"Class Act" with Ken Newton & Juliet Gunn
What's happening, what should happen, and what you don't want to happen in Elementary, Middle, and High School for the 21st Century Student, Teacher, and Parent. Everything you should know and then some from the people on the "front line". :-).
"Class Act" with Ken Newton & Juliet Gunn
Episode 4- Celebrate Black History, One Story at a Time
Step into a rich tapestry of stories that celebrate Black History Month, showcasing the remarkable contributions of African Americans who have shaped our society. Join a wonderful group of students as they share insights on figures like John Lewis, who fought tirelessly for civil rights, and Roberto Clemente, whose legacy as a humanitarian and baseball legend transcends sports. Discover the inspiring journeys of Chadwick Boseman, Maya Angelou, and Katherine Johnson, each a beacon of resilience in their respective fields.
Throughout the episode, listeners will not only learn compelling facts but also explore the profound impact these individuals had on history and culture. The narratives woven by the students infuse energy and authenticity, making these stories resonate on a personal level. Dive in and celebrate the spirit of perseverance, courage, and hope that these legends embodied.
As we reflect on the past and honor those who came before us, this episode serves as a reminder of the responsibilities we have to continue their legacies. We encourage you to engage with us, share your thoughts, and consider how the stories of these extraordinary figures can inspire action in your own life. Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and join the conversation as we continue to celebrate the powerful narratives that shape our understanding of history.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Mr Newton here, along with my amazing class Hello, class, hello. We even have a new student. We have Mr Christian. Hello Christian, how's it going?
Speaker 1:Give us a hello, hello, he's a cool kid. Hey, we're podcasting today and our subject is Black History Month, our last day of February. My students have put together some amazing podcasts on some amazing African Americans in history, past present. So some are still alive, some have passed away, and we look forward to learning a lot about different African-Americans and history. So after the next break we're going to kick it off with my friend, aiden. Hello, aiden, hello, and who are we going to learn about? Aiden?
Speaker 3:John.
Speaker 1:Lewis, john Lewis. All right, let's talk after the next break. It's tricky to rock around. To rock around, that's right on time. It's tricky, it's tricky tricky, tricky, tricky.
Speaker 4:It's tricky. To rock around. To rock around, that's right on time. It's tricky.
Speaker 1:We were just being silly with Run DMC. Run DMC, another super cool group from the 80s. You'd be surprised how kids know some old school music. So here we go, our first African American history. So good morning, aiden, and let's learn about John Lewis All right.
Speaker 3:Welcome to our Black History Month podcast, where we celebrate the lives and legacies of influential African Americans who have shaped our history and continue to inspire us. Today I'm your host, aiden Muradian, and today we're honoring the life of a true American hero, john Lewis. John Robert Lewis was born on February 21st 1940, in Pike County, alabama. Growing up in the segregated South, john experienced the harsh realities of racial discrimination from a young age. His parents were sharecroppers and he often worked alongside them in the fields. Despite these challenges, john was determined to make a difference. Inspired by the courage of Rosa Parks and the leadership of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, john Lewis became actively involved in the civil rights movement. He attended the American Baptist Theological Seminary and Fisk University in Nashville, tennessee, where he studied religion and philosophy. It was during this time that he began organizing sit-ins at segregated lunch counters and participating in the Freedom Rides, challenging the segregation of public transportation. In 1963, at just 23 years old, john Lewis became the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC. He was one of the youngest leaders of the civil rights movement and played a key role in organizing the historic March on Washington, where Dr King delivered his famous I have a Dream speech. One of the most pivotal moments in John Lewis's life occurred on March 7, 1965, a day that would become known as Bloody Sunday. Lewis led over 600 peaceful protesters across the Edmund Peters Bridge in Selma, alabama, to demand voting rights for African Americans. The marchers were met with brutal violence from state troopers and John Lewis himself was severely beaten. Despite the violence, he remained committed to non-violence and continued to fight for justice. He unfortunately got his skull fractured during the bloodbath of protests, gloves and pepper spray. He still pushed forward and took part in many important events.
