‘HistoryMakers’ Are Still Making History|SPOTLIGHT

Tuskegee played host to two prominent men. And though they were separated by a generation, and their speeches were delivered to different crowds at opposite ends of the school day, their messages were virtually the same. No one is responsible for your success or failure in life, no one except you.”

It was that kind of frank talk that HistoryMakers founder Julieanna L. Richardson had in mind when she conceived the program. To understand the importance of the HistoryMakers’ Back to School initiative, it’s important to understand the importance of the core project.

For the past 12 years, the HistoryMakers, a nonprofit educational institution, has videotaped 2,000 African Americans in more than 80 cities; it plans to conduct an additional 3,000 interviews. Its mission is to educate the world about the diversity and legacy of the African-American experience through first-person narratives. The collection can be accessed through museums, libraries, schools, the internet and other digital platforms.

Richardson wasn’t content merely collecting the interviews; she wanted students to interact with and learn directly from people profiled by the HistoryMakers. (Schools interested in taking part in the program can visit www.thehistorymakers.com or send an email to info@thehistorymakers.com. The address of their national headquarters is 1900 South Michigan Avenue Chicago. Telephone 312-674-1900.

The second annual Back to School with the HistoryMakers Day will be Friday, Sept. 23. In as much as I expect to be home this time, I have already requested to go to a school in the Washington, D.C., area with a high concentration of poverty. Because we have so many things in common, I and others who grew up like me can reach those students on a level that many educators can’t.

More often than not, we will be saying the same things that teachers have already told the students. For some reason, when they hear it from outsiders, it is more apt to sink in. That may not be logical but it’s the way many students react. I don’t care why a light suddenly goes off in a student’s mind — I just want it to go off as I urge them to take charge of their future.

That was the message Mr. Hughes instilled in us when I was in high school and that’s the message Back to School with the HistoryMakers will be delivering every year.

George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine and the NNPA News Service, is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. He can be reached through his website, www.georgecurry.com  You can also follow him at www.twitter.com/currygeorge.

About Post Author

Comments

From the Web

Skip to content
Verified by MonsterInsights