Two seventh-grade students from Garrison School for the Arts took top honors in the second annual writing contest sponsored by the Savannah Yamacraw Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH).
The competition is done in partnership with the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow.com.
Claire Garrity was awarded first place in the poetry section for her piece, "Brave and bold, His name is Woodson." Rigby Aures was awarded first place in the essay category for her piece, "Carter G. Woodson: A Man of Many Talents."
Credit: Courtesy of Garrison School for the Arts
Credit: Courtesy of Garrison School for the Arts
Middle school students in the Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools were asked to research and write an essay or a poem about Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the founder of Negro History Week (now Black History Month). Students were also encouraged to research significant historical figures or African Americans they admire.
Students from Godley Station School also wrote winning entries for the 2022 competition. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History is an organization dedicated to the study and appreciation of African-American History.
Below are the top placed poems and essays from the contest:
Credit: Courtesy of Garrison School for the Arts
Credit: Courtesy of Garrison School for the Arts
Poetry, first place
Brave and bold, His name is Woodson
By Claire Garrity, Garrison School for the Arts, 7th Grade
Brave and bold,
His story is one to be told,
Saw Black history was squashed,
Thought to change the mind of the brain-washed,
His name is Dr. Carter G. Woodson.
Brave and bold,
The father of Black history to behold,
A Ph.D. from Harvard he acquired,
Across the nation he wrote and inspired,
His name is Dr. Carter G. Woodson.
Brave and bold,
Created a week for Black stories to be told,
Eventually it expanded into four weeks,
Educating on how they were looked down upon and treated like freaks,
His name is Dr. Carter G. Woodson.
Brave and bold,
Still as he got old,
The cause of his death was a heart attack,
but this month he always comes back,
His name is Dr. Carter G. Woodson.
Brave and bold,
Helped Black peoples’ stories to be told,
During his time he was a courageous crusader,
Stood up for Black history like a true educator.
His name is Carter G. Woodson.
Brave and bold,
Inspired those to speak up to the rules they were told,
Like Rosa Parks, to a white man she refused to give up,
On the bus he made a commotion and a stir-up,
causing Rosa to go to jail,
But with her stubbornness she knew she would never fail.
Her name is Rosa Parks.
Brave and bold,
Inspired those to speak up against the rules they were told,
Harriet Tubman was born a slave and helped her people be set free,
Using the Underground Railroad ending slavery
Was a guarantee.
Her name is Harriet Tubman.
His name is Woodson.
His name is Woodson.
His name is Woodson.
His name is Woodson.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Poetry, second place
Being Black
By Tianna Goldwire, Godley Station School
Being Black,
Definition One:
Being put into an escape room,
Only there are no clues,
And several locks on the one door out.
Being Black,
Definition Two:
Defining invisible with a skin color;
All the white people walk out of the room,
They hold the door for each other but,
I watch the door slam in my face
Being Black,
Definition Three:
Reading clues that act more like mirrors,
I know Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.,
But I thank Carter G. Woodson for unlocking
Black voices hidden in the shadows
Suddenly black is not fighting to be alive,
It is melodies, movies, paintings, and court cases alike.
Being Black,
Definition Four:
Knowing there is no key to my success,
I must carve it out of the past,
I think I’ve found it in myself to be proud,
For even with how vast my culture is,
These are not someone else’s footsteps,
They are a path I’ve made by myself.
Being Black,
Definition Five:
Looking into a mirror,
And seeing history flowing within my veins,
We are a culture filled with
Pain and Beauty,
Peace and Violence.
Being black is seeing history,
Sprawled out in front of me,
Marked with several footsteps,
And still being able to see,
My own journey.
Poetry, third place
Dr. Carter G. Woodson Father of Black History Month
By Kalilah Hewitt, Godley Station School, 7th Grade
Like Rosa Parks
Like Claudette Colvin
Like Jesse Owens and James Baldwin
All these people fought for black rights
Nobody even cared that they were in the fight
Dr. Woodson let their memory thrive
So, their hopes and dreams would stay alive.
Dr. Woodson was born December 19,1875, New Canton, VA
But he is still remembered to this day.
He was one of not so many
To go to high school when he was twenty
He was the second African American to earn a doctorate, Harvard degree.
Dr. Woodson wanted something that celebrated the black race
So, he consulted this problem face to face.
And so, Negro history week was born
Dr. Woodson is my inspiration
Because his hard work and dedication contributed to a new celebration.
One that celebrated African Americans
Who risked everything for equality
For black happiness and frivolity.
What was once called Negro History Week is now Black History Month
A new celebration amazing and unique.
So much effort and time has been contributed
So African Americans could be free of segregation
Which is why we should all come together and celebrate Black History Month across the nation.
Credit: Courtesy of Garrison School for the Arts
Credit: Courtesy of Garrison School for the Arts
Essay, first place
Carter G. Woodson: A Man of Many Talents
By Rigby Aures Garrison School for the Arts, 7th Grade
Carter G. Woodson was a man of many talents. Not only was he the founder of Black History Month, he also worked as a journalist, historian and author. He's even commonly referred to as the “Father of Black History.” The reason behind this title is the fact that Woodson was very aware that many achievements by African Americans were often brushed aside and overlooked, so he worked hard to put them in the spotlight and show the true roots to Black history. Although he came from a poor family with illiterate parents, he strived to succeed, nonetheless.