Speaker 3:John Lewis's dedication to civil rights extended beyond the 1960s. In 1986, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives representing Georgia's 5th Congressional District. He served in Congress for 17 terms, becoming a powerful voice for justice, equality and human rights. Throughout his career, he received numerous awards and honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. John Lewis passed away on July 17, 2020, but his legacy lives on. He is remembered as a tireless advocate for civil rights, a champion of nonviolence and a man who dedicated his life to making good trouble in the pursuit of justice. His courage and determination continue to inspire generations to stand up for what is right and to fight for a more just and equitable world. Thank you for joining us today as we honor the life and legacy of John Lewis. His contributions to the civil rights movement and his unwavering commitment to justice remind us the power of one person to make a difference. Stay tuned as we continue to celebrate the remarkable individuals who have shaped our history. Until next time. I'm Aiden Meradian and this is our Black History Month podcast.
Speaker 1:That was awesome. Wow, that was awesome. Wow, that was awesome. I love it. We had a little digital applause. I love it. That was fantastic. So detailed, so amazing. Who's on deck? Ironically, it is a baseball player. Who's on deck? Who are we going to learn about? Tommy next? Roberto Clemente, roberto Clemente, roberto Clemente and Tommy did something a little cool, a little bit different. So we're going to pause and we're going to listen to Mr Tommy. Hello, friends, we are back with the best class in the universe. Hello, class, hello. So we learned a little bit about John Lewis. So here I have Tommy. Little bit about John Lewis. So here I have Tommy. Actually, it's not Tommy I have sitting next to me, I have Roberto Clemente. We're going to learn about Roberto Clemente. So, mr Clemente, thank you for coming to our class and tell us a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 3:Hello class. My story is in first person. I am Roberto Clemente. I am a Puerto Rican professional baseball player who played 18 seasons in the MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates, primarily as a right fielder. I was born on August 18, 1934. I was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1954 and rose to become the greatest baseball player of all time.
Speaker 3:In December 1972, I died in a plane crash. After my death, the National Baseball Hall of Fame changed its rules so that a player that has been dead for at least six months would be eligible. On March 20, 1973, the Baseball Writers Association of America held a special election for the Baseball Hall of Fame. They voted to waive the waiving period for me Due to the circumstances of my death. They elected me for the induction into the Hall of Fame, giving me 393 out of 420 available votes, for 92% of the vote. I was a track and field star and an Olympic before putting my full attention to baseball. My professional career began when I was 18 with the Concentraros de Sanctuary of the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League. I hope you enjoyed learning about me. Slash Roberto Clemente. Good job. Wow, that was awesome.
Speaker 1:I love it. And Tommy, if you notice, friends, tommy spoke in first person as he was the actual person. Wow Baseball. He had 3,000 hits, but what a tragic passing died so young. So anyways, that was awesome. We're going to pause just for a minute and who are we going to learn about next? Aidan Kay, we're going to be learning about Chadwick Boseman. Chadwick Boseman Maybe some of you know who Black Panther was, so we're going to listen to Mr Aidan Kay talk about Chadwick Boseman. I love it. After the next break. Alright, friends, hey, we are channeling our inner Avenger, our inner Avenger, because we're going to learn about Chadwick Boseman. Not only was he an Avenger, black Panther, but he was a great actor, wasn't he? So let's learn a little bit about Chadwick Boseman from Mr Aiden Kay. Go right ahead, sir.
Speaker 3:Okay, so Chadwick Boseman's birthday is on November 29, 1976. He was born and raised in Anderson, south Carolina. His father worked for an agriculture farm and furniture work, and his mother was a nurse. Chadwick went to TL Hanna High School and attended College Howard University Dated in 2013, 42, 2016, captain America, civil War, 2018, black Panther, 2018 Avengers, infinity War and 2019 Avengers Endgame. Chadwick Boseman died at 43 years old on August 28, 2020 because of colon cancer. These were some of Chadwick's last words on Earth. People deserve abundant life special moments. They've been through hell-battling disease. Chadwick Boseman.
Speaker 1:All right, nice job, nice job, good job, very informative, very interesting, very sad, very tragic death of Chadwick Boseman. He portrayed a superhero and he passed away of cancer, a horrible disease. So again, well done. Very good job, ryan. Who are we going to learn about next? More about Chadwick Boseman, more about Chadwick Boseman, I love it. So he's going to fill us in a little bit more about Chadwick Boseman. So I don't think we're going to take a break, we'll just kind of keep going, since we happen to be talking about Chadwick Boseman, I love it. So while you're getting where you need to be, do you have a favorite Chadwick Boseman movie or character?
Speaker 2:My favorite movie from Chadwick Boseman is probably 42 or Black Panther.
