Students and staff of Stafford Elementary School partnered with leaders and students from Hardin-Simmons University and the mayor of Abilene to celebrate Black History Month on February 17.

Mayor Anthony Williams taught lessons to Stafford classes about Black leaders from the Abilene community and around the globe. Also in attendance for teaching moments were Dr. Travis Craver, HSU Associate Vice President for Spiritual Formation, and Chris Daughtery, author and founder of From Boys to Gentlemen, a local program dedicated to assisting youth through issues they face at home and at school.

Williams and Craver delivered presentations about pioneers like Dr. William Butler, Abilene’s first Black doctor. Students learned about Dr. Butler’s journey through medical school graduation in 1910 and the beginnings of his Abilene practice at North 7th and Mesquite Street, which opened in 1935. That building is now the office of I-CAN, or Interested Citizens of Abilene North, a local association founded to reinvest in the Carver and Stevenson neighborhoods.

Stafford Principal Melissa Scott said that this campus learning event was a crucial moment of reflection for her students. “The Staffords invested their lives into providing an education for African American students in Abilene,” said Scott. “We wanted to honor the achievements and contributions of both the Staffords and other African American leaders.”

Growing in empathy through collaboration and shared experiences was a key focus of the day’s learning events. Daughtery’s program featured an activity that asked students to think about significant moments in their lives, and what it might mean for them if their peers had lived through something similar. Collaborative artwork was also on display throughout the campus. Students in 5th grade worked together to create murals of historical Black leaders including Thurgood Marshall, George Washington Carver, Jackie Robinson, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, Barack Obama, Kobe Bryant, and Amanda Gorman. As if to sum up the meaning of the day, the words “Everybody’s Story Matters” were painted underneath one of the student-created murals. 

Moving forward, the teachers and staff at Stafford plan to keep a diverse range of stories in front of their students as they learn to carve out their own paths to leadership. Said Scott: “We hope to continue these partnerships and look forward to more learning opportunities from our local African American leaders in the future.”