The article was written by Annabel & Harriet, two students from Casterton College, Rutland, and Reya & Arya, two year 4 pupils from Holland House School. They were inspired to write this post during Black History Month 2022, after taking part in a VotesforSchools lesson asking "Are actions more impactful than words?"

Black. History. Month.

When is Black History Month Celebrated?

Here in the UK we celebrate it in October but in America, they celebrate it in February.

Famous actions

In Amazon's new series, The Rings of Power, people with a variety of skin colours play different roles. Also, the new Little Mermaid film is coming soon in 2023! Ariel is being played by Halle Bailey. We feel like this is an amazing way for movie producers to include people with lots of different backgrounds or skin colours, especially with it being Black History Month during the time of its announcement.

Ayra from Holland House school also wrote in to talk about this topic, and how we can all take action to ensure diversity. They wrote, "Actions are more important than words because if you carry on saying something it’s not going to happen whereas if you act on your ideas, it might." They continued with, "have you ever heard the phrase “The pen is mightier than the sword." Well it is! ...With a pen you can write letters to Disney to ask why the main character can’t wear glasses...people who wear glasses can feel less important even though we are all equal."

Ayra also pointed out that taking action does mean violence. They rightly said, "The actions that we are taking are not about wars, they do not include violence. The actions we take are to make change and make people feel more included even if they are different to most of the population."

However, Arya doesn't believe big actions are the key to change. They write, "Some people choose to make their actions really big like gluing themselves to the road. My view is that they went over the top and could have made their point with a friendly protest."

"If we all act on our ideas, we can make our community a better place."

Reya from Holland House also agreed. They said, "Actions are more important than words because even though you can express yourself through words, they might not always be truthful."

Reya is extremely passionate about how actions show a person's morals. They added, "Actions are a meaningful way of expressing yourself physically and shows your personality to the people around you. Also, actions might not be truthful but it shows an honest representation of someone’s character." They added an example: "If someone said to you “I am your best friend” and they didn’t show actions they are probably be lying because they're not showing you that you're their best friend."

We can all make a change.

In conclusion, Anabel & Harriet believe that everybody, no matter what their background is, should have a fair chance at everything. Whether that be being treated the same by everyone or being accepted by the people around them. They said, "We need your help to change the future. We can all make a difference. We can all make a change."

Ayra & Reya also agree, noting that small actions can create the biggest changes in the long-run, and help to show the world what type of person you are.

amplifying student voice

At VotesforSchools we are passionate about youth voice. This article, written by students at Casterton College, and Reya & Arya, two year 4 pupils from Holland House School. It was submitted to us as they wanted to make their voices heard for Black History Month.

We'd recommend reading the full results breakdown to fully understand the views of young people on this topic. If you'd like your students to get involved, book a demo and learn how VotesforSchools can help amplify your students' voices.