Meet our 29 Future Black History Makers of Fayetteville for 2024
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 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
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Meet Fayetteville's Future Black History Makers for 2024
