February is my favorite month (besides December) because it’s Black History Month! All month I get to learn about people that look just like me that changed the world. At school, all the teachers make sure we learn about someone new; Someone we might not know about from previous lessons. Black History Month gives the world a positive outlook on African Americans and it makes me even prouder to be who I am. People like Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Malcolm X fought so that kids my color could sit down in a classroom and learn. Others like Fredrick Douglass, WEB Dubois and Booker T. Washington went through the fight to learn so that others would be strong enough to stand up for what they believe in and learn too.
I really look up to Hosea Williams and the legacy he left. He was a civil rights leader that marched alongside Dr. King. He also had businesses in Atlanta, Georgia, which is where I’m from. As a young man, he served as a staff sergeant in the military during World War II. I really like how strong Mr. Williams was. It takes a brave person to fight in the war. While in war, he was injured during a Nazi bombing and he needed a cane to walk after coming home. He also received a Purple Heart for his injury. This is given to men and women in the armed forces and is presented to them by the president of the United States.
We learned in school that Hosea Williams was also the victim of several beatings. Some angry Caucasian people beat him up one time at a bus stop, and it was so bad that people thought he was dead. He was still in his uniform when he was attacked. Later, when Mr. Williams spoke about the attack, he said he was beaten like a dog. Despite this, he still decided to fight for what was right. He put his life on the line so that brown boys and girls like me could sit in school and learn and live in an environment where we feel safe and can freely walk around without fear.
Hosea Williams graduated high school at 23 and then got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He was a proud member of the NAACP, the National Association of Advancement of Colored People. He was also a part of the SCLC, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Both these organizations were dedicated to helping African Americans get equal rights when the Jim Crow laws were passed. Hosea Williams was part of the DeKalb County Commission until 1994. He also ran for Mayor in 1989 and lost to Mayor Maynard Jackson. He and a lot of other black people saw that a change needed to be made decided that they would make it. That’s why I admire him so much.
I currently volunteer for the Hosea Helps foundation. I help feed the homeless and spend time with the displaced children, giving them important safety knowledge. This is one of the ways I’m able to give back to my community. I am part to be a part of the foundation that Hosea Williams founded.
About Morgan Steward: Morgan is an honorary police officer for the Covington Georgia Police Department. He lives with his mother, father and two siblings. He is an active member in his community and enjoys helping others. Click here to learn more about Morgan.