From Cleveland.com
As members of the AKIVA youth group, Lakewood High School sophomores Ava Watts and Iris Wright took a Civil Rights History journey to Alabama last month.
The junket included visiting the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, as well as various statues of note.
“I became interested in civil rights history because I realized I didn’t know enough about it and I wanted to find out more,” Iris said. “Especially because I knew we were going to be learning about it in school this year. I wanted to be prepared.”
Ava added, “Racial equality is very important, as the color of one’s skin should not impact their right to live, just like any other person.”
Recently, the two students shared their experiences via a slideshow with the Lakewood High School History Club.
Lakewood High School U.S. history teacher Chuck Greanoff, who is also the history club adviser, said the students in the group were very impressed and inspired by the presentation.
What made the most impact was the National Memorial for Peace and Justice’s list of lynching victims by county in the state of Alabama.
“I’m very proud, because they took great care in presenting a very sensitive and yet very informative slideshow,” Greanoff said. “What made me most happy was their initiative. I didn’t even know they were going.
“They aren’t students of mine now -- they were last year -- but they’re members of the history club. They reminded us of those who gave up their freedom and lives to push our society in the direction of racial equality.”
Ava said she hopes the slideshow inspires her peers to learn more about the civil rights movement in depth by talking to people who lived through the era.
“I hope students who saw the slideshow feel the need to go out and learn more, share what they have learned and just in general stay educated and help others stay educated,” Iris added.
Greanoff stressed thta the students’ slideshow and efforts truly epitomized the spirit of the high school’s extracurricular group.
“The club is all about students going out and researching and creating a presentation on something that is of particular interest to them,” Greanoff said. “It’s something that goes beyond.
“We learn things in the classroom, but they can even learn new things or go in greater depth on things we study. What I found is when students have that level of investment, they’re particularly committed to it.”