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Georgia Art Teacher’s Classroom Doors Celebrate Black History Month — and Every African-American Boy and Girl

This article is one in a series at Âé¶¹¾«Æ· that profiles the heroes, victories, success stories, and random acts of kindness to be found at schools all across America. Read more of our recent inspiring profiles at The74million.org/series/inspiring.

Nakimer Daniels called the schoolroom doors she decorated for Black History Month “Be a Dreamer.� But she never dreamed they’d catapult her to fame.

https://www.facebook.com/Kymmbella/posts/10210879627642735

In a February 13 Facebook post titled “DO IT FOR THE CULTURE,� the art teacher at Radium Springs Elementary School in Albany, Georgia, who goes by the nickname Kymm, shared photos and a video of her creation. The two doors, which feature an African-American boy and girl resplendent in colorful clothing and big hair, flank a panel with dozens of photos of figures from black history and present-day prominence, including Oprah, the Obamas, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Stevie Wonder, and Jackie Robinson.

https://www.facebook.com/Kymmbella/videos/pcb.10210879627642735/10210879625242675/?type=3&theater

Two days later, Daniels got a shock — her post hit the big time, with nearly 66,000 shares and 4,000 comments — and suddenly, the 2015 fine arts graduate of Georgia’s Columbus State University was on the air in an interview with local TV station .

“The kids love it. They were in awe when I got finished with it,� Daniels told the station. “They were like, ‘Miss Daniels, who are they?’ I was like, ‘They are you, or you, they could be anybody.’ It’s something that relates to them, and they just love it.�

Daniels got the idea from projects other art teachers had posted on Facebook as part of the Black History Challenge. She enhanced the everykid portraits in her mixed-media masterpiece with textiles: An African-patterned hair band around the girl’s head is made of the same cloth as the boy’s shirt collar. The bodacious hairstyles are fashioned from curled black streamers.

“I got a lot of good response from people all over the world. They want to do it. Not just art teachers but teachers in general,â€� Daniels told . “I think it’s a great way to inspire the children.â€�

Daniels’s pupils weren’t the only ones sparked by her work of art. After challenging her colleagues — “Let’s show them how art teachers do it� — others have stepped up to the plate, including Chicago’s Kay L Bee, who borrowed Daniels’s signature technique for representing hair when she made a striking portrait of Michelle Obama.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1880589461974859&set=p.1880589461974859&type=3&theater

In light of the doors that her doors project have opened, Daniels vows that the creativity and inspiration won’t end when Black History Month is over.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfMvUHTlG3E/

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