Harriet Tubman
Illustration by Sam Tenney / The Citizen
I know of a person who is patriotic, strong willed, and compassionate: Harriet Tubman. Did you know Harriet Tubman's real name is so secret that most don't know it?
Her birth name was Armanita Ross. Harriet was born in Dorchester County, Md. around 1820. At around age 5, Harriet started her work as a house servant.
When she was about 11 years old she began her work in the fields. Harriet was the best abolitionist ever.
Harriet is patriotic because she volunteered during the Civil War. In the Union Army, she was a cook, a nurse and a spy overhearing important information.
Harriet even led a band of black soldiers on a mission. She helped free slaves during the war.
Harriet was also able to save her 70-year-old parents from slavery in a stolen wagon. She was a speaker on the anti-slavery literature circuit. That's why I think she is patriotic.
She is strong willed because she believed that all God's people should be free.
In a ten year span she made 19 trips south to save more than 300 people from slavery.
These trips earned her the name of “Moses.”
When she was a slave, her strong will often got her whipped. Harriet's faith in God made her strong willed.
Harriet was also compassionate because after the Civil War she saw a need in her community and opened up her home to the elderly and the homeless. She also adopted three girls.
On her trips she carried a gun and said “Move on or die.” Harriet never shot anyone, but did not want them beaten to death for returning to the plantation. Harriet also took part in anti-slavery meetings. She was compassionate because she took care of others who needed help.
So you can see Harriet Tubman was the best abolitionist ever. Harriet was kind and gentle when it came to caring for people, but strong and tough when it came to standing up for what was right in the eyes of God.
Harriet was a woman who never wanted to be famous. She was a hard working farmer who just did what was right in life because of her deep religious faith. Harriet is important to our area because of she spent more than 50 years of her life right here on South Street in Auburn.
- Mikey Esposito
East Middle School
Dorie Miller
His name was Dorie Miller
He grew up to be a griller
He was a cook for the navy
He always made gravy
He fought against Japan
Behind a frying pan
He shot a really big gun
When others had to run
It was from his good will
He knew he had to kill
- Cody Clink
East Middle School
Will Smith (The Prince)
Wow! Did you know Will Smith was born on Sept. 25, 1968. Smith was born in Philadelphia.
At 12 years of age he made his own style of rap. Will is known as an actor and an awesome musician. Three character traits I would give him are determination, cooperation and motivation.
Determination is one trait Will Smith has. Will has a Grammy for best rap performance. Smith made his very own style of rap which many people enjoy.
Smith now runs a company called Overbrook Entertainment, which he made after his Grammy performance. Determination has gotten him far in life.
Cooperation is another trait Will Smith has. The Prince was a great rap duo with the great DJ Jazzy Jeff. Will made a name for himself in the acting business while he was a musician. Smith worked with others for more than six years. Cooperation is Will's best character trait.
Another trait Will Smith has is motivation. Smith is a solo artist because DJ Jazzy Smith quit. Smith played in many movies with many parts and roles.
Will is still a success in the movie career. Motivated is another word that best describes Smith.
Will Smith is a great actor and musician. Will is a great man. Will is married to Jada Pinkett.
- Taylor Duthie
East Middle School
Lorraine Vivian Hansberry
Did you know that a famous author was born on the date of May 19, 1930. That was a long time ago, only a year after Martin Luther King Jr. was born.
Her name was Lorraine Vivian Hansberry. The amazing author Hansberry wrote an awesome play called “A Raisin in the Sun.”
Lorraine was very intelligent. Back then a law was made so blacks and whites could not communicate.
Also back then, with those laws, it made it so not very many blacks could get an education or job but Lorraine did, which is why very many people look up to Lorraine, including myself. I think she is a very intelligent and also a perseverer.
When Lorraine was 16, her father Carl A. Hansberry died. Lorraine helped her mom and brother get through the rough times.
At the age of 18 and the year of 1948, Lorraine successfully finished high school and moved on to college at the University of Chicago. Lorraine went on, studied harder and soon became a successful writer.
More mature and older at the age of 23, in 1953 Lorraine got married to a man named Robert Neminoff. Lorraine attended many important meetings.
One meeting Lorraine attended was the Intercontinental Peace Congress located in Montevideo, Uruguay. On Lorraine's busy schedule, she did not only have to go to meetings and as a writer she had two other jobs as a typist, and an assistant to a furrier.
Lorraine Vivian Hansberry was very motivated. All the hard work Lorraine had, she still had to do one more thing: Write the play “A Raisin in the Sun.” The play “A Raisin In the Sun” was the first play with an all-black crew.
Lorraine's amazing play opened on March 11, 1959 at the Ethel Barrymore Theater. Lorraine was very well known for her writing and parody of Samuel Beckett's “Waiting for Godot” although she was very ill and very sick.
Lorraine left the hospital bed still very sick to go see the writing award winners of the United Negro College. She enlightened the young college students for hope that one they would be like her.
Sadly enough, on the horrible day of Jan. 12, 1965, Lorraine Vivian Hansberry died of cancer. As of today the play “A Raisin the Sun” is very well known. Lorraine Vivian Hansberry will always be remembered.
- Alexandra Ellinger
East Middle School
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks!
