As part of Black History Month, guidance counselor Imani Agee has used the daily announcements to honor the contributions of numerous Black Americans.
On Friday, February 25, for example, Agee noted how Carrboro residents Alvin and Omelia Garner became the first interracial couple to receive a marriage license in Orange County in June of 1968.
“We are such a mixed, diverse school,” Agee said. “There are so many different cultures, races, ethnicities and with Black history I wanted to showcase the greatness that is Black history.”
Agee said that her goal is to increase awareness of important figures—nationally and locally—whose accomplishments and victories students might not otherwise know.
Earlier in the month, Agee also celebrated the achievements of the A&T Four, the four freshmen students at North Carolina A&T State University who sat at the “whites-only” lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1960.
Other notable individuals Agee has highlighted include Madame C.J. Walker, the first female self-made millionaire in America; the author and historian Carter G. Woodson, who founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History; Daniel Hale Williams, who performed the first successful heart surgery in America in 1893; and gymnast Simone Biles.
“I try to pick facts that aren’t super well known, so I lean more towards Black public figures,” Agee said. “I wanted to share the knowledge of blackness and how it permeates all aspects of society.”
Agee ultimately hopes her efforts each day have been inspirational for students.
“The biggest thing that I hope Black students take away from Black History Month is that you can do whatever you put your mind to,” she said. “It doesn’t matter where you come from or where you are now; you can go to whatever lengths you want to reach your goals.”
