National African-American History Month: Kirtland Children learn about hardships and achievements during book reading Published Feb. 21, 2020 By Senior Airman Kiana Pearson Kirtland Air Force Base Public Affairs KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Volunteers from Kirtland Air Force Base African-American Heritage committee read stories and discussed the hardships and achievements of Black/African-Americans during a book reading to more than 90 students at the Youth Center on Feb. 19, 2020 as part of National African-American History Month at KAFB, New Mexico. “Today we just wanted to get a chance to talk to the children about black history month,” said Airman 1st Class Jeremy Moore, 377th Medical Group bioenvironmental technician and African-American Heritage committee member. “We want to give them insight on how black influential leaders paved the way for not only us here in the Air Force, but also for the children we are speaking to and the leaders in place today.” The light peeking through the windows of the Youth Center illuminated small faces of children as they sat together to listen to the stories of historical icons like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and Harriet Tubman. “I can remember when I was young and had these moments where older individuals came and read to me about this,” said Moore. “It meant a lot to me.” An older group of children participated in a discussion, facilitated by the committee members on topics that included racial inequality and slavery. Childrens' hands raised eagerly to share what they learned about history. Moore says that he was impressed with the knowledge that the children contributed to the discussion and hoped that they continue to recognize the importance of diversity. “We all can benefit from each other and equality,” Moore said. “I’m hoping that the kids can benefit from this and understand that black people play an important role in the community.”