Rosa Parks!
Those mean guys are just like sharks!
They put you in jail and that was not a fairy tale.
People do not go on the buses
and the bus companies had big fusses.
Then the bus companies lost money and it was not funny!
- Ariana Petrosino
Owasco Elementary School
Rosa Parks
Hey, do you want to go back in time? Well, I could take you to when Rosa Parks was alive. This is a very cool and exciting story, so listen up. Here we go! We are going to have a blast! Hold on tight ... and we're off!
Almost 50 years ago, Rosa Parks helped change the nation by breaking the rules. She was born on Feb. 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Ala. Her father was a carpenter and her mother was a teacher.
One day she got on a bus. The rules were if a white man or women wanted to sit there, blacks had to go to the back of the bus and let the white people sit in the front. Parks did not like that.
On Dec. 1, 1955, a white man came and wanted to sit. As a black woman, Parks refused to give up her seat. Her refusal sparked the whole nation.
In 1955, some laws required that blacks and whites had to sit separately on buses, in restaurants and in other public places throughout the South, which was called segregation.
When Parks did not give up her seat to the white man, she got arrested. She felt she had the right to be treated like any other passenger.
On Dec. 21, 1956, there was a thing that was going on that was called the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In the Montgomery Bus Boycott, black leaders urged black people to refuse to use the buses in Montgomery.
All of the bus companies lost at least $3,000 a day because black people refused to ride the buses. The famous Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. also helped with the Montgomery Bus Boycott. At the time, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a young preacher.
The boycott was scheduled for only one day, but it lasted 381 days, While the boycott was going on, blacks made up about two-thirds of Montgomery bus riders. It took a long time to walk to work or home trying to avoid the buses.
Later, the U.S. Supreme Court finally ruled that Montgomery could no longer have segregated public transportation system because it violated the Constitution.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 required all public facilities across the country to be desegregated.
Before Parks was a part of the Civil Rights Movement, she was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and worked as a seamstress.
After the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Parks and her family moved to Detroit. There, she worked for U.S. Representative John Conyers until she retired in 1988.
Rosa Park's example of peaceful and nonviolent protest encouraged a generation to take action to change the nation. Parks was a role model to everyone, including the Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick.
So Rosa Parks did a lot of things and everyone in the world should be thankful for her for her bravery, kindness and respect for people all over the world that she doesn't even know. I think that Rosa Parks was a very important person in everyone's life.
Well, are you ready to go back to our time? Let's get back in the time machine. Here we go! Weeeeeee!
- Taylor Ryan
Owasco Elementary School
Oprah Winfrey
Do you know who my favorite African-American is? Oprah Winfrey, of course! I decided to do Oprah Winfrey because she is a great person and she does wonderful things for the world.
Oprah Winfrey was born on Jan. 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Miss. At the age of 3, Oprah learned to read aloud and perform recitations. From the ages of 6 to 13 she lived with her mom in Milwaukee. After being abused, she ran away and was sent to a juvenile detention home. Oprah was denied because all of the beds were
full. There were no other option so Oprah was forced to go to Nashville and live under her father's strict rule. Her father made her read a book and do a book report on it every week! Her father would not accept anything but the best.
Oprah's broadcasting career began at age 17, when she was hired by WVOL radio station in Nashville and two years later signed on with WTVF-TV in Nashville as a reporter/anchor. Oprah later attended Tennessee State University, where she majored in speech communication and performing arts. In 1976, she moved to Baltimore to join WJZ TV's “People are Talking” while continuing to serve as anchor and news reporter. In January 1984, Oprah went to Chicago to host WLS-TV's “AM Chicago.” The format was soon expanded to one hour and in September 1985 it was renamed “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Seen nationally since Sept. 8, 1996, the show became the number one talk show in national syndication in less than a year.
Oprah's love of acting and desire to bring quality entertainment projects into production prompted her to form her own production company called HARPO Productions Inc. in June 1988. “The Oprah Winfrey Show” received its second consecutive Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Talk/Service Program and Oprah received the International Radio and Television Society's “Broadcaster of the Year” award. She was the youngest person and only the fifth woman ever to receive the honor in IRTS's 25-year history. In October 1988, Oprah became the first women ever to have her own talk show. In 1991, motivated by her own memories, she made a campaign to establish a national database of convicted child abusers and testified before a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on behalf of a National Child Protection Act. Oprah Winfrey was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century by Time magazine and in 1998 received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Science. Her influence extended to the publishing industry when she began on-air book club. Oprah's book club selections became instant best sellers and in 1999 she was presented with the National Book Foundation's 50th anniversary gold medal for her service to books and authors.
Oprah is one of the partners in Oxygen Media Inc., a cable channel and interactive network presenting programming designed for women. In 2000, Oprah's Angel Network began presenting a $100,000 “Use Your Life Award” to people who are using their lives to help make the lives of others better. When Forbes magazine published its list of America's billionaires for the year 2003, it disclosed that Oprah Winfrey was the first African-American women to become a billionaire.
Now that you have learned a little bit about the life of Oprah Winfrey, I hope that you can have the same positive feelings for her that I do.
