DeSales Catholic School
February 22, 2021 Volume 1, Issue 5
Tales of DeSales Black History Month February is Black History Month. It is a time where everyone comes together to recognize and praise the achievements of the African American community. Without these people, our country would most definitely not be the nation it is today. In 1915 Carter G. Woodson and Jesse E. Moorland founded a group called the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. This association was started to recognize the achievements of black people and those of African descent in America. The group sponsored a “Negro History Week” in February of 1926. They chose the week of February 26 because it coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas. Negro History Week inspired many schools and communities around the nation to begin to celebrate black Americans and their achievements. In the years that followed many communities began celebrating Negro History Week every year. In 1976, President Gerald Ford dedicated a whole month to celebrating black achievements and people. Thus began Black History Month. Every year since 1976 the president has dedicated February to celebrating Black History Month. Each Black History Month is assigned a theme, this years’ being “Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity.” Take this month as a time to recognize and celebrate the achievements of black Americans. America is a great nation and we must all come together as one community and praise the achievements of our fellow countrymen. By: Taryn Cox
Inside this issue Amanda Gorman ....................... 2 Kamala Harris ............................ 2 Influential African Americans ..... 3 Mary Lou Williams ..................... 3 Kenyan Recipes ......................... 3 Ruby Bridges ............................. 4 Influential Black Authors ............ 4 Black Playwrights……………………...5 More Kenyan Recipes………………..5 Jason Pierre-Paul, Athlete………...6 A Personal Perspective……………..6
Journalism Staff Maddie Wahl, Hadley Duncan, Morgan Thomas, Taryn Cox, Talise Bivins, Macy Chvatal, Sean Sollars, Lauren Rohde, Tori Kimble, Maddie Scott, and Jeyten Strnadel Adviser….Mrs. Sutlick
Amanda Gorman Poet Laureate... Amanda Gorman was born on March 7, 1998 in Los Angeles, California. She and her twin sister, Gabrielle Gorman, were raised by their single mother, Joan Wicks. Gorman was born with an auditory processing disorder and a speech impediment. She said in a conversation with Michelle Obama in Time Magazine, “ For a long time I looked at my speech impediment as a weakness. Now I really look at it as a strength.” She has used the challenges she has been given to become a talented writer. Amanda Gorman became Poet Laureate of Los Angeles in 2014 and she published her first po-
etry book, The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough in 2015. In 2016, Gorman founded the nonprofit organization One Pen One Page, a youth writing and leadership program. While at Harvard, Amanda Gorman became the first person to be named Youth Poet Laureate in April of 2017. She is an activist for Feminism, Oppression, Race, Marginalization, and African Diaspora. Amanda Gorman was chosen to read at the 2021 Presidential Inauguration where she blew everyone away with her poem, The Hill We Climb. ”The poem is about striving for unity within the United States. Shortly after, she created a poem Chorus of the Captains which she recited at the Superbowl in February 2021. Amanda Gorman is only twenty-two-years old, but she continues to accomplish more and more everyday. By: Tori Kimball
Vice President Kamala Harris...
Page 2
Kamala Harris, the first black and South Asian American senator in history, is currently Vice President of the United States. She achieved the milestone of becoming the first woman in American history to become Vice President. Harris was born in Oakland, California to her two parents Donald Harris and late mother Shyamala Gopalan. Her mother was from India and her father was born in Jamaica. Both immigrated to the United States to pursue their doctoral degrees. Vice President Harris graduated from Howard University and the University of California’s Hastings College of Law. Later in 1990 she joined the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office where she specialized in prosecuting child sexual assault cases. Then she served as a managing attorney in a San Francisco attorney office. Later, she became the Chief of the Division on Children and Families for the San Francisco City Attorney Office. In 2003 she created and provided a groundbreaking program to provide first time drug offenders with chances to earn an education degree and employment. Her next achievement was serving as Attorney General of California from 2011 to 2017. One interesting fact about Kamala Harris is that she chose to announce her presidential campaign on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, citing the civil rights leader as an inspiration. The colors she chose, yellow, red and blue are a homage to the campaign of Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to run for president from a major party. Kamala Harris has garnered many great achievements in her fifty=six years with more to come. By: Morgan Thomas
Influential African Americans Today... In the African American community there are several young figures who have helped the world in one way or another. There are many, but three stand out today. At 45 Lauryn Hill was and still is a musical lyrical genius who wrote songs about modern problems people suffer with usually more emotional ones. She also has songs with a more positive meaning. Her style of music is considered to be R&B/Soul. One of her more famous songs called Doo Wop has a lyric that goes “How you gonna win if you ain’t right within”. She talked about other issues as well and was a huge inspiration for many upcoming artists. Nyeeam Hudson, 14, travels around the world giving motivational speeches to those who have been affected by bullying. He also wrote a book called We Are All Kings . His intention was for parents to raise their kids right because bullying can cause kids to be suicidal. According to the Megan Meier foundation, approximately every 1 in 20 adolescents attempt suicide each year. Nyeeam has been a positive force for his generation. Seventeen-year-old Robby Novak (Kid President) uses motivation in portraying a kid that is a president. He makes You tube videos with uplifting messages. His videos are about self love mainly revolving around current events happening in the world. The films have a comedic side to them to make everything seem more positive. So many up and coming African Americans are beginning to make a huge impact on our society. These three are just a microcosm of today’s influencers. By: Sean Sollars
Original Kenyan Recipes...
