In honor of Black History Month, who is a person in current society you look to the most today that has broken a barrier? Why does their story have an impact on you? 

Michelle Obama-I as an African American woman had never visualized that the First Lady of the United States could be someone who looks like me. I feel that Michelle Obama carries herself with grace and awareness of the role that she embraces. As the first black FLOTUS she was able to represent the model of a black woman who was not only successful in her career but stood strong next to her husband (POTUS), took care of her children and maintained her devotion to her initiatives that she chose as FLOTUS. Though Michelle was maligned and racially attacked in the media, she did not retaliate. She simply said “When they go low, We go high”. Michelle had four different “initiatives” that she worked on. The most meaningful one to me was supporting military families. I am a dependent of a career military officer who was born and raised on military installations. Many of those families need the love and support of the civilian population. The dependents need comfort and support when their soldier leaves for one and two tours at a time.  Michelle was instrumental in bringing these families to the light. Currently Michelle still tours and hosts her own podcast show, THE LIGHT PODCAST.

 Who is someone you feel should have a spotlight on them? 

In terms of spotlight, I don’t have just one person. I think that Hamilton Southeastern High School should be in the spotlight for their continuous effort in creating DIVERSITY.  It was not so long ago that I walked down these halls as a student. It was at that time that there was only two African Americans in the whole school (to include staff). The other person was a female as well. There was a bit of a difference between us. She had grown up and gone through the system while I entered the school my second semester junior year. There was no Black history or Black Student Union. Martin Luther King’s day was not celebrated as a holiday until 1991 (my senior year). Now, we have a larger number of African American students as well as teachers and administrative staff who are accessible and can help students who feel that they need to speak to someone who would have a better understanding of them. I feel that HSE students and staff are going through a cultural growth spurt in which we are all learning to accept and understand the diverse cultures that are fostered in this school district. 

 What role does Black History Month have in your life? 

Black History month is important to me because it shines the light on the accomplishments that our race has made.  It gives our young people the opportunity to see that we have made instrumental contributions to this country.  There are many concepts and inventions that have come from the minds of African Americans that are utilized daily.  Some of the notable inventions were the traffic light (Garret Morgan, 1922), clothes dryer (George Sampson, 1892), color monitors for desktops (Mark Dean, 1989), and the search engine (Alan Emtage, 1989). Three African American women were instrumental in NASA’s John Glenn going into outer space. We also have a female black doctor, Kizzmekia Corbett, who was one of the key players in developing the [COVID-19] vaccine. We are a diverse people who have made large strides in contributing to the advancement of society nationally and internationally.