Laterron Gray is a junior at Santa Rosa High School and you can find him everyday at lunch playing basketball on the outdoor courts. This is his favorite hobby along with making people laugh. Laterron believes black history month is the main time to celebrate and embrace African-American people. He enjoys learning about the different accomplishments that African-American people have contributed to society. “It means I get to observe what they’ve achieved and learn about the hardships they endured to get there.”
Laterron believes that it shouldn’t just be popular or famous people who get recognition. He thinks everyone who has an impact on African-American culture should be praised, like Michael Jordan for instance. “Michael Jordan is well known, but I’m not sure if he’s ever recognized during Black History month. However, he changed the game of basketball. He had a unique style and mastered his craft. He showed others how hard work and determination can help you become the best at what you do.” A lot of people know Michael Jordan as a good basketball player and Laterron thinks the story of Michael Jordan was impactful because it teaches people to never give up on their dreams. Laterron believes that Michael Jordan doesn’t get enough recognition during Black history month, but that his story is an important one. Michael Jordan’s story shows that you can achieve your goals no matter what.
Laterron wants to ensure we keep on recognizing and learning about African-American culture throughout the year, not just in February. He wishes that schools would have more lessons about African-American history. “We could have more inclusivity in class lessons that show black history. We can read some things from Black authors.” He also says that watching good movies and listening to good music like J. Cole has big impacts on people’s minds about African culture because it shows black artists can have big impacts on different industries.“ J Cole is one of his favorite artists because he feels that his songs are sentimental to black culture. In the future Leterron wants the community as a whole to grow together even more than they already have. He wants to see the black community grow and achieve more and more goals. “Maybe we could even see another black president in office.”
