Nelson Mandela and Ray Charles

We added two new activists to our timeline this week, the first of which was Nelson Mandela. A 6D student sought me out a week ago with interest in learning more about him and possibly highlighting Mandela on our timeline. (What a great idea!)

Nelson Mandela is the world's most famous South African. 6D learned that he is an activist because he believed that all people should be treated equally. He worked hard to change previously unfair laws. In 1994 he became the first black president of South Africa.
Ray Charles Robinson (or "Ray Charles" as he is widely known) lost his eyesight at a young age but persisted in learning how to play the piano. He combined different genres, or types, of music to create a new sound. As an activist, Ray Charles became of the of the first African American musicians to be in charge of a music company. Did you know that Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Ray Charles #10 of the 100 greatest artists of all time? We listened to parts of the song "Georgia On My Mind", Georgia's national anthem, in class as well.