How I Learned About the Importance of Speaking Up
Growing up with two lawyers as parents, my brothers and I had examples right in front of us when we were very young about the need to self-advocate and the importance of community.
My mom, in particular, always stressed that we should feel comfortable in any space. They are equally protective of all 3 of us. Both my parents were especially protective of me as a little Black girl who often is the only Black girl in the room, and is sometimes expected to make myself smaller or not speak up. They also made sure my brothers grew up knowing how to call out and reject harmful racial stereotypes about Black boys.
Our parents taught us to never allow anyone to make us feel invisible or small, or to internalize or accept negativity or harmful stereotyping.
We grew up with them and other family members as living examples of the importance of community, activism on behalf of marginalized groups, and volunteering our time and talent to others.
We are fortunate we have support from our whole family, and also from a safe community our parents built around us.
Because of the valuable life lessons they taught us, we are more self-confident and feel better prepared to deal with life's challenges.
“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back.”
— Maya Angelou
“Make every effort to change things you do not like. If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution.”
— Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter
“Make every effort to change things you do not like. If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution.”
— Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter
PVHS BLACK STUDENT UNION
CO-PRESIDENT
Spotlight On Our BSU 2024
Black History Month Guest Speaker
The Honorable Judge Eric C. Taylor
Last year, my twin brother Dayton and I invited the Honorable Eric C. Taylor, former Chief Justice of the Los Angeles Superior Court, to be our BSU speaker for Black History Month. Everyone was excited when he accepted,
Dr. Ramirez, our school Principal, welcomed Judge Taylor to PVHS. Our BSU Teacher Advisor, Ms. Mogilefsky, did a ton of work making sure we had enough flyers to advertise the event at our school campus so we would have a good turnout. I worked with our social media manager to make sure the event was posted on the BSU page.
I was worried that students might not show up, but that day the seats were all full. I was encouraged to see students from all grades, faculty and staff in the room and there were plenty of questions afterwards.
Judge Taylor talked about growing up in Compton, CA and going to Dartmouth College. He told us that this father was a Civil Rights worker and a Freedom Rider. He shared his experiences becoming a judge and told us that some of the friends we make in high school will be our friends for life, so we should choose carefully and find people who encourage us.
My favorite part of his talk was when he talked about having the self-confidence to know that he has the ability and the qualifications to do any job or take advantage of any opportunity that comes his way. I appreciated that he stayed at the school for hours, answering questions, speaking with students after his talk and being interviewed by students from "Live From 205," our school's video news service.
I was also glad that Grandma had the chance to listen to Judge Taylor's speech, especially since she and my grandfather attended a segregated high school and experienced Jim Crow in South Carolina. She was inspired and uplifted by his talk.
I was glad and relieved that so many students came to hear Judge Taylor speak and to learn more about Black history from someone who experienced it in the making.
My 2025-26 BSU Club Rush Poster Design
STUDENT ACTIVISM
An Eye-Opening Introduction
When I was 9 years old, my family took us to participate in Saturday morning outdoor vigils at a local Connecticut coffee shop. The shop sponsored the vigils in response to local incidents of hate speech and bigotry against people in our area. Mom found out about it from someone who worked at our school, who thought we'd probably be interested in going.
Soon, groups of our family friends, classmates, and their parents joined us there, too. It became festive, even though it was bitterly cold, and we started looking forward to it, especially the hot chocolate, breakfast sandwiches, and pastries. We carried signs asking people driving by to "Honk Against Hate." It started off as a competition among us kids to see who could get the most honks.
But as the vigils went on week after week, even through heavy snow, adults driving by seemed to get nastier. Some would roll down their window to shout insults at us for holding our signs, and sometimes they would even curse at us or make rude gestures. That's when it really hit us that what we were doing must be real enough and important enough to make grown-ups upset.
It was confusing to us kids because we just could not understand why asking someone not to be hateful or mean toward other people would be enraging, controversial, or odd. One day, I was talking to one of the people I later found out organized the vigils, and who was running for office in town.
Ms. Theresa asked me and some of the other kids why we liked coming to the vigils. I don't remember exactly what we talked about in particular, but the next thing I knew, Mom was telling me that Ms. Theresa wanted me to be the Keynote Speaker at a "March For Our Lives" official sister event at the coffee shop.
I was shocked, and then got nervous, but then Mom told me all I would have to do is be myself and talk about the way I felt about school lockdowns and active shooter drills. She said I should write my thoughts down and just speak the truth.
Here's what happened next when I started preparing my speech, and then when I was put on top of a picnic table to speak, for the first time, in front of hundreds of people.
I was wearing a special scarf my mom's sorority sister had knitted for her called "Angels On the Edge." It made me safe and protected, even with a bunch of pro-gun adults heckling me through a bullhorn from across the street, standing next to the police and yelling things at me, like "Build That Wall."
I didn't understand at the time that my speech was part of an officially sanctioned event and a national movement to keep kids safe from gun violence at school across America.
When I got down from the picnic table, I was shocked to see so many adults, including Mom, Dad, Jackson, and Dayton, crying and getting emotional from my words. So many of my school friends and adults came up to thank me and tell me they were proud of me and felt inspired.
Although it later turned out that the local NPR news affiliate that covered the event listened to all the speakers except me, even though he was told I was the keynote speaker and that I would give a powerful speech. He wrote an article that didn't show a single Black or brown person in the photos. It was like I wasn't even there. He quoted white kids he had asked what they would have said if they had been asked to speak and described their signs.
Many people were upset that I was left out of the article. Someone started a hashtag, #LetEmersonBeHeard, with quotes from my speech. A New York Times reporter retweeted one of them. Soon, I had more than 30,000 views of my speech from Facebook and Twitter combined.
This experience taught me that I can do hard things, even at a young age, and that using my voice matters. Success doesn't depend on who decides to give you credit.
My parents make sure I know that no one can erase me, my contributions, or my truths so easily. This was an important life lesson and good practice for the real world. It taught me self-confidence in my speaking abilities and the power to move and persuade others when it counts. I am grateful because these are skills and qualities I want to improve upon and put to good use as a lawyer one day.
Outlining Themes and Prepping
My "March For Our Lives" Keynote Speech
March 24, 2008
CT "March For Our Lives" & Weekly Vigils
Photo Gallery
PRESENTER/EDUCATOR
In January 2025, I served as a co-panelist on a webinar with two other presenters. We discussed racism in the classroom and how to create more inclusive educational environments. During the Q&A part of the program, people specifically asked me questions.
Some of the questions and my responses are below.
