LIFESTYLE

Meet our 29 Future Black History Makers of Fayetteville for 2024

The Fayetteville Observer
Fayetteville Observer

In honor of Black History Month 2024, The Fayetteville Observer has partnered with Cumberland County Schools to spotlight 29 Future Black History Makers in our elementary and middle schools.

These students are standouts for a variety of reasons, from academics and athletics to artistry, kindness and drive. The students were selected by a panel of judges including Dr. Lindsay Whitley, associate superintendent of Communications and Community Engagement at Cumberland County Schools; Renarta Clanton Moyd, communications manager for Communications and Community Engagement at Cumberland County Schools; Pastor Sharon Thompson-Journigan, president of the Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council; Myron B. Pitts, Fayetteville Observer opinion editor; and Taylor Shook, food, dining and culture reporter at The Fayetteville Observer.

On Monday, the Observer and the school system hosted an event at Cape Fear Regional Theatre to honor this year's Fayetteville Observer Future Black History Makers. The ceremony, emceed by Opinion Editor Myron B. Pitts, featured a keynote speech by Cumberland County Schools Superintendent Dr. Marvin Connelly Jr.

Click the individual links to read more about our Future Black History Makers.

Dr. Marvin Connelly:Introducing the 2024 Future Black History Makers of Fayetteville

This year's honorees

Jeremih Anthony, Gallberry Farm Elementary School

Robert "Trey" Bey, Bill Hefner Elementary School School

Anjali Boodram, Reid Ross Classical School School

Autumn Braxton, Mary McArthur Elementary School

Jerome Charamba, Max Abbott Middle School

Josiah Cromity, Mac Williams Middle School

Yuri-Grace DeJesus, Cumberland Road Elementary School

Carrington Ethridge, New Century International Elementary School

Zamyra Farris, Brentwood Elementary School

Morgan Floyd, Spring Lake Middle School

Eryn Ford, College Lakes Elementary School

Kendrick Gatling, Westover Middle School

Leetha Graham, John Griffin Middle School

Julius Patrick Ivory II, J.W. Seabrook Elementary School

Jadon James, South View Middle School

Oyinkansola Kuku, Anne Chesnutt Middle School

Gabriel Lathan Jr., Ponderosa Elementary School

Jordyn Lee, E.E. Miller Elementary School

Lyrik Manuel, Gray’s Creek Middle School

Amiyah McCormick, J.W. Coon Elementary School

Amira McNeal, Stedman Elementary School

Elijah Morris, E. Melvin Honeycutt Elementary School

Jackson Duke O'Neal, Armstrong Elementary School

Seliyah Pretty, Lake Rim Elementary School

Braxton Claude Randolph, E. Melvin Honeycutt Elementary School

Aria Smalls, W.H. Owen Elementary School

Lawrence Smalls III, Owen Elementary School

Keigan Thames, Cumberland Academy Virtual School

Kalani Wilson, Lucille Souders Elementary School

The 2023 honorees:Meet all 28 Future Black History Makers of Fayetteville