Eagle Rock Middle School celebrates Black History Month with African-American community members

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - African-American community members came to Eagle Rock Middle School Monday to talk about their struggles and triumphs to celebrate Black History Month.

Speakers came from organizations like the Idaho Falls African-American Alliance, Grandpa’s Southern Bar-B-Q and the Idaho Falls Family YMCA.

Students made special displays about prominent black historical figures and posters illustrating Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

“[The students are] loving it! They’re asking great questions. They’re being interactive. It’s been a great, great event,” Eagle Rock Middle School’s Behavioral Paraprofessional Andrew Hansen said.

When Donovan Stokes from the YMCA gave his presentation, he showed students a brown egg and a white egg. He asked the students to describe what they saw because people have a tendency to judge what they see--“the shell we live in.”

Stokes then cracked both eggs into a cup. He asked the students if they could tell which yolk was from either egg, which they could not.

“So the point of the conversation is to let everyone know that regardless of your skin color, we're all the same…on the inside. We are to treat people the way that we want to be treated, regardless of who they are and what color they are.”

Hansen says black history is American history and it should be celebrated throughout the year.

“I feel like if we if we didn't have the opportunities to go out and know about it, I feel like it wouldn't be [celebrated]. These are the moments that are important.”