Speaker 1:I love it. So, without further ado, let's hear a little bit more, maybe some of the same stuff, which is totally fine. A little bit more about Chadwick Boseman. Go ahead, ryan.
Speaker 2:Hello guys, today we're going to be learning about Chadwick Boseman, one of the best actors. In my opinion, chadwick Boseman is one of the best actors in the whole industry. He has been in numerous movies, like Black Panther. He has been in numerous movies like Black Panther 42, get On Up and many more movies. Chadwick Boseman is a famous actor. He has multiple different awards. He has one Golden Globe Award, one Primetime Emmy Award, one Critics' Choice Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. So in total, he has five awards. Fun fact about Chadwick Boseman so in total, he has five awards. Fun fact about Chadwick Boseman he was the first African American to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and, in my opinion, he's the best actor.
Speaker 2:I chose Chadwick Boseman because he is my inspiration for acting and I just love his work. My favorite movie by him is Black Panther and I used to watch Black Panther so much to the point where I could recite the whole movie. I also think he is a very talented actor, but he sadly died in 2020 from colon cancer and everybody was devastated by his death. And three years later, black Panther 2 came out and it was a good movie. It also is really long. Who came out? And it was a good movie. It also is really long. I bet he was very impressed by all the actors dedicating the movie to him.
Speaker 1:Good job, I love it. Good job, I love it, love it, love it, love it. I also have seen Black Panther a few times. I love it. Brianna, who are we going to learn about next? Maya Angelou. Maya Angelou what a great author, poet, one of the most famous authors and poets of our country. So we're going to take a break and have Miss Spudge come on over here and listening about Maya Angelou. I love it. Audience participation I love it. Little do they know that some of you are going to start singing solos. Just kidding, what's just kidding? Hey friends, we are back with Miss Spudge and Maya Angelou. She chose Maya Angelou. Spudge, why did you choose Maya Angelou?
Speaker 3:Because she was a writer and actor and I want to be one.
Speaker 1:I love it. So Spudger's going to use her playground voice and we want to learn about Maya Angelou. Who was she?
Speaker 3:Maya was born on April 4, 1928, in St Louis, missouri, but Maya wasn't her real name. Her real name was Margaret Annie Johnson. Her brother nicknamed her Maya Angelou, which stuck with her. Later on in life, she started making books of poetry and started acting. She received dozens of awards and more than 30 honorary doctoral degrees.
Speaker 3:Maya is best known for her autobiographies, which mainly focus on her childhood and adulthood challenges. She had a son at 16 who was disabled in the neck. Later in her lifetime, she married a young man in 1951 named Tosh Angelo. Tosh was a great Greek soldier and he was an African American. As a civil rights activist, maya said she wanted freedom, so sadly, they divorced in 1952. Then she married Paul Dufu, who was a Welsh carpenter and a writer, in 1973. Before she married Paul, she married a man named Vasumi Maki in 1960 and divorced in 1963. Maya wrote a book called Still, which was a book about freedom and her experience with Tosh. People recognized her in her poems throughout her numerous awards, and she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. And then she died because of heart problems in May 28, 2014.
Speaker 1:Maya Angelou. We've done some poetry in here. Oh, they love Maya Angelou, apparently. That was awesome. So we've done some poetry in here. And she again, one of the most famous poets ever in our country. So well done. I remember seeing her on the Oprah Winfrey show. I love it. So we're going to take a break. And Aubrey, who are we going to learn about? Katherine Johnson? Katherine show I love it. So we're going to take a break. And Aubrey, who are we going to learn about? Katherine Johnson? I love it. So let's take a break and let's learn about Katherine Johnson. Cool, all right, friends. Hey, we are back. No musical break this time, but we're going to learn about Katherine Johnson, and I bet some people don't know who that was. And here we have our friend, miss Aubrey, to tell us about who she was. She was pretty amazing.
Speaker 3:Hi, I'm Aubrey and I will be talking about Katherine Johnson. Katherine Goble Johnson was born in West Virginia on August 26 of 1918. Her parents' names were Joylette and Joshua. Her father was a lumberman and her mother was a teacher. She also had a brother named Horace, another brother named Charles and a sister named Margaret. She went to White Sulphur Springs Elementary in West Virginia at six years old. Instead of going to kindergarten, she skipped that and went to second grade. At age 10, she finished eighth grade and started high school. She was one of the best mathematicians, therefore. She excelled in school. Then, at age 14, she graduated from high school. After that, she started college at age 15 and went to West Virginia State. There she took as many math classes as she could. She graduated from college at age 18, where most people would have just started.