Mallory Collella
Fifth grade
Owasco Elementary
Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron was born on Feb., 5, 1934 in Mobile, Alabama. When he was a kid he played baseball for many years. Hank was the best baseball player that ever lived. When he got older he became better and better. When he got older he became a pro baseball player. He was all time home run king, breaking Babe Ruth's record of 714 career home runs. He holds a lot of records. Hank was also in the top five for career hits and runs. Hank Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. He didn't play high school ball in Mobile, Ala., which somehow hatched the strange story that he batted crosshanded early in his career. He played semi-pro ball when he was 15, and was the shortstop for two seasons with the Indianapolis Clowns in the Negro leagues. In May 1952, the Braves paid $7,500 for Aaron, so he spent the next season and a half tearing up three different minor and winter leagues. In that year's All Star Game, he singled in the tying run in the eighth inning, then scored the eventual winner on Willie Mays' triple.
When Hank Aaron retired he wrote an autobiography and it is called, “I Had a Hammer,” and it was published in 1990. Hank became vice-president for the Atlanta Braves as well. It was around this time that Aaron was acknowledged to be a serious threat to Ruth's lifetime record.
Brian Franceschelli
Fifth grade
Owasco Elementary
Effa Manley
Have you ever heard of Effa Manley? She is a very talented person. She was the first African-American women to get elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Effa co-owned the Newark Eagles, a team in the Negro Leagues. The team from New Jersey won the Negro Leagues World Series in 1946, although that was just one year before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier in 1947. Robinson was the first African-American major league baseball player. “This was a historic day at the Hall of Fame,” said Dale Petroskey, president of the Hall of Fame. “I hoped that someday there would be a woman in the Hall of Fame,” he said. It's a pretty proud moment, but before 1947, the best black players were not allowed to play on the same field with the best white players. At that time they were separated in schools, on buses and many other places. This separation was called segregation Effa Manley was the first African-American women to break that rule. That's why I thing that Effa Manley was interesting.
Michaela Breeze
Fifth grade
Owasco Elementary School
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. is my favorite African-American person. I chose him because he was so brave and risked his life many times. I think he deserved to be free. He was also very hardworking because he did not give up on himself. He worked so hard in school that he graduated from high school at 15 years old. He had a very hard childhood because he couldn't play with his white friends. When he grew up, he led many marches and got people to help change unfair laws. He helped end segregation. I admire Martin Luther King, Jr. because he believed that he could actually change things that are not fair.
Ashton Sloan
Second grade
Herman Avenue School
Rosa Parks
Hello, my name is Rosa Parks. I was born on Feb. 4, 1912, in Alabama. My family and I were treated differently than white people. I was raised in a place where segregation laws prevented us and others like me from doing things because of the color of our skin. Would you believe that if a white person came on a bus and wanted to sit in the seat I was sitting at I would be required by law to give up my seat? I couldn't even go the same school as whites. I knew this was unfair and I wanted to do something about it. Others would just say I was too young, just a kid. They would say, “you can't change anything.” Now I am older and there are still segregation laws. Why do these laws hurt people? I didn't do anything to deserve this.
One day I decided to stand up for myself. It was the best day of my life. It all started when a white man walked onto the bus I was riding. The bus driver told me to let the man have my seat. I said “no,” why should I give up my seat? Well that was something a black person just didn't do back then. I was sent to jail. I know what you are thinking, how can going to jail be a best day. It was then that others started to stand up for themselves like I did. They started to see that people were getting treated unfairly. African-Americans all over the state refused to ride the bus and soon laws were being changed. I'm glad I decided to take a stand and change something
Mackenzie Marie Haff
Herman Avenue Elementary
Jackie Robinson
Just wants to play baseball
Attitude is positive
Caught pop ups as a shortstop
Keeps his cool
Insulted by prejudiced fans
Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962
Rookie of the year in 1947
On the Dodgers team
Breaks baseball's color barrier
Influenced many people
National League's MVP in 1949
Steals bases
On opening 1947, 26,000 Dodger fans came to watch him
Never gives up
Tommy Walsh
Herman Avenue Elementary
Martin Luther King Jr.
I am not a king of royalty, not a king of crime.
I am a king of words, a king of rhyme.
I tell everything about blacks and whites,
why segregation is wrong and why we should not fight.
Why do people kill? Make people ill?
Over something silly, if we're black or if we're white.
Different on the outside, alike on the in.
Forget about the colors, forget about the sins.
I hope you will think a thing or two,
how he made a difference for most of you.
Segregation is wrong and we should all get along.
Remember me someday, a great man who made things right.
for the people like me today.
Audriana Ruiz
Herman Avenue Elementary
Harriet Tubman
I did a book report about Harriet Tubman and I learned cool stuff about her. She was born in 1820 in Maryland. When she was only 3 years old, she had to work as a slave on the plantation of Edward Brodas. Harriett was hit in the head and almost died. After a long time, she got better, but she would still pretend sometimes that she was sick. She was sent away to work for someone else for a awhile, where they beat her and starved her so they could control her better. It did not work - it made her stronger.
She always dreamed of freedom, and one day she ran away. She met people who helped her gain her freedom. She wanted to free her family too, so she risked her life to save her family and many other slaves. She made a total of 19 rescue trips. She also worked in the Civil War as a nurse and a spy.
