My name is Aïché Keita, and a fun fact about me is that I’m from Mali and Burkina Faso. Many people say I look Nigerian, but, hey, I don’t see it. Being both Malian and Burkinabé, I know how to speak Jula and Mandinka. I am proud to be West African and trying to learn more about the region’s culture and history. I also love the Harry Potter books. Yes, I am a very intellectual “Potter head.” Harry Potter brings out the eight year old child in me. I get lost in the world of Hogwarts. I look up to Queen Latifah because she is an innovator who challenged standards by becoming one of the first female rapper/hip hop artists. When I grow up, I want to be a Supreme Court justice. Lots of people say it’s not realistic and encourage me to just be a lawyer, but I’m determined to be a judge because I believe judges today don’t always think outside the box or consider how their actions will affect others. I’m especially concerned about the recent Supreme Court ruling on abortion access and how it’ll impact my friends and me when we grow up.

One of my favorite civil rights quotes is “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that” by Martin Luther King, Jr. This quote inspires me because it shows how negativity doesn’t stop negativity. Only positivity does.

BK2BAMA is a program that brings a select group of eighth graders go to Alabama and Georgia over April break to visit historic civil rights sights to learn about Black history. I joined BK2BAMA because of the melanin in my skin and to learn about the things done to my people in the past. No matter how cruel and graphic it may be, it’s necessary to study this history because it brings awareness and helps people reflect on their own biases. BK2BAMA is teaching me about this history and then I plan on sharing it with others. I can’t wait to not only hang with my friends in a new setting, but also learn new things. I especially can’t wait to meet with all the foot soldiers that were part of the Movement and visit different HBCUs.