Even when he worked with his father as a teen to support their family’s income, he had also mastered all of the common school subjects by the age of 17. Woodson worked hard to gain a Ph.D. in history at Harvard University, making him the second African American to earn a doctorate degree. On September 9, 1915, he founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Although women were still utterly despised in the workforce during this time, Woodson accepted them and treated them as he would any other coworker, with respect and belief for equality. One of the outstanding women in this association who would eventually go on to be one of the first female black activists and lay the foundation for the civil rights movement was Mary Mcleod Bethune. She served 16 years as president of this association, and was an extremely inspiring part of black history.
Speaking of inspiring, one person who inspires me is Kid Cudi. Not only is his music amazing, but he's extremely real about his mental health, even saying that the fame knocked him back into a depression stage. He experienced survivors' guilt due to this, and couldn't feel truly successful because the people around him weren't as fortunate. However, he's been working on improving his health and becoming a more dedicated father, and that's what is truly inspiring about him.
Needless to say, all of these people are true inspirations, and Black History Month is centered around their wonderful accomplishments.
Credit: Photo submitted
Credit: Photo submitted
Essay, second place
Woodson Welcomed Women as Equal to Men
By Dashiell Carr, Garrison School for the Arts, 7th Grade
Dr. Carter G. Woodson was an African American man. He was born on December 19, 1875, in New Canton, Virginia. Woodson was the fourth of nine children whose parents were slaves. Woodson earned his Ph.D. in history in 1912 from Harvard University. This made him the first African American man born to enslaved parents to earn a Ph.D. from any institution in the United States.
Around the turn of the 20th Century he began his own academic career, when he noticed that the public knew little about African Americans in history. On September 9,1915, Woodson co-founded the Association for the Study of African American Life (ASALH), which aimed to inform the public about contributions of Black Americans in the formation of the country.
On July 18,1922, he purchased his home in which he located the association’s headquarters on the first floor. He lived on the 3rd floor until his death on April 3, 1950. Woodson was dean at Harvard University from 1919 to 1920 until he retired to devote full attention to the association. He published The Journal of Negro History in 1916 and The Negro History Bulletin in 1937. The association had five presidents. In 1936 Mary McLeod Bethune filled the spot after the death of educator John Hope. She wore the title of first female president, and longest serving until1952.
Woodson welcomed African American women as equal co-workers and leaders of his movement. He also facilitated productive, cross-generational dialogue and relationships. He was a mentor to many up-and-coming historians. The association’s headquarters served as a training center, and the scholars in turn trained succeeding generations of African American historians that helped legitimize Black history.
While Woodson developed young men and women, the association developed important relationships with Black churches, colleges, universities, schools, and community centers all around the country.
Credit: public domain
Credit: public domain
Essay, third place
African Americans in History
By Jeremiah Norris, Godley Station School, 6th Grade
Many African Americans have supported movements. Others have died of the act of racism. Black History Month is a celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for acknowledging their central role in USA history. Black History Month is also known as African American History Month. Black History Month was created in 1926 when Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro History and Life declared the second week of February to be "Negro History Week.”
The Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted 381 days and resulted in the Supreme Court ruling segregation on public buses unconstitutional. A significant play towards civil rights and equity. The Montgomery Bus Boycott helped eliminate early blockades to transportation access. The arrest of Rosa Parks on 1 December 1955, triggered the Montgomery bus boycott. After the movement, the city appealed to the US Supreme Court, which supported the lower court's decision on December 20, 1956. Montgomery's buses were integrated on December 21, 1956, and the boycott ended.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the first president of the MIA (Montgomery Improvement Association). His main act happened on August 28, 1963, when more than 200,000 of King's followers participated in the March on Washington for Freedom and Jobs in the nation's capital. The march was successful and pressured the administration of John F. Kennedy to commence a strong civil rights bill. Bayard Rustin organized Dr. King’s March on Washington.
Ruby Bridges is an African American civil rights activist who was the first African American to go to an all-white school. On November 14, 1960, when Ruby was only six years old she became the first African American child to be in attendance at the all-white public William Frantz Elementary School. Racial segregation in public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment. The 1954 decision proclaimed that separate educational facilities for white and African American students were genetically unequal. She lives in New Orleans and runs the Ruby Bridges Foundation to help the troubled children at William Frantz and other schools. Ruby Bridges is the author of several books now.
Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in the South to become an abolitionist and a leader before the American Civil War. She led hundreds of enslaved people to freedom in the
North along the Underground Railroad. During the slavery era, the Underground Railroad was a network of places, routes and people that helped disenfranchised people in the South escape to the North. Because it was too dangerous to be in free states, many people hoping to escape had to travel to Canada.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: 7th graders from Garrison School for the Arts win 2nd annual Black History Month writing contest
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