Harriet Tubman did not know her actual birthday since she was a slave and it was not recorded. She was married twice. She had many names like Araminta, Minty, Harriet, General and Moses. At her funeral, they sang “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” When she was 11, she was as strong as a man.
She is famous because she freed slaves and never got caught. She is famous for living through many hardships and helping so many people. She is a good example for everyone.
Madeline Palesh
Herman Avenue Elementary
Bill Cosby
The person I picked as my favorite African-American of achievement is Bill Cosby. Bill Cosby was born on July 12, 1937, in Philadelphia. Mr. Cosby has a wife, Camille, who he met at a stand-up comedy club in Washington, D.C. They got married on Jan. 25, 1964, and had five children, four girls and one boy. Sadly, his son was shot to death while changing a flat tire on the side of a Los Angeles freeway in 1997.
Bill Cosby has done many things during his career. He is an author, stand-up comedian, television star and movie star. He got his start as a stand-up comedian. He also landed a role in the TV series I spy. He created the children's cartoon series “Fat Albert” and “The Cosby Kids” and did several of the voices in the cartoon. This cartoon was about children that grew up in the city and learned lessons about friendship. Bill Cosby was also a spokesperson for foods like Jell-o pudding, Kodak films and Coca Cola. In the 1980s he produced and stared in “The Cosby Show,” which was about an African-American family that has everyday family issues. This program was on from 1984 to 1992. Mr. Cosby though it was important to show people a normal African-American family.
Mr. Cosby feels that education is the most important thing for young people, especially young African-Americans. He believes that all people should be well educated. He has earned many degrees including an ED.D. from the University of Massachusetts. He visits colleges and universities and speaks to the students about how important their education is while using humor to make them listen.
The reason I admire Bill Cosby is because he has done many things with his life but always keeps in mind that family, education, and humor are important
Tess Kennedy
Herman Avenue Elementary
Ray Charles
A black jazz artist
But he ain't no mad artist
He creates jazz and blues
For people like me and you
Even though he was blind
He had a creative mind
Now we know that he's dead
He plays on the radio instead
Caleb Daigle
Herman Avenue Elementary
Dominique Dawes
My favorite African-American of achievement is Dominique Dawes, so, that's why I wrote a poem about her called “An Olympic Star Life.”
Olympic star, Olympic star
you are original yes you are!
Before the Olympics had began
college, college was your plan.
Movies, singing, acting, cooking
taking jobs and always looking.
Later on, on plans ahead
thinking of plans when you're in bed.
Returning to the place where you belong
like a simple little song.
Flipping a fantastic flip
taking a medal from the championship.
Metals, metals on the ball
Taking them and thanking all.
Pictures, pictures, interviews
making history on the news!
Your coach is very proud of you
and every one who knows you too
it doesn't matter if you're black or white
you're always wonderful in my sight.
Leslie Kiser
Herman Avenue Elementary
Oprah Winfrey
My favorite African-American of achievement is Oprah Winfrey because she helps people all over the world. She is a good role model for people of all ages.
Oprah Winfrey was born on Jan. 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi. When Oprah was little she raised by her grandmother. Her grandmother taught her to read at the age of 3. From the age of 6 to 13 she lived with her mother. When she was there she was abused so she ran away and was sent to a juvenile facility. When she was released she was sent to live with her father. One night she stayed out with her friends until midnight, and she had to write one book report every week. When growing up, Oprah pretended to fake robbery at her own house just to get newer stuff.
At the age of 17, she was hired by a radio station called WVOL in Nashville, then two years later she was hired as an anchor and reporter for WTVF TV. In 1971, she graduated from Tennessee State University. In 1978, Oprah discovered she was a good talk show host and worked for WFZ-TV's “People, We Are Talking.” In 1985. the show called “A.M. Chicago” was renamed “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
On Sept. 8, 1996, The Oprah Winfrey Show became the no. 1 talk show. In 1987 and 1998, the Oprah Winfrey Show received Daytime Emmy Awards. Oprah was the youngest woman to receive the International Radio and Television Society honors in a 25-year history. All of her performances got an Oscar and Golden Globe Award for best supporting actress. Oprah was the first person to own and produce her own TV show. She also was the first African-American woman to become a billionaire.
Oprah Winfrey has done many things to help around the world. Oprah raised over $3.5 million for students who need money for college. She also helps build houses for people all over America. She also helped build a school building in Africa. I picked Oprah for my African-American of achievement because she helps people all over the world.
Kassidi Streeter
Genesee Elementary School
Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges was not just an ordinary African-American, she was a hero. Ruby was born in New Orleans on Sept. 8, 1954. She turned 6 in 1960 and that's when America changed. In 1960, the schools were still segregated but nobody knew that Ruby was about to change that. Where Ruby's parent's house laid was very far from the Africa- American school. All of the city's councils agreed that Ruby had a legal right to go to the public school.
Once the people found out she was attending the all-white school, many got frustrated and angry. Many tried to hurt Ruby and she had to get escorted into school by police officers. Angry mobs formed around the school that Ruby was attending and threw food at her. She was all alone in the school with no one but the teacher. It must have been lonely being all alone.
The scariest part of it all was that parents were threatening to kill her. I don't now how she had the guts to keep going to school. Ruby is my absolute hero just because she did what no one else could. She did the impossible, she put an end to segregation in the schools.