Speaker 3:Later into her life. She married a man named James. He then died because of an inoperable brain tumor. She then remarried a man named Jim. Before James died, she had three kids Constance, joyla and Catherine. She was mainly known for working at NASA. Even after already being turned down, she was a mathematician and calculated what to do in space travel. She worked there for 30 years. She is known for her calculations in the Apollo moon landings. Then, in 2015, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by ex-president Barack Obama. In 2016, she was also awarded the Silver Snoopy Award by a NASA astronaut. Then she was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by the United States Congress and finally, she was inducted into the Great Woman's Hall of Fame after she had died. She lived to be 101 years old. She died on February 24th of 2020. Thank you for listening and learning about Katherine Johnson so there's a movie they made called Hidden Figures.
Speaker 1:Hidden Figures have you heard of it before? Yes, yeah, hidden Figures great movie. We learned a lot about Katherine Johnson. We're going to take a break, musical break, and we'll see you after this break. Thanks, no more. No more. Hit the road with Jack.
Speaker 3:And don't you come back. No more what you say, hit the road with Jack.
Speaker 1:All right, hey, friends, we are back with our Black History Month presentations, and here we have Stephen, and everybody in class is going to be listening to his presentation on who?
Speaker 3:Mae C Jemison.
Speaker 1:Mae Jemison. So we had a little bit of Ray Charles going old school on us Students. Maybe you've heard or haven't heard of Ray Charles, very, very famous musician. So Mae Jempson, who was she? I have a feeling she enjoyed space.
Speaker 3:She was the first African American to be launched into space. Welcome to our Black History Month report or project. Today you'll be hearing about Macy Jemison, the first African American in space. Let's see what she did and facts about her. She was born on October 17, 1956. Like I said earlier, she was the first African American to be in space. When she was three, she moved to Chicago with her family. May spent a lot of her time reading science. Soon May would want to pursue a career in biomedical engineering. She worked on rabies-related projects. Then she made a career change, moving back to America. She wanted to become an astronaut. In 1985, she applied for the training. Sadly, the challenge disaster happened when she tried again a year later. She was chosen On June 4, 1987, she was the first African American to be in the space training program. She flew into space in 1992 with six other astronauts aboard. Wow, that is impressive. Thank you for listening to my report. Bye.
Speaker 1:Good job. That was interesting about Mae Jemison. Hey, stephen, I have a couple questions. Do you think your generation will? Do you think we'll get to Mars?
Speaker 3:Maybe I don't really know yet.
Speaker 1:Okay. So you think maybe what about the moon? You think we'll be back to the moon.
Speaker 3:Yes no-transcript.
Speaker 1:All right, friends. Hey, we are back with the best class in the universe who are hard at work doing their thing. But I have my friend sitting next to me. Who are you?
Speaker 4:Andrew.
Speaker 1:Hello Andrew, and who are we going to learn about today?
Speaker 3:Pele.
Speaker 1:Pele, or Pele, or however you choose to pronounce it Super important, famous soccer player. So who was this person? Go ahead, andrew.
Speaker 3:Pele was a Brazilian professional footballer. He played as a forward. Pele is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labeled the greatest by FIFA. Pele also regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labeled the greatest by FIFA. Pele also became the first black person to be on the cover of Story Life magazine, before any black American. It was emerged at the 1958 World Cup, where he became a black global sporting star. He also won three FIFA Men's World Cups at 17. Pele was born October 23, 1940, died December 29, 2022, at age 82. I picked Pele because he's an amazing soccer player that won three World Cups at 17. That was crazy, and nothing ever stopped him from creating. He made me never quit my dream for soccer. Pele also became wait. Pele is considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time. He is famous for his road cup wins, great goal scoring and contributes to peace. Pele is the only player to win the FIFA World Cup three times, in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
Speaker 1:That was awesome. Great job, great job, andrew. Hey, out of all the soccer plays, why Pele?
Speaker 3:Why, I don't know. I actually like him. I feel like he's the best.
Speaker 1:Great, I love it. Keep working hard, I love it. Alright, another oldie but goodie. Nat King Cole Unforgettable. I have my friend. Who are you, sir Connor? Hello Connor, who are we going to learn about today?
Speaker 4:Jackie Robinson.
