D.C. Students Recognize Iconic Ebony Magazine Covers the BOTWC Way

We love to see it!

These D.C. elementary school students recreated iconic Ebony magazine covers the Because of Them We Can (BOTWC) way.

According to NBC Washington, teacher Kendall Maloney is the mastermind behind an inspiring school project where her students dressed up as Black icons who have graced the cover of Ebony magazine. An educator at Bunker Hill Elementary in Washington, D.C., Maloney initially got the idea to create a calendar honoring Black history moments last October, first taking the idea to her principal to get approval. 

“I wanted to create something where the students knew that they were excellent, they were Black excellence, and that they could do anything and dream and be anything possible,” Maloney told reporters. 

Once approved, Maloney and her students began their fundraising efforts, selling snacks and candy grams to raise funds for the project and printing and students got to choose which people they wanted to portray. Recently, the team unveiled the final calendar, and the results are astounding. 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by K (@kendallstwin)

In BOWTC-esque fashion, the recreations starring young people as prominent Black figures are made even more wonderful because of the Ebony magazine reference. The Chicago-based magazine has been a staple in the Black community for more than seven decades, just recently relaunching their digital publications last year. Ebony has not only covered notable Black historical figures but also pivotal moments in Black life in general. 

In the recreations, Bunker Hill students can be seen posing as Forever President Barack Obama, Diana Ross, and the late Marvel star, Chadwick Boseman. The images have been making their rounds on social media and there’s nothing but positive feedback from viewers. 

“On the way to school this morning, I couldn’t control my emotions. I’m trying to hold it back now because I’m just so proud of all these kids,” said Maloney. 

My friend is a teacher at Bunker Hill Elementary School in NE DC. She had some of the students recreate classic @EBONYMag covers. Check em out!! 🔥🔥🔥@ava & more! pic.twitter.com/LwqyM6kMPD

— DJ Heat (@DJHeatDC) March 31, 2022

Ashton Carter, a fifth grader at Bunker Hill who portrayed Boseman said he was happy to be a part. 

“I did the calendar project because it was a way to honor the Black leaders before us. It was a lot of work, but it paid off in a good way,” said Ashton. 

Another student, Hermola Abrha, echoed those sentiments.

“I’m proud of myself, to be proud of my culture,”

she said.

Calendars will be sold to locals in the community and the school hopes to make projects like these a regular. Joyce Gregory, a family member of one of the participants said what Maloney has done will impact generations to come. 

“I’m hoping that they will share it with their children and talk about the different pages within the calendar, and give them more exposure about Black history,” said Gregory. 

Thank you for this beautiful labor of love, Kendall! May your students continue to be inspired by their rich history. 

Photo Courtesy of Kendall Maloney/Instagram

This article was originally posted on BOTWC