Shades Cahaba student dresses up as historical figures for Black History Month
Throughout February, Lauren Glover’s classmates know she’ll be a different person twice per week. From Martin Luther King Jr. to astronaut Mae Jemison, Lauren researches noteworthy historical figures for Black History Month and brings costumes and information to share with her school.
Lauren and her mother, Kimberley Glover, started the Black History Month project when Lauren was a first grade student at Shades Cahaba Elementary. Seeing a gap in education about black history-makers outside of slavery, Kimberley Glover said she started the costume project to share more of these role models with her daughter.
“I found it to be a perfect opportunity for me to be able to share with her some of the heroes and heroines of black history, and I thought it was a perfect opportunity for her to share with her peers,” Kimberley Glover said.
For the first three years, Kimberley Glover did most of the work, but now Lauren, a fourth-grader, takes the lead.
She dresses up as a different person each Monday and Friday throughout February, and her little brother Dylan, a first-grader, also dresses up once per week. Lauren said her classmates are always excited to see who she’ll be next.
“It was really great to see the embrace that the school has given Lauren and this whole project that has just really taken off,” her mom said.
Some of their costumes have included Thurgood Marshall, the first black Supreme Court justice; Carole Robertson, one of the victims of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing; Barack and Michelle Obama; Oprah Winfrey; Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to U.S. Congress; and Pauline Fletcher, the first black nurse in Alabama.
Lauren said one of her recent favorite costumes was Mae Jemison, the first black female astronaut. She also said there were many people she had never heard of before doing research with her mom for this project.
Kimberley Glover said part of the reason they continue this Black History Month is to teach her children that “their history is rich, that their history is just not about slavery, that they have significant people who contributed in different ways.”
She said Lauren’s teacher, Jane Petras, has been particularly supportive in getting her classmates to research the historical figures in advance. Lauren usually prepares notes to give a speech on each person, and she said she definitely doesn’t have a fear of public speaking.
“When you see those positive influences, it really brings out who you can be and gives you a vision,” Kimberley Glover said.
Kimberley Glover said she hopes this will be a tradition for her family every February until Lauren and Dylan graduate. She posts photos of Lauren in her costumes and facts about these historical figures on Instagram at @blackhistorysalutes.