Something Nubian

Prior to Hurricane Michael, I would put write the birthdays of black historical figures on a calendar for the entire year for my children. I wouldn’t wait until the beginning of the school year because I was always waiting for the new calendars to come out at the store in October. This year I decided to go back to the basics but switch things up. Some children have already gone back to school and most likely will not learn anything about Black History this month! It is important to show these melanated children they have always been more than slaves and criminals. 

Today is Henrietta Lacks’s birthday, she would have been 70, and just one year younger than my father. My husband and I just recently watched The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks or HeLa in the scientific world. I knew it would be amazing and sometimes you just have to get yourself ready for what you are about to see. I wasn’t ready.

It was not gory or even gruesome, it was sad and frustrating, however amazing! She is a scientific phenomenon! Mrs. Lacks really will outlive her own children and my children. If not for the movie, I would have never heard of her and this woman Ms. Skloot who wrote this book is what inspired Oprah to share her story with the world because as a culture we wouldn’t know to look for this hidden treasure, possibly. 

Reading is fundamental!

Black History is being removed from the textbooks rapidly

I created this freebie for our morning writing. I wanted the girls to write about importance of Henrietta Lacks and how she is living in every one of us today, in their own words and I also wanted to share this freebie for others to see as well!

While creating the freebie I made some changes to the calendar. I love this calendar, it is full of birthdays and events of what took place that month historically which can be used over and over to build on educating our children, before it was full of spaces. We are parents who are fully aware Black History is being removed from the textbooks rapidly in school and our children are becoming less and less educated on themselves, increasing systematic racism more and more.

It is important to send our children to school and out into the world knowing there is more to them than slavery and becoming a statistic for prison.  Teaching them about the ancestors will boost their self esteem. I know this because it has completely boosted mine.

I remember growing up and being embarrassed to be black, due to a lack of knowledge. All my friends were mixed, white or Hispanic and it seemed they were not concerned about my race, not like I was. I wanted nothing to do with my own culture because I was not taught at home or anywhere else how we prospered before and after Trans Atlantic Slavery.

I have broken that curse with my children but we have a long ways to go and a short time to get there. I didn’t do this with my first child however she went to an all-black private school during her early childhood development years and was in public school by middle school, then learning less about herself and more about slavery than accomplishments of those that look like her. Because of that we studied together and kept uplifting her.

For the freebie of Henrietta Lacks click here

The calendar for the month of August is for sale as well for just $7

Thanks in advance for your support and service.