Kim Groves believed in speaking up, even when it was dangerous. After witnessing police brutality in her New Orleans neighborhood, she filed a complaint against a violent officer and paid with her life. Her courage sparked federal action, reshaped conversations around police accountability, and lives on through her children, especially her daughter Jasmine, who continues the fight today.

Long before leadership became a résumé word, my father lived it. As a middle school student in late-1960s New Orleans, he joined the NAACP Youth Council and helped challenge discriminatory hiring practices, opening doors for Black students who were shut out of economic opportunity. His story is a reminder that change often begins young, quietly, and together.

Black history lives in ordinary families who made extraordinary choices. This lesson honors the children and parents who carried the weight of desegregation in New Orleans and changed the future of public education through courage, sacrifice, and community.