with Khan when he secured his freedom as the result of a bill she staffed and help shepherd through the state legislature to limit the use of the rule to those who directly assisted or had a role in a homicide.

"This is something we could only dream of repealing when we started," Watson said, as she joined Khan and his family for their emotional reunion upon his release after 16 years behind bars. "After months of going to every single office in the assembly and discussing this bill - it was incredible to get to this moment."

A born leader, the 25-year-old Watson has a record of using her skills to help those with less agency gain a seat at the table. As UC Davis's first black female student body president, she expanded the student food pantry and developed policies to better address hunger and homelessness on campus. She helped establish a student-oriented police review board and won a UC president's leadership award for her work building dialogue between university leaders and African American students.

After graduating, Watson was working as an aide in state Sen. Nancy Skinner's office, when she received a visit from a constituent that especially stood out: a mom whose son was serving life in prison under the felony murder rule for a homicide he didn't commit.

Watson's own brother had struggled with addiction and incarceration. "You know what it's like to feel hopeless, to not feel heard and, the worst part, to not be able to help. That resonated with me on a soul level," she said.

She brought the issue forward to Skinner, who agreed to champion reform. Together, they spent the next 18 months tirelessly working with legislators and grassroots organizations to build support for the bill. It was signed into law in Sept. 2018. "I know people who have been in prison under the felony murder rule longer than I have been alive," she said. "To see it pass was just so gratifying."

To actually see how [a bill] plays out in someone's life and be with them when they are able to regain their freedom - that's just beyond words.

A few months later, she received an offer from the nonprofit Re:store Justice to go into prisons and help eligible inmates apply for resentencing under the reform she had helped to pass. It was an opportunity she couldn't refuse.

"To work on a bill and care so much about it and to finally see it passed is incredible. But then to actually see how it plays out in someone's life and be with them when they are able to regain their freedom - that's just beyond words," she said.

Wisdom Cole

Earlier this year, Wisdom Cole had one of the biggest victories of his young life: Helping earn clemency for Cyntoia Brown, a sex trafficking victim who at 16 was sentenced to life in prison for killing a john in self-defense.

A national organizer with the NAACP, Cole was always interested in serving his community. He naturally gravitated towards the idea of becoming a doctor, and expected to go to college, study for the MCAT, apply to medical school and begin his career. But like many things in life, Cole's idea of a linear path shifted once he got to UC Santa Cruz.

Growing up near Riverside, he was raised by a single mother, who convinced him to commute by bus to a high school in Redlands, California, almost an hour away from his home, because she thought he would get a better education. "Going there I had a lot of opportunities but I felt very isolated and tokenized-I'd be the only black person in [my] AP class. [After high school], I wanted to get away to experience new things," Cole says.

UC Santa Cruz had a strong science program, plus his cousin was a student there, so it felt like a good fit. Once on campus, Cole chose to live in Oakes College, which was founded on supporting students of color. His time at Oakes immediately had an impact: "Connecting with other black students, and getting involved in student-led organizations, that's what really changed the course of my path."

From being a resident adviser at Biko House, part of UC Santa Cruz's multicultural themed housing, to joining organizations like the African Student Union and the African Black Student Alliance, Cole began devoting his time to being a student leader. In fact, he was doing so much student organizing that he had trouble managing his classes. True to form, he made it work, and with the help of close friends, managed to graduate on time. His time as a student organizer had taught him that he was so passionate about social justice work that medical school paled in comparison.

After graduating, Cole worked as a math and science teacher at the June Jordan School for Equity in San Francisco, drawing on his STEM background. "Being a teacher is the biggest social justice work you can do. You're working with young people to help shape and mold their minds; to think about the world in a more critical way," he says.

When you build solidarity and community with other people, you have power and can really cause change.

Now at the NAACP as the national organizing manager with the youth and college division, Cole is in charge of campaigns and trainings for the organization's units across the country. With a focus on electoral action and civic engagement, much of his work involves training student leaders to help mobilize other students to take political action. "When I talk to students, I tell them that this [advocacy] work doesn't end after you graduate. This is real work. You can continue to fight even after you graduate from college."

Fresh from this victory on the Cyntoia Brown case, Cole sees it as a model for how change happens: "When you build solidarity and community with other people, you have power and can really cause change."

Credit: Kristin Little Photography

Alicia Garza

"Black people: I love you. I love us. Our lives matter." With these words, Alicia Garza launched the Black Lives Matter movement that has changed the face of activism and influenced policy around the nation.

The movement started in response to the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman, who had been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old. Black Lives Matter distinguished itself not just as a movement deeply in touch with the moment, but about the many identities black people embrace within their blackness. Garza and her fellow co-founders, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Khan-Cullors, were not just black, but women; Khan-Cullors and Garza also identify as queer. What leadership would look like in this movement would be different, broader than in the past, even as it acknowledged its elders and tactics, such as Freedom Rides, from the civil rights movement.

