Making Black History

So it’s February of 2004 and I’m in my 5th grade class at Glenwood Elementary School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. My teacher Sheryl Spivey has given us a class project for Black History Month. The task requires us to pick a historical Black figure and reenact their life story in a class play. The person who’s life I was tasked with covering is author Langston Hughes. I was partnered up with classmate who had just moved here from Africa named Abdoulaye Diallo. I was thinking this was gonna be very difficult because doesn't hardly speak any English.

Nevertheless we pulled it off and the project was a success. I learned a lot about Langston Hughes and really grew to admire his work even though reading and writing. Of course life changed drastically after that Black History Month of 2004. I never saw my class partner Abdoulaye again and learned from our former classmates that he unfortunately passed away in 2012 in a car accident in Chapel Hill. As for me, well I ended up becoming the very thing I never liked doing. Yes, I became an author and in February of 2026 I left my mark on the culture of Black History.

On November 16th of 2025 I published my first book ever titled “Melanin Memoirs” it’s a collection of poetry about mental issues in the Black community. I knew I wanted this book to do well, but at the time I had no idea how impactful it would become. Three months after my book was first released I was out running some errands and met a lady who was a college professor at A&T university in Greensboro, North Carolina where I live. We started chatting and she told me she was a professor of mental health and African American experience. To that I responded by telling her how I had just published my first book ever on both of those topics.

Upon hearing this she asked for the name of my book and then purchased both a digital and paperback copy and then she asked for my phone number. A few hours later she sent me a text telling me that she started reading my book and thought it was great. She then asked me if I would be willing to come speak to a class of her students about my book to which I happily agreed.

On the morning of Monday February 9th 2026, I arrived at A&T university where I spent an hour telling my life story and talked about the details of my book to Dr. Pamela Moye’s class of students. They asked a lot of great questions and gave their perspective on my work and life experience with mental health. Needless to say this speech was a success and I was proud to have given this speech during Black History Month to a class of young Black males and females at one of the most historical Black colleges in the country.

I actually met Dr. Moye around January, but when she asked me to come speak to her class I was hoping it would be in February because I really wanted to leave my mark on Black history during Black History Month. Sure enough one of her students invited me on their post to talk about my book and mental health. A couple people have also asked me to come speak at their churches and book clubs about my work and I’m glad to say that my book is still doing well. 22 years ago I did a class project on a historical Black writer and 22 years later I too have become a Black author leaving my mark on our history. More than anything I am proud that my work resonates with my community and beyond and I am proud to be making Black History.

~ Dedicated to the memory of Abdoulaye Diallo.