Speaker 1:Jackie Robinson. Oh my goodness, where do we begin? Jackie Robinson, super famous athlete, go right ahead.
Speaker 4:Hello families and friends. Thank you for joining us on our Black History Podcast. Today I'll be talking about Jackie Robinson. Jackie grew up in Georgia with five older siblings and he had a single mother. He moved to Los Angeles, california, later on. His older brothers really inspired him to do sports. His brother, his brothers, were also in the Olympics. Jackie Robinson went to John Muir High School in Pasadena, california. He was a very athletic kid. Jackie played four sports track baseball, basketball and football and continued his education at UCLA.
Speaker 4:On his journey of trying to get a career and get on a path in life, jackie had to deal with racial segregation and people shouting racial slurs, but it didn't stop him from going to college. He did really well and then he became a lieutenant for the Army. An incident happened where Jackie had to wait a long timeline to get a Coke at a restaurant because he was black and all the white people got to go in front of him and he fought it. While being in the Army he was good friends with Martin Luther King Jr and attended his I have a Dream speech. He got drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers after Ricky sent baseball scouts to find the best Negro baseball player was called at the time and it turned out to be Jackie Robinson. But Coach Ricky knew it would be tough for Robinson so he sent him to play for the Kansas City Monarchs in a less segregated area and then went to Brooklyn to play with the Dodgers.
Speaker 4:Coach Rickey asked Jackie if he could deal with racial slurs, people trying to hurt him and Coach Rickey even acted out scenarios and if he could take it without fighting physically but fighting with his crazy plays and crazy hits and a bunch more. And Jackie said he can deal with it. But it wasn't long till Coach Rickey was right. Jackie had a deal of racial discrimination. People threatened to hurt Jackie and his family and shouted ugly names at him. But it didn't stop him. He ended up doing so well and people liked Jackie Robinson and he was so inspiring he ended up breaking the color barrier for Major League Baseball. His number 42 is retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers to this day. He died of a heart attack at a young age of 53 on October 24, 1972 at his home in Sanford. Thank you for taking time out of your day to listen to my podcast all about Jackie Robinson, and have a good rest of your day.
Speaker 1:That was fantastic. Good job, that was great. That was great. So how significant and how important do you think he was to baseball?
Speaker 4:Very, if he wasn't around, then we probably wouldn't have African-Americans playing baseball today.
Speaker 1:Do you think he influenced other sports as well?
Speaker 4:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:I love it. Great, super, super informative. All right, and J friends, we are back. If you're wondering what that crazy noise was, that is an airplane getting ready to take off, which leads us into our friend Jaden Hello, jaden, hello, and we're going to learn about Bessie Coleman. Who was Bessie Coleman?
Speaker 3:For my Black History Month project, I picked Bessie Coleman. She was the first African-American to earn her pilot's license. She earned her pilot's license in 1921, and she is known for a pioneer aviator. She worked hard to achieve this role. She was a big deal back then because she was the first African-American female to earn a pilot's license. She was born in Atlanta, texas, in 1892 and died in Florida in 1926. She was a twin daughter and suffered lots of racial discrimination.
Speaker 3:If you are wondering what plane she flew back then, it's called the DIP plane. You may be wondering how she died. Well, it was very tragic. She died when her plane went into a nosedive and she fell out of her plane around 2,000 feet in the sky. Her mechanic, named William Wills, was the one who piloted the plane, but he also died when the plane smashed into the ground. She struggled entering a piloting aviation university since she was an African American and a female, so she decided to create a university to give many other African Americans a chance to go into a university. According to Google, the reason the plane went into a nosedive is because a wrench fell into her engine bay. This crash is still unknown and whose wrench it was. She was educated in a school called Langston University. You may be curious if she was ever married and yes, she was. Her spouse was Claude Glenn. She changed the world by inspiring other African Americans to also earn a pilot's license and achieve beautiful things. She is remembered for being one of the African Americans to earn a pilot's license.
Speaker 1:I love it. Great job, jim, great job. Hey, a crazy question. Do you want to be a pilot? Yes, what kind of pilot? In the military? A commercial air pilot, commercial? Can I ask why? What is interesting about that?
Speaker 3:I just find it very inspiring how planes work. I love it Fantastic, I love it, I love it.
