Wearing basketball uniforms, fake mustaches or suits, fifth-grade students lined the walls of Keizer Elementary School’s multipurpose room last week.
Each stood next to their poster on an influential Black person and eagerly presented their findings to relatives and younger students who packed the room.
The living Black History Museum, held on Friday, Feb. 27, by Danielle Rabenberg’s dual-language class, allowed students to present on Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, poet Maya Angelou, early 20th-century scientist George Washington Carver and more.
Rabenberg said this is her second time organizing the event, which honors Black History Month and took students a month to prepare. She also runs a Culture Club at the school, and said student excitement for learning and connecting with other cultures inspired the event.
“This is very powerful for the kids to be so reflective about the past of other people and how that influences them, and how they can make changes for the future,” Rabenberg said.
The living museum makes the learning more engaging and memorable for students, she said.
Rabenberg said her class regularly discusses different cultures, and she hopes to help students learn to find connections with people across such cultures.
She is “deeply passionate” about helping students be proud of their own culture, language and traditions.
The class learned about Black history throughout the month, Rabenberg said. Students led efforts to prepare the living museum, including selecting and researching subjects, choosing wall decorations and determining the project’s timeline.
Some students shared that they chose a figure whose achievements align with their interests, such as picking Maya Angelou out of a love for reading. For Ariana Estrada-Ramirez, who said she loves sports, this meant selecting late professional basketball player Luisa Harris.
“They created everything. They’ve decorated everything just the way that they want it,” Rabenberg said. “And when they have that engagement, that ownership, I mean what you see is priceless.”
Students decided whether to complete their project in English, Spanish or both. Rabenberg said English is a second language for all of the students in her dual-language class, and they have varying levels of proficiency.
Rabenberg said students “seem to really love” the project, and she intends to hold the event again next year. She is considering hosting a similar event celebrating Women’s History Month.
“I just want the community to know how proud of them I am, of these students, these bilingual students, how hard they’ve worked,” Rabenberg said. “Thank you to the families, community and the kids for making this happen.”
NEWS TIP? Contact reporter Krista Kroiss at [email protected].
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