We asked a few members of the community who would they choose as their Black History hero, why that person inspired them, and what they wanted their own legacy to be.
And there were two caveats: They had to reveal the answer and explain in less than a minute and they couldn’t pick Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Simple enough, right? There was quite a diversity in their responses and we’ll show them to you this Black History Month.
Justin Artenant, senior manager, Newark Thrives!, United Way of Greater Newark works to ensure Newark students have access to safe and productive after school and summertime programs.
Artenant would like his legacy to be one that “inspires young leaders across the world to build more just and sustainable spaces for the future generations who come after us.”
His Black History hero is agricultural scientist and inventor, George Washington Carver, who developed hundreds of products using peanuts, sweet potatoes and soybeans.
Carver, who was born into slavery in 1864, earned a master’s degree in agricultural science from Iowa State University. He taught and conducted research at Tuskegee University for many years.
