We are in the final week of Black History Month and I wanted to highlight just a few of the amazing learning activities and chapel talks that have taken place at Brainerd Baptist School.

Throughout the grades, daily our students studied the lives of various African Americans, such as: Mae Jemison, Jesse Owens, Booker T. Washington, Jackie Robinson, George Washington Carver, Harriet Tubman, Ruby Bridges, and Rosa Parks. In their classes they read stories, wrote stories, compared and contrasted individuals, created crafts and even did experiments. For example, some of our students created Freedom Quilts (just as Harriet Tubman did), made rockets that listed facts about Mae Jemison, walked through footsteps of Thurgood Marshall’s life by making a timeline of the events.

As they have been studying and learning about these individuals, our student body also enjoyed learning through an interactive billboard in our hallway. They had competitions amongst each other to match the accomplishments of various African Americans with the correct photo.

Each Wednesday this month, we welcomed some outstanding community leaders on our campus to speak to our students. Highlights of those chapel talks are below.

Coach Webb kicked off Black History Month on February 2nd. He has been our AD and PE teacher for the last two years and is also a member of Brainerd Baptist Church. He asked our students to consider the story of Joseph and explained how Joseph was sold into slavery and taken to Egypt. Joseph was able to rise in the ranks of Pharaoh’s government, and while his brothers intended it for evil, God intended it for good. Joseph was able to bring his father and 11 brothers down to Egypt to escape a devastating famine. His main message to our students was that the life of Joseph demonstrates God’s ability to transform underserved adversities into a positive result.

Celeste Bradley spoke in chapel on February 9th. She is currently serving her second term as a Trustee on the board of Brainerd Baptist School. She is the mom of Spencer (BBS alumni) and Austin (5th grade) and is well respected in the realm of law. She has worked as a consultant, investigator, and employment/healthcare lawyer for almost two decades. She asked our students three questions: Why do we celebrate Black History Month, What is Diversity (vs Inclusion) and What does the Bible say about how we should treat others who do not look, talk, think or act like us? Her main message revolved around Revelation 7:9. After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

Ivan and Kilzma Brown were our chapel speakers on February 16th. Ivan and Kilzma serve in ministry as Pastors of Pneuma Christian Center. They are the parents of Reagyn (BBS alumni) and Lacye (5th grade). Their message to our students was "There is one race. The human race. African American History is for all of us to celebrate." What fun it was to play "Do You Like?" in chapel with them and learn about many African American inventors, such as George Crum (potato chips), Lonnie Johnson (SuperSoaker), Alfred Cralle (ice cream scoop), Henry Sampson (cell phone), & John Lee (pencil sharpener).

Brian Bush spoke in chapel on February 23th. He is a Chattanooga native, lawyer, community advocate, and former Assistant District Attorney. He encouraged an interactive atmosphere asking our students to pair up and discuss why we celebrate Black History Month, what it means to be fair and who can be defined as heroes. His main message to our students: "Our faith calls us to seek fairness, justice, and love."

”Black history is American history, Black culture is American culture, and Black stories are essential to the ongoing story of America — our faults, our struggles, our progress, and our aspirations. Shining a light on Black history today is as important to understanding ourselves and growing stronger.” Taken from the White House’s Proclamation on Black History Month 2022.

A Month of Celebration