Mary Lou Williams By Madeline Scott
Who’s Mary Lou? Famous for something But what did she do? An acclaimed pianist, She played her way through Every era of jazz --As a black woman, too. Accomplished Miss Williams Knew suffering well. Deeper and deeper In depression she fell. She stopped playing music On prayer, she did dwell. Then she met some priests With whom Her fears they did quell. She converted, now Catholic, She sought God and then, She found Him and praised Him With music again. With each note she played She prayed a small prayer And I’ll bet that they echoed In heaven somewhere.
In honor of Black History Month, junior Maddie Wahl obtained some recipes from the Wahl family foreign exchange student Stela Ganchau. Here is one…
Garlic Rosemary Masala Fries 3 potatoes 1 red onion 1 Tbsp. tomato paste 1 sprig of turmeric
4 cloves minced garlic 1/2 tsp. cumin 1/4 tsp. chili paste 1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika Cilantro garnish Salt to taste Vegetable Oil
1. Peel, slice, and fry the potatoes, then set aside. 2. Masala: let onions, garlic & rosemary cook until fragrant & soft. 3. Add tomato paste, spices, a bit of water, and let simmer on low until thick. 4. Add the fries and gently toss until coated. Garnish with cilantro.
Page 3
Page 4
Ruby Bridges, Pioneer in Desegregation...
On September 8, 1954, In Tylertown, Mississippi, Ruby Nell Bridges was born to Lucile and Abon Bridges. At two years of age the family moved to New Orleans. They looked for better opportunities with schooling. Her moment would come when at age 5, she took a test to see if she could be allowed into an all-white school. She was one of the six children who passed the test, yet her starting date was postponed due to active racism. Finally, Ruby was able to attend her school on November 14, 1960; she was the first African American to attend an all white school in the entire south. On her first day of school, young Ruby was escorted by four Federal Marshalls. She had to stay in the principal’s office all day due to protesters outside the building. Ruby’s family wasn’t doing much better. Her father lost his job, her grandparents were evicted, and her mother was denied service at local grocery stores. Back at the school, Ruby was only taught by one teacher named Barbara Henry. She also wasn't allowed to eat lunch with other students, nor play with them; plus going to the bathroom was a task! She had to be escorted to school
by marshals. It’s stunning how she never missed a day of school that whole year. The end of the year saw way less protesters and by the next year, Ruby was able to go to school without getting insulted or in danger. She attended a nonsegregated high school and became a travel agent until 1993. In 1999, she started the Ruby Bridges Foundation, which promotes an end to racism, respect and equal treatment to all races and differences. Their motto is “Racism is a grown up disease and we must stop using our children to spread it.” Overall, we have a lot we can learn from Bridges. She stood strong and as a role model at six years old. Ruby has led the way for all schools to let everyone get their education and we should learn from her . By; Jeyten Strnadel
; Incredible Legacies of Black Authors… Throughout the years, numerous African American authors have produced impactful poetry, novels, and short stories that resonate with people today. From the 19th century is Phllis Wheatley. Phillis was was a slave who worked for The Wheatley family in Boston. They taught her how to read and write, and Phillis developed a strong love for poetry. Encouraged by her tutors to write poetry, she pursued this passion. After traveling to London in 1773, her first published work, Poems on Various Topics, became widely popular, even though Phillis was a slave. She was the first published African-American poetry author, and she passed away in 1784. Moving closer to our time, we look at Maya Angelou. Born in Missouri in 1928, Angelou’s life had a variety of ups and downs. Her childhood was memorialized in a set of novels, starting with her most acclaimed novel, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. The novel was praised by many people of the time with its themes that many could relate with. She released many other novels and was in the process of writing more when she died in 2014. Now, for an author writing books in our time, we have Angie Thomas. Angie was born in Mississippi in 1988. She was subject to multiple instances of gun violence as a child, and her first book The Hate U Give, was heavily inspired by the experiences of them. The novel became immensely popular upon its 2017 release. It was also adapted into a well-received film in 2019. Try some of these incredible authors’ works. You won’t be disappointed. By: Macy Chvatal