Alexis King
West Middle School
Her birth name was Armanita Ross. Harriet was born in Dorchester County, Md. around 1820. At around age 5, Harriet started her work as a house servant.
When she was about 11 years old she began her work in the fields. Harriet was the best abolitionist ever.
Harriet is patriotic because she volunteered during the Civil War. In the Union Army, she was a cook, a nurse and a spy overhearing important information.
Harriet even led a band of black soldiers on a mission. She helped free slaves during the war.
Harriet was also able to save her 70-year-old parents from slavery in a stolen wagon. She was a speaker on the anti-slavery literature circuit. That's why I think she is patriotic.
She is strong willed because she believed that all God's people should be free.
In a ten year span she made 19 trips south to save more than 300 people from slavery.
These trips earned her the name of “Moses.”
When she was a slave, her strong will often got her whipped. Harriet's faith in God made her strong willed.
Harriet was also compassionate because after the Civil War she saw a need in her community and opened up her home to the elderly and the homeless. She also adopted three girls.
On her trips she carried a gun and said “Move on or die.” Harriet never shot anyone, but did not want them beaten to death for returning to the plantation. Harriet also took part in anti-slavery meetings. She was compassionate because she took care of others who needed help.
So you can see Harriet Tubman was the best abolitionist ever. Harriet was kind and gentle when it came to caring for people, but strong and tough when it came to standing up for what was right in the eyes of God.
Harriet was a woman who never wanted to be famous. She was a hard working farmer who just did what was right in life because of her deep religious faith. Harriet is important to our area because of she spent more than 50 years of her life right here on South Street in Auburn.
- Mikey Esposito
East Middle School
Dorie Miller
His name was Dorie Miller
He grew up to be a griller
He was a cook for the navy
He always made gravy
He fought against Japan
Behind a frying pan
He shot a really big gun
When others had to run
It was from his good will
He knew he had to kill
- Cody Clink
East Middle School
Will Smith (The Prince)
Wow! Did you know Will Smith was born on Sept. 25, 1968. Smith was born in Philadelphia.
At 12 years of age he made his own style of rap. Will is known as an actor and an awesome musician. Three character traits I would give him are determination, cooperation and motivation.
Determination is one trait Will Smith has. Will has a Grammy for best rap performance. Smith made his very own style of rap which many people enjoy.
Smith now runs a company called Overbrook Entertainment, which he made after his Grammy performance. Determination has gotten him far in life.
Cooperation is another trait Will Smith has. The Prince was a great rap duo with the great DJ Jazzy Jeff. Will made a name for himself in the acting business while he was a musician. Smith worked with others for more than six years. Cooperation is Will's best character trait.
Another trait Will Smith has is motivation. Smith is a solo artist because DJ Jazzy Smith quit. Smith played in many movies with many parts and roles.
Will is still a success in the movie career. Motivated is another word that best describes Smith.
Will Smith is a great actor and musician. Will is a great man. Will is married to Jada Pinkett.
- Taylor Duthie
East Middle School
Lorraine Vivian Hansberry
Did you know that a famous author was born on the date of May 19, 1930. That was a long time ago, only a year after Martin Luther King Jr. was born.
Her name was Lorraine Vivian Hansberry. The amazing author Hansberry wrote an awesome play called “A Raisin in the Sun.”
Lorraine was very intelligent. Back then a law was made so blacks and whites could not communicate.
Also back then, with those laws, it made it so not very many blacks could get an education or job but Lorraine did, which is why very many people look up to Lorraine, including myself. I think she is a very intelligent and also a perseverer.
When Lorraine was 16, her father Carl A. Hansberry died. Lorraine helped her mom and brother get through the rough times.
At the age of 18 and the year of 1948, Lorraine successfully finished high school and moved on to college at the University of Chicago. Lorraine went on, studied harder and soon became a successful writer.
More mature and older at the age of 23, in 1953 Lorraine got married to a man named Robert Neminoff. Lorraine attended many important meetings.
One meeting Lorraine attended was the Intercontinental Peace Congress located in Montevideo, Uruguay. On Lorraine's busy schedule, she did not only have to go to meetings and as a writer she had two other jobs as a typist, and an assistant to a furrier.
Lorraine Vivian Hansberry was very motivated. All the hard work Lorraine had, she still had to do one more thing: Write the play “A Raisin in the Sun.” The play “A Raisin In the Sun” was the first play with an all-black crew.
Lorraine's amazing play opened on March 11, 1959 at the Ethel Barrymore Theater. Lorraine was very well known for her writing and parody of Samuel Beckett's “Waiting for Godot” although she was very ill and very sick.
Lorraine left the hospital bed still very sick to go see the writing award winners of the United Negro College. She enlightened the young college students for hope that one they would be like her.
Sadly enough, on the horrible day of Jan. 12, 1965, Lorraine Vivian Hansberry died of cancer. As of today the play “A Raisin the Sun” is very well known. Lorraine Vivian Hansberry will always be remembered.
- Alexandra Ellinger
East Middle School
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks!
Rosa Parks!
Those mean guys are just like sharks!
They put you in jail and that was not a fairy tale.