Credit: Kristin Little Photography

Black Lives Matter now has over 40 chapters around the globe, dedicated to increasing the quality of all black lives, with an emphasis on decriminalizing black life. The organization has a loose, relatively non-hierarchical structure, intended to facilitate power sharing and more effective organizing. The structure has allowed Garza to pursue a number of other projects, including acting as director of strategy and partnerships for the National Domestic Workers Alliance, which organizes domestic workers for better working conditions and fairer pay.

Black people: I love you. I love us. Our lives matter.

Her newest project, Black Futures Lab, focuses more squarely on political power, in part as a response to the 2016 election. The Black Census Project is designed to collect accurate information about the needs of black communities across the country, while Black to the Future seeks to translate that information into policy. The Shirley Chisholm "Unbought and Unbossed" Black Politics Project, named in honor of the first black woman to run for president of the United States, is dedicated to providing up-and-coming black candidates with grassroots organizing and fundraising tools. Her view of the lab could be considered a thesis statement of her work in general.

"I want to see Black people living powerfully and living well," Garza told Rewire News in 2018. "I want to see Black people shaping the policies that impact our lives. I also want to see Black people represented in our culture in different ways. And I want to see Black people actively engaged and inspired. That's the charge of the Black Futures Lab."

"There are so many valuable experiences that we have to offer that can really shape a better country for everyone," Garza wrote in "And Still I Rise: Black Women Labor Leaders' Voices." "Because when black people get free, everybody has a chance to get free."

Vanessa Warri

For more than a decade, Vanessa Warri, 28, has worked to uplift the communities she calls her own. They are some of the most vulnerable people in America: foster youth, homeless youth, transpeople of color. "I started off wanting to advocate for communities that were reflections of myself."

As an emancipated foster kid, Warri ended up on the street, left vulnerable by a lack of resources and education in the foster system. "The statistic at that time in San Francisco was that one in every three foster youth who emancipated would become homeless. And that was my experience."

Courtesy Point Foundation

Believing that the people in charge of the foster care system didn't understand its failings, Warri jumped into advocacy at 17 to try and improve things for the next wave of youth coming out of foster care. Her work evolved as she became part of more communities and saw her personal struggles reflected in the lives of so many others.

Working as a case manager for the same marginalized communities in which she belonged, Warri felt there was a need to empower communities to help and organize themselves, outside the system of direct services. Too often, those in social services don't understand the people they are trying to serve and create programs that end up reinforcing disparities rather than fixing them, Warri says. There needed to be a venue where Warri and her communities' voices were heard, not only when expertise was required, but throughout, in the creation of an entire structure of support.

"It's about who gets to tell the narrative," Warri says. "In research about trans people, the experts are always non-trans people, and nine times out of ten, they get it wrong. They don't have this personal connection that allows them to get to the root of the issue." Researchers ask the wrong questions, collect the wrong data and their results don't help the trans community or reflect its true needs.

"[As trans people] we are being seen as the bridge between researchers and nonprofits. We're told we're experts, that we play these vital roles. But then we're not listened to when we suggest things that are counter to the current movement of the work, or specific things researchers want to look at."

Informed by these experiences and wanting to take charge of tools used to analyze and (mis)understand her community, Warri felt drawn to higher education.

"I need credentials? Let me go get them," she laughs. "I will be right back, you just hold that thought. I will be right back with all those things you say I need to be heard."

I want to ensure that my trans great-granddaughter grows up in a world that doesn't have any of the obstacles I'm struggling with.

As a Point Foundation scholar, Warri has begun to collecting those credentials, adding to an already long resume, including working with UCSF's Center for Excellence in Transgender Health, serving as a mayoral appointee on the San Francisco Youth Commission, and co-founding the Transgender Advocates for Justice and Accountability Coalition (TAJA) in memory of a case management client and friend, Taja DeJesus, who was murdered in San Francisco. But Warri doesn't want to accumulate these credentials for herself - she wants the tools of an elite education and the platform it has helped her develop for sharing her perspective to be more accessible to her peers.

"Everything that I learn, I will give away for free." And she hopes that by trusting communities to become experts of and about themselves, we will be able to re-evaluate old systems that haven't been serving them effectively.

"I'm passionate about the future," Warri says. "I want to ensure that my trans great-granddaughter grows up in a world that doesn't have any of the obstacles I'm struggling with."

Sharee Hughes

For the third year in a row at UC Riverside, February will usher in Black Queens Week, an initiative started by student development and life specialist Sharee Hughes. It is a weeklong series of programming about empowerment within the community, promoting "healthy lives within the community, awareness that we come in all shapes, shades, sizes, genders, sexual orientations," says Hughes. "Just an awareness of all the different variations of black womanhood and wellness."

