My name is Deyea Ba and I am a part of a group called BK2BAMA. I live in Brooklyn, New York and like to watch movies, read, hang out with friends, and go places to sightsee. For example, I loved visiting the Statue of Liberty and really want to visit Greece. My favorite book would have to be the Harry Potter series because I find fantasy books interesting. I don’t necessarily have a hero, but someone I look up to is Minerva Mirabal from In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alverez. She bravely stood up for what she felt was wrong and demanded that women have rights. She did not let anyone take her voice away, which inspired me. When I grow up, I want to be a fashion designer, flight attendant, or lawyer because I love clothes, traveling, and am good at debating.

My favorite civil rights quote would have to be “You must never be fearful about what you are doing if it is right,” by Rosa Parks. This quote resonates with me because it reminds me to not be afraid of what I’m doing, as long as it’s the right thing.

I recently joined BK2BAMA, a program that gives eighth graders the opportunity to travel to Alabama and Georgia to study about Black history and the Civil Rights Movement. We’ve already begun taking field trips around New York City. For example, we recently went to the Brooklyn Museum and did a walking tour of Lower Manhattan with the Black Gotham Experience. We also meet after school every Monday to learn more about Black history. Then this April break, we will take a trip to Alabama and Georgia, where we will visit sites like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth home and Ebenezer Baptist Church, but also speak with veterans of the Movement and visit HBCUs like Spelman and Tuskegee, which I would love to attended. I joined BK2BAMA to learn more about civil rights history, but I also believe it will inspire me to fight for justice for women, people of color, and all people facing oppression.