People do not go on the buses
and the bus companies had big fusses.
Then the bus companies lost money and it was not funny!
- Ariana Petrosino
Owasco Elementary School
Rosa Parks
Hey, do you want to go back in time? Well, I could take you to when Rosa Parks was alive. This is a very cool and exciting story, so listen up. Here we go! We are going to have a blast! Hold on tight ... and we're off!
Almost 50 years ago, Rosa Parks helped change the nation by breaking the rules. She was born on Feb. 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Ala. Her father was a carpenter and her mother was a teacher.
One day she got on a bus. The rules were if a white man or women wanted to sit there, blacks had to go to the back of the bus and let the white people sit in the front. Parks did not like that.
On Dec. 1, 1955, a white man came and wanted to sit. As a black woman, Parks refused to give up her seat. Her refusal sparked the whole nation.
In 1955, some laws required that blacks and whites had to sit separately on buses, in restaurants and in other public places throughout the South, which was called segregation.
When Parks did not give up her seat to the white man, she got arrested. She felt she had the right to be treated like any other passenger.
On Dec. 21, 1956, there was a thing that was going on that was called the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In the Montgomery Bus Boycott, black leaders urged black people to refuse to use the buses in Montgomery.
All of the bus companies lost at least $3,000 a day because black people refused to ride the buses. The famous Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. also helped with the Montgomery Bus Boycott. At the time, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a young preacher.
The boycott was scheduled for only one day, but it lasted 381 days, While the boycott was going on, blacks made up about two-thirds of Montgomery bus riders. It took a long time to walk to work or home trying to avoid the buses.
Later, the U.S. Supreme Court finally ruled that Montgomery could no longer have segregated public transportation system because it violated the Constitution.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 required all public facilities across the country to be desegregated.
Before Parks was a part of the Civil Rights Movement, she was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and worked as a seamstress.
After the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Parks and her family moved to Detroit. There, she worked for U.S. Representative John Conyers until she retired in 1988.
Rosa Park's example of peaceful and nonviolent protest encouraged a generation to take action to change the nation. Parks was a role model to everyone, including the Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick.
So Rosa Parks did a lot of things and everyone in the world should be thankful for her for her bravery, kindness and respect for people all over the world that she doesn't even know. I think that Rosa Parks was a very important person in everyone's life.
Well, are you ready to go back to our time? Let's get back in the time machine. Here we go! Weeeeeee!
- Taylor Ryan
Owasco Elementary School
Oprah Winfrey
Do you know who my favorite African-American is? Oprah Winfrey, of course! I decided to do Oprah Winfrey because she is a great person and she does wonderful things for the world.
Oprah Winfrey was born on Jan. 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Miss. At the age of 3, Oprah learned to read aloud and perform recitations. From the ages of 6 to 13 she lived with her mom in Milwaukee. After being abused, she ran away and was sent to a juvenile detention home. Oprah was denied because all of the beds were
full. There were no other option so Oprah was forced to go to Nashville and live under her father's strict rule. Her father made her read a book and do a book report on it every week! Her father would not accept anything but the best.
Oprah's broadcasting career began at age 17, when she was hired by WVOL radio station in Nashville and two years later signed on with WTVF-TV in Nashville as a reporter/anchor. Oprah later attended Tennessee State University, where she majored in speech communication and performing arts. In 1976, she moved to Baltimore to join WJZ TV's “People are Talking” while continuing to serve as anchor and news reporter. In January 1984, Oprah went to Chicago to host WLS-TV's “AM Chicago.” The format was soon expanded to one hour and in September 1985 it was renamed “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Seen nationally since Sept. 8, 1996, the show became the number one talk show in national syndication in less than a year.
Oprah's love of acting and desire to bring quality entertainment projects into production prompted her to form her own production company called HARPO Productions Inc. in June 1988. “The Oprah Winfrey Show” received its second consecutive Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Talk/Service Program and Oprah received the International Radio and Television Society's “Broadcaster of the Year” award. She was the youngest person and only the fifth woman ever to receive the honor in IRTS's 25-year history. In October 1988, Oprah became the first women ever to have her own talk show. In 1991, motivated by her own memories, she made a campaign to establish a national database of convicted child abusers and testified before a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on behalf of a National Child Protection Act. Oprah Winfrey was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century by Time magazine and in 1998 received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Science. Her influence extended to the publishing industry when she began on-air book club. Oprah's book club selections became instant best sellers and in 1999 she was presented with the National Book Foundation's 50th anniversary gold medal for her service to books and authors.
Oprah is one of the partners in Oxygen Media Inc., a cable channel and interactive network presenting programming designed for women. In 2000, Oprah's Angel Network began presenting a $100,000 “Use Your Life Award” to people who are using their lives to help make the lives of others better. When Forbes magazine published its list of America's billionaires for the year 2003, it disclosed that Oprah Winfrey was the first African-American women to become a billionaire.
Now that you have learned a little bit about the life of Oprah Winfrey, I hope that you can have the same positive feelings for her that I do.