Sharee Hughes' passion for serving underrepresented students started during her time as a student at UC Riverside. When Hughes arrived on campus as a first-gen transfer student, she was also balancing life as a parent. Naturally, she gravitated towards the Women's Resource Center on campus, along with R'Kids, an organization for student parents. They provided a sense of community, and before long, she found herself getting more involved.

While on the Student Parent Action Committee, a spin-off of R'Kids, she helped lead efforts to convince campus administrators to provide more funding for programs to help student parents. "That spearheaded my drive to advocate for resources for students on college campuses," she says.

Hughes was able to gain solid programming experience while working in the Women's Resource Center during her time on campus. Following graduation, she made the shift from developing programming for student parents, to developing and implementing programming for African American students - she's now a student development and life specialist with the university's African Student Programs and has hit the ground running in her new role.

Another reason I love my job is that I get to see students come in that were just like me.

Originally from South Central Los Angeles, Hughes spent her adolescent years among other people of color. The students she serves on campus are from similar backgrounds to those of her hometown. This hits home for her: "Another reason I love my job is that I get to see students come in that were just like me. It's a different lens you're looking through [as a first-generation student]. I'm glad to be able to relate to those students in that way."

Her advice to other student organizers? "There's no reason to have to reinvent the wheel or feel like you're in it alone. There are plenty of alumni and people on campus who want to help with your efforts and steer you in the right direction."
Top photo: Wisdom Cole with his colleagues. Photo credit: Greg Kahn.

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Young, gifted and black: The next generation of activists

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This Black History Month, we honor some of the bright young activists who are challenging the status quo and working to build a better future for us all. Ed. Note: This is part two of a three-part series, "Young, gifted and black." For part one, featuring researchers, click here.

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The science of skin color - Angela Koine Flynn

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Humanæ is a photographic work in progress by artist Angélica Dass, an unusually direct reflection on the color of the skin, attempting to document humanity's true colors rather than the untrue labels "white", "red", "black" and "yellow" associated with race.

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Trombone Shorty: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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'Trombone Shorty' read by Angela Bassett

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obama WH: african american women and dance

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obama WH: african american women and dance

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Celebrating African American Women & Dance

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Misty Copeland and Sterling Baca Nutcracker Pas de Deux 2014

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Watch Read Out Loud: Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams on Epic

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Author - Lesa Cline-Ransome , Illustrator - James E. Ransome

Illustrator - James E. Ransome

Create an Epic account to start watching!

Venus and Serena Williams are two of the greatest tennis players of all time. Before they were famous, they had big dreams.

Watch this Video on Epic!

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Watch Read Out Loud: Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams on Epic

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Author - Lesa Cline-Ransome , Illustrator - James E. Ransome Illustrator - James E. Ransome Create an Epic account to start watching! Venus and Serena Williams are two of the greatest tennis players of all time. Before they were famous, they had big dreams. Watch this Video on Epic!

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mystery science how far can a whisper travel acoustics and paper telephone extension

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Suppose you have a paper cup telephone that's working great in the hall, where the string is straight. Then your friend ducks into a room and the string has to go around a corner. The phone stops working!

Can you figure out how to get it working again? This is a tough engineering challenge. Think about what changes when you go around a corner. What might be stopping the vibrations from traveling down the string?

If you want to see solutions that other people have come up with, check this site.

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Suppose you have a paper cup telephone that's working great in the hall, where the string is straight. Then your friend ducks into a room and the string has to go around a corner. The phone stops working! Can you figure out how to get it working again?

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katherine johnson

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Watch Counting the Stars : The Story of Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician on Epic

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Author - Lesa Cline-Ransome , Illustrator - Raúl Colón

Illustrator - Raúl Colón

Create an Epic account to start watching!

Female mathematicians known as "human computers" used their knowledge to calculate the orbital mechanics needed to launch spacecraft.

Watch this Video on Epic!

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Watch Counting the Stars : The Story of Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Author - Lesa Cline-Ransome , Illustrator - Raúl Colón Illustrator - Raúl Colón Create an Epic account to start watching! Female mathematicians known as "human computers" used their knowledge to calculate the orbital mechanics needed to launch spacecraft. Watch this Video on Epic!

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Will Allen - basketball player turned urban farmer

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Will Allen - basketball player turned urban farmer

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Read Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table on Epic

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Author - Jacqueline Briggs Martin , Illustrator - Eric-Shabazz Larkin

Illustrator - Eric-Shabazz Larkin

Create an Epic account to start reading!

A former basketball star, Farmer Will Allen is an innovator, educator, and community builder.

Read this Book on Epic!

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Read Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table on Epic

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Author - Jacqueline Briggs Martin , Illustrator - Eric-Shabazz Larkin Illustrator - Eric-Shabazz Larkin Create an Epic account to start reading! A former basketball star, Farmer Will Allen is an innovator, educator, and community builder. Read this Book on Epic!