An Ode to Black Playwrights... Long ago when theater was new, People thought only fair skinned people were with high IQ. But when attitudes changed in 1865, Many different peoples began to strive. “Blacks'' as they were called, Wrote many magnificent plays that kept people enthralled. Black playwrights were ignored and pushed aside, But these plays came back for a new generation to arise. All black playwrights can relate, But let's hear about some important ones to date. First we have Lorraine Hansberry who is great; She wrote Raisin in the Sun Which has carried on her name for forty years straight. Next we have August Wilson, Oh my; He wrote Fences for Broadway and it soared high. Lastly, Lynn Nottage who has won many prizes for her work, Ruined is the biggest one and deserves its worth. So there we have it, black playwrights and the lines of their lives. We have to remember to appreciate the ones not on this list, For they are the blocks that hold up this life we live. By: Lauren Rohde
Though it be a thrilling and marvelous thing to be merely young and gifted in such times, it is doubly so - doubly dynamic - to be young, gifted and black. ~Lorraine Hansberry
More Original Kenyan Recipes... Kenyan Beef Stew •2 cups of beef •2 tbsp of olive oil •2 tbsp of fresh garlic cloves, minced •1 cup of yellow or red onions, diced •2 tsp of curry powder mix (optional)
•2 Royco beef packets (seasoning) •1 cup of diced/crushed tomatoes •1 cup of water •Salt and pepper to taste •3 tbsp of fresh cilantro
1.Heat a large pan on medium heat 2.Add olive oil and onions then cook till soft 3.Next add garlic and spices, stirring constantly to prevent sticking 4.Put in the beef and crumbled Royco Beef Cubes until fragrant and add tomatoes and water after 5.Bring to a slight boil, turn heat down to low setting and simmer for about 30 minutes 6.Remove from heat and set aside until ready to serve
Page 5
Jason Pierre-Paul, Athlete… “He’s just a freak. The way he moves, the way he bends… a medical genetic freak” -Larry Foote Jason Pierre-Paul was born January 1, 1989 in Deerfield Beach, Florida. His story is one of many aspects. He has defied all odds and made a name for himself despite harsh circumstances he has overcome in his football career. He began playing football his junior year of high school, which is extremely late for an athlete looking to play at the collegiate level. With his raw athletic ability, he went on to play ball at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. To his fortune, a coach at the University of South Florida placed his viral video on social media of him doing repeated backflips. After noting how powerful Pierre-Paul was, they recruited him to join South Florida football. In his year he spent playing football for the Bulls, where he played in 13 games and recorded 45 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and was named a first team All-American. This breakout season resulted in PierrePaul becoming the 15th overall draft pick in the NFL by the New York Giants. While it seems that nothing could go wrong, the real challenge was about to begin for Jason. The incident that would change Pierre-Paul’s life was when he was in an accident where a firework blew off fragments of the fingers on his right hand. His only wish was to be able to keep his hand, which the doctors agreed to. He had to have his index finger and part of his middle finger amputated due to this accident. Even after having 10 surgeries and losing 30 pounds, Pierre-Paul remarked, “When I look in the mirror, I’m happy. Thank the Lord-- it could have been way worse.” This positive outlook on the situation would speed up not only his recovery process, but help him return to the field. Despite this setback, Pierre-Paul made his way back onto the football field, and has started to put up numbers like never before. While he had to readjust his game due to the loss of his fingers, he has since been to three Pro Bowls, earned one All-Pro award, and is a two time Super Bowl champion. In his own words, his goal was to let, “Everybody know, no matter what you go through, you can do whatever.” Through his work ethic and optimism, it is safe to say that he has definitely shown the world what he is capable of. By: Hadley Duncan
A Personal Perspective... Minding his own business on a hot summer day, Jimmy Bivins was delivering mail and not deliberately bothering anybody or provoking any reactions. With no context, an anonymous person shouted derogatory words towards Jimmy for no reason other than he was black. Jimmy looked around for the individual, but there wasn’t anyone in sight. The person had shouted the crude vocabulary from the safety of their home through their window. “They’re a coward. All racists are,” Jimmy stated in the interview. Jimmy showed no sign that the words had any affect on him and continued his deliveries.
Jimmy Bivins, my father, is one of the few lucky African-Americans to not have many racist encounters or injustices. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case for scads of other dark skinned people. For some, racist encounters are part of their everyday lives. Many of these are purposefully covered up. This month is about unveiling evil truths in history that have tried to be wiped away. Let’s bring these stories, truths, and people to the light. By: Talise Bivins
Page 6