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?
Honestly, Beyonce. I admire her desire to create in a different genre and pursue country music. In my opinion, she is a musical genius who has primarily created music in the genres of R&B and Pop, dabbled into Rap/Hip-Hop, and is now exploring Country. Although she’s received backlash, she has broken another barrier and is now the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Her story is impactful because she has been a musical artist since the age of 16, now 42 years old. Throughout those 26 years she has proven that you can always grow and do not have to settle in just one thing, you can do it all. She has made tons of music, headline major performances, starred in documentaries, started a perfume brand as well as a hair-care brand, all while doing what she loves. The sky is truly the limit.
Who is someone you feel should have a spotlight on them?
Someone that I feel should have the spotlight on them is Dr. Shameka Stewart, also known as the Juvenile Forensic Speech-Language Pathologist. She holds a PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a Juris Doctor of Law degree. She specializes in Child Language Disorders and juvenile forensic and assessment within multicultural populations and youth placed at-risk for delinquency or involvement in the justice system. Her research focuses on increasing cultural awareness and treatment of at-risk/under-served minority youth nationally and internationally. Specifically, she focuses on language and literacy development and its impact on academic success and criminal thinking and behavior, and criminal recidivism in at-risk/disconnected African American and Caribbean youth with cognitive-communicative disorders. Here is her site: https://www.juvforensicslp.com/.
What role does Black History Month have in your life?
Black History Month not only plays a celebratory role in my life, but it serves as two reminders. One, a reminder to pay homage to those who paved the way for me to be where I am today. Two, a reminder to pick up where those leaders left off and continue to the legacy of challenging barriers, advocating for equity, and raising awareness on modern disparities and discrimination. When educating myself on the many individuals who have served the Black community and the recent sacrifices that they have made, I realize that there is still work to be done. Furthermore, there is nothing to it but to do it.