Our children need positive role models at home and in school. They need to see books about people making a difference and see examples of people who are upstanders.
Pete Buttiggieg set an example when he ran for President of the United States recently. When our children see a young man who speaks seven languages, is a writer, a Mayor, a war veteran, is highly educated and intelligent and also happens to be gay, it sends a powerful message. All people, regardless of sexual orientation can make a difference.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an abolitionist, a writer, and a leading figure in the Women's Movement. She promoted women's right, such as divorce and the right to vote. When our girls today see a woman who died in 1902, have the courage and the grit to champion something that is important and changed lives forever, it sends a powerful message. And today, there is a statue in Central Park celebrating Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth and Susan B. Anthony- 3 women who made a difference.
When John Thompson, the first Black Head Coach of an NCAA basketball team, who then went on to win a national title. Thompson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in1999. he believed strongly in social justice and walked off the court in 1989 to protest Proposition 42 because he felt it was aimed at limiting opportunities for minority students. Thompson didn't just run Georgetown basketball, he was Georgetown basketball, on and off the court, he set an example. He is a powerful role model for young kids and sports has a big platform with massive visibility.
Chadwick Boseman was an example of a young man in film who played and brought to life many great men : Thurgood Marshall, James Brown and Jackie Robinson, for example. However, he would say, being King T'Challa in Black Panther was "the honor of his career". For young children to see a Black man in these roles, sets an example. He dealt with a crippling illness without publicly talking about it and continued to work with kids and make movies. His legacy and example live on.
Kamaria Warren is an 11 year old CEO of a company she founded with her Mom called Brown Girls Stationery. They sell school supplies: notebooks, backpacks, lunch boxes, umbrellas and more that have been designed by this dynamo. She is also launching an academy to inspire other kids and especially kids of color to become entrepreneurs. How powerful is this????
People who use their power for good set an example and make a difference. We owe this to our children so they will grow up to be upstanders, not bystanders, and maybe they will even become entrepreneurs!
Choose a school that mirrors these values. Contact: Wendy Levey Consulting, we got this! Education matters, school matters.