Speaker 1:Fantastic, I love it. I love it. Great, have you crazy question? Another crazy question have you been on a commercial airplane? Yeah, pretty crazy, I love it. Thanks, jane, I love it, love it, love it. Another friend, let's look into the audience. Frances, good afternoon, happy Friday. Who are we going to learn about? Dorothy Johnson, dorothy Johnson, I love it.
Speaker 4:So my friend Frances will be up next, great let's pause.
Speaker 1:All right, hey, we are back friends with my friend, Frances. Frances, who are we going to learn?
Speaker 3:about Dorothy Johnson.
Speaker 1:Dorothy Johnson. Why somebody who's in the fifth grade? Why would you pick Dorothy Johnson?
Speaker 3:I just think that she was very smart and she did a lot of amazing things.
Speaker 1:And you found her very interesting. I love it, so let's hear about her.
Speaker 3:Who was she? She was a mathematician that worked on sending satellites and astronauts into space and her nickname was Human Computer.
Speaker 1:What a great nickname, Human Computer.
Speaker 3:She was born on September 20, 1910, in Kansas City, missouri, with her parents, leonard and Annie Johnson. She went to Wilberforce University and studied there. When she had joined the department, she worked in infraspace. It was segregated, but six years later after she joined, she became manager of her division, becoming the first black supervisor, and a decade later the segregation in the agency ended. She later joined the analysis and computation division and helped launch some of the first astronauts into space. After some time working there and having lots of dedication, she had retired from NASA in 1971 at the age of 61. She had sadly passed away from natural causes on November 10, 2008. She inspired a lot of people to keep pushing and to never give up on their dreams.
Speaker 1:Wow, I'm back to the phrase I'm a human computer. So she obviously did what she was good at math, or she could do equations in her head. Why do you think they named her human computer?
Speaker 3:Probably because she was really fast at doing calculations and she could figure out calculations on like space satellites.
Speaker 1:I love it. Do you find, can you relate to that? Are you pretty good at doing stuff in your head pretty quick, like that?
Speaker 1:Not really, that's okay, hey, you're honest. I love it. I love it. Great, I love it. Thank you, dear, appreciate it. Let's move on to our next person. I love it. Oh, we have a volunteer. I love it, calvin. Who are we going to learn about? Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan or, as you kids say, mj. Let's pause. All right, that was awesome. That was the intro to the Chicago Bulls and what a great intro to Michael Jordan. So let's hear from Calvin. He's going to talk about Michael Jordan.
Speaker 4:Hello, my name is Calvin and the script I've made is based on one of the most iconic talents in the NBA and is culturally popular. As an honor to Michael Jordan, I'd like to represent him, because no one is like the way he performs on the court and off. In my opinion, michael Jordan's legacy stands above Black History Month as the GOAT. So enjoy as I represent the stunning talent of Michael J Jordan. Michael Jordan, who was born on February 17, 1963, who played with the Chicago Bulls when Jordan was young, his family observed what he liked doing as a child. At a very young age, michael Jordan's family moved to Wilmington, north Carolina. At the time when Jordan was six. He liked playing baseball, football and basketball. At the same time, when Jordan was about to turn double digits, he started getting a little more serious at baseball, practicing a lot, but this would change very soon. Jordan got tired of baseball, so he decided to play some basketball on the court. After playing for a long time, jordan realized that he had more passion for the sport. Jordan's outlook changed and he got serious about basketball. As Jordan got older, his parents attended him to Emsley, a Laney High School. As Jordan got older, his parents attended him to Emsley A Laney High School. When he attended it, his parents wanted him to play the same three sports that he played when he was little. But when Jordan tried out for the basketball varsity team in his sophomore year, the coaches thought he was too small and did not make the team. The following summer Michael Jordan trained very hard and grew four inches taller. He tried out again and he finally earned a spot on the roster of the varsity team. As Jordan earned his spot, he went off averaging 25 points per game in his final two seasons with the team. In his final season as a senior, he was selected to the 1981 McDonald's All-American game and scored 30 points. After he finished high school, a bunch of universities like Duke, north Carolina, south Carolina and Syracuse offered him scholarships. In 1981, after just two months when he just finished high school, he signed a scholarship with the North Carolina Tar Heels University. Jordan majored in cultural geography. The reason he majored in this segment is because he was interested in meteorology. When Jordan ended his first season, he averaged 13.4 PPG a game. Not his best, he thought. But the Tar Heels went to the NCAA championship and Michael Jordan made the game-winning shot for them, with the team being carried to the NCAA championship win led by future NBA rival, patrick Ewing turning point in basketball. After this season, jordan left Carolina in 1984 to join the NBA draft, although after two years he came back for his college degree.
