West Orange Mom, Daughters Share Black History With T-Shirts

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Never underestimate the power of a t-shirt when it comes to making a human connection.

In honor of Black History Month, a West Orange mother and her two daughters have been helping to educate their school community about famous black women they admire. Their methodology is simple: use t-shirts to incite curiosity.

Every day this month, Ernestine John has been helping her daughters Marlee, 10, and Avery, 5, find a new shirt to wear to St. Cloud Elementary School. Each piece of clothing has the name of a famous black woman.

So far, honored women have included Rosa Parks, Shirley Chisholm, Gabby Douglas, Mae Jemison, Oprah Winfrey and Melique Jones, their godmother.

According to their mother, kids at school have started looking forward to seeing whose name will appear on each girl’s shirt. In response, Avery's teacher, Ms. China, has begun spending time each morning educating the class about the woman on her t-shirt that day.

“It's an overwhelming feeling that not only are the girls proud to wear their shirts, but that they're motivated to learn more about each woman and share their knowledge with their classmates,” Ernestine said.

“It's not surprising that the black women who have contributed to the history and culture of our nation have been overlooked by many of our schools,” she added. “This project helps shine a spotlight on them and their many accomplishments that otherwise might not be included in the school curriculum.”

• See related article: Here's How #BlackGirlBooks Made This West Orange Teen Famous

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