Mallory Collella
Fifth grade
Owasco Elementary
Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron was born on Feb., 5, 1934 in Mobile, Alabama. When he was a kid he played baseball for many years. Hank was the best baseball player that ever lived. When he got older he became better and better. When he got older he became a pro baseball player. He was all time home run king, breaking Babe Ruth's record of 714 career home runs. He holds a lot of records. Hank was also in the top five for career hits and runs. Hank Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. He didn't play high school ball in Mobile, Ala., which somehow hatched the strange story that he batted crosshanded early in his career. He played semi-pro ball when he was 15, and was the shortstop for two seasons with the Indianapolis Clowns in the Negro leagues. In May 1952, the Braves paid $7,500 for Aaron, so he spent the next season and a half tearing up three different minor and winter leagues. In that year's All Star Game, he singled in the tying run in the eighth inning, then scored the eventual winner on Willie Mays' triple.
When Hank Aaron retired he wrote an autobiography and it is called, “I Had a Hammer,” and it was published in 1990. Hank became vice-president for the Atlanta Braves as well. It was around this time that Aaron was acknowledged to be a serious threat to Ruth's lifetime record.
Brian Franceschelli
Fifth grade
Owasco Elementary
Effa Manley
Have you ever heard of Effa Manley? She is a very talented person. She was the first African-American women to get elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Effa co-owned the Newark Eagles, a team in the Negro Leagues. The team from New Jersey won the Negro Leagues World Series in 1946, although that was just one year before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier in 1947. Robinson was the first African-American major league baseball player. “This was a historic day at the Hall of Fame,” said Dale Petroskey, president of the Hall of Fame. “I hoped that someday there would be a woman in the Hall of Fame,” he said. It's a pretty proud moment, but before 1947, the best black players were not allowed to play on the same field with the best white players. At that time they were separated in schools, on buses and many other places. This separation was called segregation Effa Manley was the first African-American women to break that rule. That's why I thing that Effa Manley was interesting.
Michaela Breeze
Fifth grade
Owasco Elementary School
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. is my favorite African-American person. I chose him because he was so brave and risked his life many times. I think he deserved to be free. He was also very hardworking because he did not give up on himself. He worked so hard in school that he graduated from high school at 15 years old. He had a very hard childhood because he couldn't play with his white friends. When he grew up, he led many marches and got people to help change unfair laws. He helped end segregation. I admire Martin Luther King, Jr. because he believed that he could actually change things that are not fair.
Ashton Sloan
Second grade
Herman Avenue School
Rosa Parks
Hello, my name is Rosa Parks. I was born on Feb. 4, 1912, in Alabama. My family and I were treated differently than white people. I was raised in a place where segregation laws prevented us and others like me from doing things because of the color of our skin. Would you believe that if a white person came on a bus and wanted to sit in the seat I was sitting at I would be required by law to give up my seat? I couldn't even go the same school as whites. I knew this was unfair and I wanted to do something about it. Others would just say I was too young, just a kid. They would say, “you can't change anything.” Now I am older and there are still segregation laws. Why do these laws hurt people? I didn't do anything to deserve this.
One day I decided to stand up for myself. It was the best day of my life. It all started when a white man walked onto the bus I was riding. The bus driver told me to let the man have my seat. I said “no,” why should I give up my seat? Well that was something a black person just didn't do back then. I was sent to jail. I know what you are thinking, how can going to jail be a best day. It was then that others started to stand up for themselves like I did. They started to see that people were getting treated unfairly. African-Americans all over the state refused to ride the bus and soon laws were being changed. I'm glad I decided to take a stand and change something
Mackenzie Marie Haff
Herman Avenue Elementary
Jackie Robinson
Just wants to play baseball
Attitude is positive
Caught pop ups as a shortstop
Keeps his cool
Insulted by prejudiced fans
Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962
Rookie of the year in 1947
On the Dodgers team
Breaks baseball's color barrier
Influenced many people
National League's MVP in 1949
Steals bases
On opening 1947, 26,000 Dodger fans came to watch him
Never gives up
Tommy Walsh
Herman Avenue Elementary
Martin Luther King Jr.
I am not a king of royalty, not a king of crime.
I am a king of words, a king of rhyme.
I tell everything about blacks and whites,
why segregation is wrong and why we should not fight.
Why do people kill? Make people ill?
Over something silly, if we're black or if we're white.
Different on the outside, alike on the in.
Forget about the colors, forget about the sins.
I hope you will think a thing or two,
how he made a difference for most of you.
Segregation is wrong and we should all get along.
Remember me someday, a great man who made things right.
for the people like me today.
Audriana Ruiz
Herman Avenue Elementary
Harriet Tubman
I did a book report about Harriet Tubman and I learned cool stuff about her. She was born in 1820 in Maryland. When she was only 3 years old, she had to work as a slave on the plantation of Edward Brodas. Harriett was hit in the head and almost died. After a long time, she got better, but she would still pretend sometimes that she was sick. She was sent away to work for someone else for a awhile, where they beat her and starved her so they could control her better. It did not work - it made her stronger.
She always dreamed of freedom, and one day she ran away. She met people who helped her gain her freedom. She wanted to free her family too, so she risked her life to save her family and many other slaves. She made a total of 19 rescue trips. She also worked in the Civil War as a nurse and a spy.
Harriet Tubman did not know her actual birthday since she was a slave and it was not recorded. She was married twice. She had many names like Araminta, Minty, Harriet, General and Moses. At her funeral, they sang “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” When she was 11, she was as strong as a man.
