And here at the Pro-Youth Pages, check out: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/03/17/ED62303.DTL. Another mathematician, Carl Friedrich Gauss, made his first contribution while still in elementary school. One example of the ignorance this causes surfaced when a conservative columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle tried to ridicule a school board for proposing that English classes include literature by racial minorities, literature that might offer more appeal to minority students. (Note to Debbie: Teen People is not written by teenagers; if it were, it would not have the dreaded word "teen" in the title.) Similarly, many of us know about and attend the Notting Hill Carnival, but many aren’t aware that it was born out of racial tensions in the 1950s and 1960s. By. For instance, your program can feature black men and women who have been influential in music and the arts or blacks who have made their mark in the areas of science and technology. Black History Month 2020 is a time to look forward and celebrate the here and now – and the future possibilities. Ludington alerted militia men, and the militia was able to stop the invasion, chasing the Red Coats back to their ships. Filmmakers, novelists, and even the authors of shoddier "non-fiction" have tried their best to tear the Kid down. I salute the advocate, activist, champion and campaigner in you. Historians know this, but the general public does not. Consider some of the children and teenagers who shaped our world but have been pushed out of the history books. (1). She went on to explain this would be silly because "it limits the reading list" to four authors: 1) Anne Frank, 2) Drew Barrymore (who apparently wrote an autobiography after her career as a child actor dried up), 3) Rimbaud, and 4) Teen People. Black history is the story of African Americans in the United States and elsewhere. How Youth Activists Impacted the Civil Rights ... One woman threatened to poison Bridges and another put a Black baby doll in a coffin and left it outside the ... Black History. If you are still in school, ask your history teacher to talk about Johns and Pinckney. Math, too, has been shaped by youth. If you are still in school, ask your history teacher to talk about Johns and Pinckney. If I think about the American civil rights movement, I can’t help but think how rich and powerful it has been. A black belt essay represents the culmination of your journey, ... Ideas for a Youth Black History Program. Click here to sign up to our monthly newsletter. Ask your English teacher to discuss Shelley and Hinton, your algebra teacher, Galois and Gauss. Teachers told you endlessly about the midnight ride of Paul Revere, but did they ever tell you of the similar ride by Sybil Ludington? Since joining London Youth, Angela has led discussions about race and racism with members of the London Youth staff team and board, helping to drive through London Youth’s commitment to being an anti-racist organisation. I was then asked, ‘what era would you travel to?’ In a heartbeat, I said ‘the UK civil rights movement.’ Although not as well documented as the US civil rights movement, it is an important part of our history. On a personal note, I really don’t like the term ‘street festival’ (aka street party) as it downplays how the Carnival started and its historic significance. Braille writing spread quickly to other schools for the blind, and throughout the world it opened doors of literacy and independence to millions. Ten Kids Who Changed the World Teachers and administrators could not suppress it; they could not make the students believe that illiteracy was satisfying. If your teachers don't know of these great figures, educate them. The journey to becoming a black belt requires tireless perseverance, physical training and mental strength. For example Rosa Parks. Just as shameful as omitting the contributions of youth perhaps is mischaracterizing them. Ask your English teacher to discuss Shelley and Hinton, your algebra teacher, Galois and Gauss. London Office Official registered address 47-49 Pitfield StreetLondon, N1 6DA, The Federation of London Youth Clubs Charity Registration: 303324, © 2019 London Youth Website by AVE DESIGN. In 2016, eight-year old Mari Copeny (known as “Little Miss Flint”) wrote to President Obamarequesting a meeting in Washington, D.C. to discuss the water crisis in her home town of Flint, Michigan. The sighted teachers not only refused to learn Braille writing, many actually banned their students from using it, claiming the paper-punching note-taking was noisy and disruptive. Billy the Kid was the one gunfighter who actually earned his fame. I use Braille as a spider uses its web — to catch thoughts that flit across my mind for speeches, messages and manuscripts." Hinton wrote The Outsiders. The BOC brazenly operated ‘the colour bar’, a policy of refusing to employ Black and Asian people despite being the midst of skills shortage. Or the demonstrations I have initiated or any of the many protests I have been a part of and realise I am an activist in my own way, a campaigner and an advocate for equal treatment of Black people. Historians admit they are reluctant to examine the work of young people, fearing others will trivialize such research. Experience has shown that students get more interested in learning when people their age are not omitted from the subject matter. Others became legends because they were good at public relations. In 1963 when it was still legal to discriminate against a person based on their colour, Paul Stephenson, a Youth Worker in Bristol decided to take a stand. The boycott lasted 4 months and was hugely supported by a number of Black organisations and churches in and around the Bristol area. We need Youth History Month to awaken people, to help them see that the contributions of youth are not trivial, nor are the possibilities for youth today. http://www.senatorleach.com/peoplewho/Kids.htm, Famous Teens in History So, when someone engages you in a conversation about activism, campaigning and civil rights, and they mention Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, Bobby Seal or Huey P Newton, remember to say the names of Black Brits who have led the charge in the our civil rights movement: Claudia Jones, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Darcus Howe, Dianne Abbott and Doreen Lawrence. Greg Timmons. Rather than sweat over this task, the boy produced the correct answer in seconds by concocting the mathematical formula scientists now use routinely to solve any such arithmetic series. A student at Paris's Royal Institution for Blind Youth, Louis Braille taught his tactile writing method to his peers, who quickly embraced it. In years gone by, October has been the only time of year when the UK talks about the achievements of Black people in Britain. You can read more news and updates from London Youth here. The list of young authors includes Tennessee Williams (16 when he wrote "The Vengeance of Nitocris"), Edith Wharton (15 when she completed Fast and Loose), Jane Austin (14 when she wrote Love and Friendship), Phillis Wheatley (12 when she wrote her famous poems), and Jorge Luis Borges (9 when he wrote his Spanish translation of Oscar Wilde's "The Happy Prince") among others. If you are a teacher, talk about youth history. During the icebreaker of a recent all-staff meeting, we were asked, ‘what skill do you wish you had?’ I took this in its broadest sense and chose the ability to time travel, not really a skill but something I would love to be able to do. Responsible and restrained, a warrior when needed but peaceful when possible: that was the real Billy the Kid. Civil rights or not, throughout history, we are more likely to hear of the American experience with little thought of what is happening right here on our own doorstep – good or bad. This site uses cookies. There are distinct nuances that differentiate the American and the British experience for Black people, and the same type of activity is marked in very different ways. You can host a black history program centered around a certain type of contribution that black people have made. Perhaps not on a global scale but it most definitely resonates with me. Mathematics has been so shaped by children and teenagers that many mathematicians now believe if you have not made a significant contribution by age 25, you never will.