On 21 February 2022, over 50 students of classes 4C and 5B interacted virtually with Ms Leonida Soi, a Kenyan educator from the Moi Forces Academy, Mombasa. The interactive session, organised to mark the ongoing Black History Month, was facilitated by Ms Martina Roy.
Ms Soi wears many hats! She is a motivational speaker, a champion for girls in STEM education, a trainer with the Africa Code Week Kenya and the founder of Scratch Club for schools in Kenya.
The session began with a group presentation by the students of classes 4C and 5B. Nandini Sapra of class 5B, accorded a warm welcome to the guest and introduced her body of work to the eager audience.
Aaishi Sengupta of class 4C spoke a few lines on the subject of Black History Month and explained how it provides a small window to students to learn about the role played by African -American leaders, writers, and other eminent personalities in shaping the modern world.
Through an imaginative presentation, the young Indianites explained why February was chosen as the preferred month for this occasion as it coincides with the birth anniversaries of former US President Abraham Lincoln and social reformer Frederick Douglas. The engaging presentation by students included a range of sub-topics comprising award winning childrens story books and animation film recommendations, as well as the works of some notable African- Americans associated with Black history.
[gallery link="file" order="DESC"]As a prelude to the session, Ms Martina Roy had asked students to articulate their views on the topic of Black History through art. The students of class 4C had thus prepared placards with inspirational quotations of leaders, poets and artists of African origin.
The 5B students, on the other hand, showcased their creativity through posters of the eminent personalities associated with black history.
The Kenyan educator was highly impressed by the preparations and the sheer enthusiasm of the students and praised them for their efforts. Befitting the occasion, the students of 4C and 5B rendered choral recitations of Hey Black Child by Useni Eugene Perkins and Caged Birds by Maya Angelou.
Ms Leonida Soi congratulated the students for their insightful presentation. What followed was an interactive Q&A round with students asking Ms Soi intelligent questions relating to the continued discrimination faced by the African origin community and what Black History Month means to her. She pleaded that everyone must stand for justice and human dignity and oppose racism and discrimination in all its forms and manifestations.
The engaging webinar was a great learning experience for the participants. There is a lot to learn from African -American history and from the body of work by African-Americans in varying fields.
As Martin Luther King said famously, We must accept finite disappointments but never lose infinite hope.
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