Speaker 4:Jordan played 13 seasons with the Bulls and two seasons with the Washington Wizards. Michael Jordan was most known for his shoes, air Jordan that were popular in the 1990s and still today. Jordan was named NBA's Most Valuable Player five times. Michael Jordan was drafted as the third overall pick in the draft in 1984. When the season started in May, michael Jordan had his first game with the Bulls. That was his debut with the Bulls. His first game, he posted an unbelievable 16 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 blocks. In 1984, the season ended short. In the three-game series against the Celtics In 1985, jordan broke his foot, missing half of the season. The Bulls missed out on the playoffs with a 30-52 record.
Speaker 4:As Jordan continued to be great, he was elected for multiple All-Star games and, being the person he usually is, jordan was great at making baskets. In the 1986-87 season, he and Wilt Chamberlain became the only player to score 3,000 in the season. After the season, they faced Boston again and lost the season ending their season. But Jordan continued to be great and great and in 1991-1993 was one of the best seasons for the Bulls, as they won three championships. When you win three in a row it's called a three-peat, but after this he won three more security and another three-peat 1996 and 1998. And after 1998, he announced his retirement. To play baseball, jordan signed a minor league contract with the White Sox, but he only played one game in Chicago After 2001,. Jordan returned back to play basketball with the Wizards for two seasons and he did officially announce his retirement in 2003. Today he is still alive and still makes a lot of money selling his Air Jordans. I hope you enjoyed the story about Michael Jordan.
Speaker 1:That was fantastic. Great job, great job. Have you seen? Even the audience loved it too. Have you seen any documentaries or movies about him? Yeah, space Jam, you're so funny, space Jam Not surprised, but they have some great documentaries and movies about him as well, but Space Jam was fun. Here's a fun fact about Air Jordans Did you know that his mother made him sign that Nike contract and the contract was for a percentage of shoe sales?
Speaker 1:so the very first Air Jordan year they did not expect to sell really a lot of shoes and they ended up selling about 15 million shoes, and now, to this day, he makes billions of dollars with that shoe contract and he doesn't even play anymore. So that that was great. I love it. You really covered everything. Super informative. I love it.
Speaker 1:And we're going to finish off our Black History Month presentations for now with one more, and I'm going to choose my friend, annalise. Annalise, who are we going to learn about? I love it. So let's hear from Annalise in just a second, after the next break. All right, thank you, friend. All right, hey friends. Yes, bruno, to your phone book. I'm trying to kiss your lips for a minute, all right, hey friends, yes, bruno Mars actually does appear on this song, a little bit later in the song, though. Great, did you know the backstory of this song? It's kind of funny how this song was written, but, yeah, bruno Mars contributed to it. For the end of Volume 1 of Black History Month, we have Annalise, hello Annalise. And who are we going to learn about today? We're going to learn about Jacob Lawrence. Great. So how about? In your best playground voice, let's learn about your famous African American history.
Speaker 3:Jacob Lawrence was a famous artist who was inspired to make Cubism art. He was one of the first nationality recognized African American artists. He was the first to be recognized by other people. Jacob Lawrence was also the first African-American artist to gain broad recognition. With the segregation art world of 1940s he went painting the art era of 1940s, which is painted by abstract expertism.
Speaker 3:Jacob Lawrence didn't just paint his imaginary thoughts. He painted what he saw with his vision. He painted of what's happening on the outside. He painted his vision of poverty, crime and police brutality. He drew or painted what is based on what's happening in the outside world. He started painting his vision because there is a, there is this, there is this artist who inspired him to paint. He was inspired by the Harlem community's interest of the in the stories of its heritage. Also, the Harlem communities inspired him to make Cubism art. Jacob Lawrence started painting throughout the 1930s. He was born in 1917, september 7th, so he started painting when he was 13. Sadly, jacob Lawrence died on June 9, 2000 from lung cancer. He could not finish his career.
Speaker 1:Wow, great job. Hey, another fascinating choice of you all. So why, of all the people you could have chose, why choose this person?
Speaker 3:I chose him because I'm also inspired to do art, just like him.
Speaker 1:Love it, I love it. Great job, fantastic. All right, friends, I hope you enjoyed and learned a lot about our different African Americas in history and we'll catch you in the next episode. Thanks,