She is famous because she freed slaves and never got caught. She is famous for living through many hardships and helping so many people. She is a good example for everyone.
Madeline Palesh
Herman Avenue Elementary
Bill Cosby
The person I picked as my favorite African-American of achievement is Bill Cosby. Bill Cosby was born on July 12, 1937, in Philadelphia. Mr. Cosby has a wife, Camille, who he met at a stand-up comedy club in Washington, D.C. They got married on Jan. 25, 1964, and had five children, four girls and one boy. Sadly, his son was shot to death while changing a flat tire on the side of a Los Angeles freeway in 1997.
Bill Cosby has done many things during his career. He is an author, stand-up comedian, television star and movie star. He got his start as a stand-up comedian. He also landed a role in the TV series I spy. He created the children's cartoon series “Fat Albert” and “The Cosby Kids” and did several of the voices in the cartoon. This cartoon was about children that grew up in the city and learned lessons about friendship. Bill Cosby was also a spokesperson for foods like Jell-o pudding, Kodak films and Coca Cola. In the 1980s he produced and stared in “The Cosby Show,” which was about an African-American family that has everyday family issues. This program was on from 1984 to 1992. Mr. Cosby though it was important to show people a normal African-American family.
Mr. Cosby feels that education is the most important thing for young people, especially young African-Americans. He believes that all people should be well educated. He has earned many degrees including an ED.D. from the University of Massachusetts. He visits colleges and universities and speaks to the students about how important their education is while using humor to make them listen.
The reason I admire Bill Cosby is because he has done many things with his life but always keeps in mind that family, education, and humor are important
Tess Kennedy
Herman Avenue Elementary
Ray Charles
A black jazz artist
But he ain't no mad artist
He creates jazz and blues
For people like me and you
Even though he was blind
He had a creative mind
Now we know that he's dead
He plays on the radio instead
Caleb Daigle
Herman Avenue Elementary
Dominique Dawes
My favorite African-American of achievement is Dominique Dawes, so, that's why I wrote a poem about her called “An Olympic Star Life.”
Olympic star, Olympic star
you are original yes you are!
Before the Olympics had began
college, college was your plan.
Movies, singing, acting, cooking
taking jobs and always looking.
Later on, on plans ahead
thinking of plans when you're in bed.
Returning to the place where you belong
like a simple little song.
Flipping a fantastic flip
taking a medal from the championship.
Metals, metals on the ball
Taking them and thanking all.
Pictures, pictures, interviews
making history on the news!
Your coach is very proud of you
and every one who knows you too
it doesn't matter if you're black or white
you're always wonderful in my sight.
Leslie Kiser
Herman Avenue Elementary
Oprah Winfrey
My favorite African-American of achievement is Oprah Winfrey because she helps people all over the world. She is a good role model for people of all ages.
Oprah Winfrey was born on Jan. 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi. When Oprah was little she raised by her grandmother. Her grandmother taught her to read at the age of 3. From the age of 6 to 13 she lived with her mother. When she was there she was abused so she ran away and was sent to a juvenile facility. When she was released she was sent to live with her father. One night she stayed out with her friends until midnight, and she had to write one book report every week. When growing up, Oprah pretended to fake robbery at her own house just to get newer stuff.
At the age of 17, she was hired by a radio station called WVOL in Nashville, then two years later she was hired as an anchor and reporter for WTVF TV. In 1971, she graduated from Tennessee State University. In 1978, Oprah discovered she was a good talk show host and worked for WFZ-TV's “People, We Are Talking.” In 1985. the show called “A.M. Chicago” was renamed “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
On Sept. 8, 1996, The Oprah Winfrey Show became the no. 1 talk show. In 1987 and 1998, the Oprah Winfrey Show received Daytime Emmy Awards. Oprah was the youngest woman to receive the International Radio and Television Society honors in a 25-year history. All of her performances got an Oscar and Golden Globe Award for best supporting actress. Oprah was the first person to own and produce her own TV show. She also was the first African-American woman to become a billionaire.
Oprah Winfrey has done many things to help around the world. Oprah raised over $3.5 million for students who need money for college. She also helps build houses for people all over America. She also helped build a school building in Africa. I picked Oprah for my African-American of achievement because she helps people all over the world.
Kassidi Streeter
Genesee Elementary School
Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges was not just an ordinary African-American, she was a hero. Ruby was born in New Orleans on Sept. 8, 1954. She turned 6 in 1960 and that's when America changed. In 1960, the schools were still segregated but nobody knew that Ruby was about to change that. Where Ruby's parent's house laid was very far from the Africa- American school. All of the city's councils agreed that Ruby had a legal right to go to the public school.
Once the people found out she was attending the all-white school, many got frustrated and angry. Many tried to hurt Ruby and she had to get escorted into school by police officers. Angry mobs formed around the school that Ruby was attending and threw food at her. She was all alone in the school with no one but the teacher. It must have been lonely being all alone.
The scariest part of it all was that parents were threatening to kill her. I don't now how she had the guts to keep going to school. Ruby is my absolute hero just because she did what no one else could. She did the impossible, she put an end to segregation in the schools.
Alexis King
West Middle School