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log in as student
password is "robots20"

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Students learn about Harriet Tubman and read a short article about Harriet Tubman’s later years.

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environmental justice oriented

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Children will use the story of a child who identified a problem in her community and worked to solve it as a jumping-off point to discuss things they would like to change in their own lives.

Social Studies Focus:

community service and activism; Black History Month

key details, vocabulary, opinion writing

Page 4 Skill:

RI.2.7 read a timeline

Vocabulary:

lead, donate, community, speeches, water filters

RI.2.1, RI.2.4, RI.2.10, W.2.1, SL.2.3

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Children will use the story of a child who identified a problem in her community and worked to solve it as a jumping-off point to discuss things they would like to change in their own lives.

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Children will examine the accomplishments of Katherine Johnson and analyze her character traits.

Social Studies Focus:

Women's History Month

key details, cause and effectm text features, vocabulary, writing

Page 4 Skill:

read a chart

Vocabulary:

curious, NASA, mathematician, confident, calculate

RI.2.1, RI.2.3, RI.2.4, RI.2.5, RI.2.10, W.2.8, SL.2.2

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Children will examine the accomplishments of Katherine Johnson and analyze her character traits. Social Studies Focus: Women's History Month key details, cause and effectm text features, vocabulary, writing Page 4 Skill: read a chart Vocabulary: curious, NASA, mathematician, confident, calculate RI.2.1, RI.2.3, RI.2.4, RI.2.5, RI.2.10, W.2.8, SL.2.2

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Children will follow Misty Copeland's journey from aspiring young dancer to inspiring Black ballet star.

Social Studies Focus:

Black History Month

Social-emotional Focus:

following dreams

key details, writing, writing, vocabulary

Page 4 Skill:

read a chart

Vocabulary:

leotards, potential, en pointe, audience

RI.2.1, RI.2.4, RI.2.10, L.2.1, SL.2.3

Guided Reading Level:

N

Lexile Level:

530L

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Students learn about ballet dancer Misty Copeland and read a chart of three ballet moves.

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Ron Finley
Will Allen
*seed bombs activity

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Neil deGrasse Tyson
Mae Jamison
(Katherine Johnson & Hidden Figures covered in other classes)
*DIY constellations
*Paper straw rockets

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Lonnie Johnson
*Patent application and create your own invention

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Read The Girl Who Taught in Pictures
-Mindful Art Galileo Project

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Read The World is not a Rectangle
-Paper metropolis Galileo project

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Why I designed the 'Everyone is Awesome' set

"If I had been given this set by somebody after having come out, it would have been such a relief to know that somebody had my back. To know that you've got someone there, to say 'I love you, I believe in you. I'll always be here for you.'"

Matthew Ashton, Vice President of Design, the LEGO Group

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Everyone is Awesome | LEGO.com | Official LEGO® Shop US

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"If I had been given this set by somebody after having come out, it would have been such a relief to know that somebody had my back. To know that you've got someone there, to say 'I love you, I believe in you.

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pride flag book AND families families families book

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pride flag book AND families families families book

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harvey milk book

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rainbow motion activity with cups and towels

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rainbow motion activity with cups and towels

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food coloring
paper towels
clear jars
water

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may/june 2021 science spin 2 edition

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baking soda
vinegar
food coloring
5 minutes

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Rainbow Eruptions Activity | Crafts for Kids | PBS KIDS for Parents

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Rainbow Celery Experiment | Crafts for Kids | PBS KIDS for Parents

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Learn about capillary action with this simple and colorful rainbow celery experiment. This experiment allows you and your child to talk about the circulatory system and "capillary" action. The small "vessels" in the celery stalks carry the water and color to the leaves, like the way blood travels through your body.

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Joyful Fridays Program Resources Join us Fridays for a joyful webinar-style Zoom class led by Museum educators! Designed for 4 to 8 year olds, each Joyful Fridays program features art projects and ...

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The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts and nearly 100,000 individuals have become charter members. The Museum opened to the public on September 24, 2016, as the 19th and newest museum of the Smithsonian Institution.

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Joyful Fridays: Hats, Hair, and Headwear

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Designed for: Children ages 4 to 8 years Make your own hat inspired by Mae Reeves' hats in the NMAAHC collection and talk about how people express themselves through hair styles and head wear. Supplies Needed: https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/joyful-fridays-resources-and-projects/ykPTSdJ6YolvIu7z#r/1045652 Resources Shared During This Program: https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/mae-s-hat-collection/DvHhr7od9Wqaw2z6#r

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7 Easy and Inspiring Activities to Celebrate Black History Month |…

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Celebrate Black History Month with these easy-to-do activities. Each inspiring activity features figures in Black history who made a difference in the world.

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These women fighting for justice and equality deserve center stage.