PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Public Schools honored Black History Month and inspired students during a special event on Wednesday.
Channel 11′s Talia Kirkland was one of several special guests at Fulton Elementary School. She spoke with students about what Black History Month means to them.
She joined Mayor Ed Gainey, EMS Chief Amera Gilchrist, a Navy veteran and three dozen other professionals.
“The more knowledge you get, the more you light up the world,” Mayor Gainey said.
At PPS Fulton during Black History Month, students don’t just honor the past change makers, they get to envison themselves as the future -- learning about Black leaders making a difference in their community.
“The thing that I love about this day, the Black History Series, is to see people living that are making history today,” PPS Fulton teacher Sonia Brown said.
Throughout February, students prepare for the annual celebration, adorning the halls with vibrant colors and pictures of past Black leaders, entertainers and athletes — sharing the stories about their contributions to the country and how they’ve shaped the future. Teachers tell Channel 11 it’s not just the students who benefit from the month-long lesson plan, everyone in the building and families take part.
“For me, it’s eye-opening because there are so many things that when these posters roll out, there are so many things I did not know, and every year my eyes are open to more and more things,” PPS Fulton teacher Amy Nicols said.
The celebration kicked off with the Negro national anthem and a spoken word performance. The local professionals in attendance wanted to teach students that regardless of their skin color, they can be whatever they want to be as long as they work hard.
Parent Alisha West says this year’s celebration took on a deeper meaning.
“This is an important event, especially in today’s climate, for our students to understand that we have Black History to show that there are pioneers in the world to show that color what gender you are that you can be successful,” she said.
At the end of the day, we asked students what they learned.
“Black girls can do anything they want to do; they can accomplish anything no matter what others say,” said 5th-grade student Skylar Matthews.
And how they plan to change the world.
“I want to be a mayor,” said 4th-grade student Royce Green.
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