Making History

This week MLK Academy 6th, 7th, and 8th students explored what it means to “make history.” Together we read and discussed the poem “Making History” by Marilyn Nelson. In the poem the speaker is a young girl who is standing in line with other children getting a polio shot. Mrs. Liebel said we were Making History/ but all I did was sqwunch up my eyes and wince. The speaker disagrees with her teacher, believing that a simple action such as getting a vaccine doesn’t create a big impact on history. Yet the girl’s perspective changes when she remembers her mother referencing the first black telephone operator, the first black pilots, and the first black supreme court judge. The girl, like the reader finally realizes that these significant people in history are remembered for taking that “first step,” that one action that may seem insignificant, yet can pave a path towards achievement not only for themselves but for others as well.

Inspired by Marilyn Nelson, students wrote poems about how they would like to “make history,” and what they want to be remembered for. Please enjoy these published poems.