A Better America (Opinion)

I just want to congratulate Kamala Harris for becoming our first black woman vice president of the United States. I knew something was special about her. Look at my two posts below before A Better America.

A Better America was a project that I began this school year with my students.

It was created from the words from former president Obama’s eulogy on John Lewis, American statesman and civil rights leader. Obama stated that John Lewis would be known as the ‘Founding Father Of That Fuller, Fairer, Better America.’

 Those words had a strong impact on me especially the words, better America. From there I wanted to create a project dedicated to John Lewis which would show how African Americans throughout history fought and helped change American culture for the better.

My students took on the challenge of researching many great African Americans who had a strong impact and great influence on American culture. Besides researching these great individuals

The students also had the challenge of constructing their own timeline showing a path of how African Americans played a pivotal part in United States history.

Below was the beginning stages of this historic project and would continue throughout the school year with more great individuals to discuss.

A BETTER AMERICA

Obama Eulogizes John Lewis, ’Founding Father Of That Fuller, Fairer, Better America’

OBJECTIVE: Our focus will be on how African Americans fought hard against being discriminated against throughout history and how they helped shape American culture and way of life for the better. 

Below are individuals and groups who made a huge impact on American history. Every week select two individuals or groups and write (type) five paragraphs on how this person or group fought against discrimination, and how did this person or group make a huge impact that helped shape America.

Then get a journal and write down the name of the person you selected or group and an event they were associated with along with the date and year which you feel made a huge impact on American life. Keep this Journal safe as you will need it for a future project with all your major events.

Below are major individuals and groups who helped shape America. Let’s enrich our history. 

Kamala Harris: NEW AND FIRST BLACK WOMAN VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

Black Lives Matter

Chadwick Boseman

Jackie Robinson

Thurgood Marshall

James Brown

Tuskegee Airmen

54^th Massachusetts Regiment

Nelson Mandela

Barack Obama

Martin Luther King Jr.

Muhammad Ali

Mary W. Jackson (NASA)

Katherine Johnson (NASA)

Dorothy Vaughan (NASA)

Jeanette Epps

Mae C. Jemison

Kizzmekia Corbett

Don Shirley

Yvette McGee Brown

Buffalo Soldiers (1866)

Malcolm X

Bernice King

Joseph Cinque

Frederick Douglass

Kobe Bryant

Duke Ellington

Louis Armstrong

Miles Davis

Shirley Chisholm

Maya Angelou

Phillis Wheatley

Rebecca Lee Crumpler

John Lewis

James McCune Smith

Louis T. Wright

Michael Jordan

Lebron James

Vivien Thomas

May Edward Chinn

Below images of a beautiful timeline of A Better America created by Aaliyah Oxner.

In addition, A Better America project sparked students to create their own football team for the NFL representing UNITY. With this project students were to select players from all different backgrounds to be a part of their dream NFL team. The purpose of their team was to show that all races were united and a call to end racism and discrimination.

Below was a project developed by Diamond Harris, Marely Garcia, A’miracle Reynolds.

Below, more images of Football helmets from my students which were created to represent UNITY.

On a side note of success during the pandemic. An ad for the Asbury Park School District published in Prehistoric Times Magazine issue 135.