Sixth graders at Seneca Middle School learned about Elizabeth Jennings and her fight for equal access on public transportation in New York City as part of the building’s Black History Month activities. Students participated in a three-part program – a read aloud of “Lizzie Demands a Seat!: Elizabeth Jennings Fights for Streetcar Rights,” a virtual visit with the Long Island Museum to examine its 1885 streetcar and understand its importance, and a virtual author visit with Beth Anderson who shared her writing process and research that went into creating the book.

Through this program, sixth graders learned about Jennings’ path of inspiration. They discussed specific examples of what it means to inspire others and compared Jennings to other influential figures in American history. Students were then introduced to the idea of “following in someone’s footsteps,” and wrote down their own examples of inspirations in their lives.

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Date Added: 3/5/2024