2018 Black History Month Edition

ENVISION EQUITY FEBRUARY 2018
my
world
daily
with
new life
lessons
and
encouragement to remain strong in my
convictions and commitments. Then,
naturally, I thought of all the great
women of history and the present who
blazed the path and made dreams
possible for us all. I am grateful to
Harriett Tubman, Sojourner Truth,
Mahalia Jackson, Angela Davis, Betty
Shabazz, Barbara Jordan, Maya
Angelou, Coretta Scott King, Georgia
Davis Powers, Maxine Waters, Aretha
Franklin, Chaka Khan, Oprah, and Misty
Copeland, who reminded us all that
with extreme will and a willingness to
work, we
can
accomplish
much.
However,
there is
another
group of
women in
my sphere
of
Above, Olmsted Academy South students pose with
their certificates at the closing of the G.I.R.L.S. On
The Rise program.
influence who stimulate my thinking,
motivate me to want to do great things
for myself and others, encourage me
during those long days and late nights
at my desk, energize me, and remind
me of why I must get to school each
day. They range in ages from 11 to 13
and represent many cultural groups
and ethnic hues, and they have the
unlimited power to excite me and
make me believe that with hard work
and dedication to the task, we can
make the world a better future place
with no opportunity gaps! They inspire
me because despite the rhetoric that
suggests so many of them are
disengaged from what matters in life,
disinterested in academics and the role
academics play in their futures, and are
interested only in the newest cellphone
or sneaker—these students continue to
show up each day. They show up,
holding out hope that today will be the
day that they get the answers to the
deep
issues
that
plague
them in
their
home
lives and
the
promises
that
there will
be safety and a future for them. They
show up hoping that they will find at
least one adult who will listen and not