Ms. Wicks Presents Sam's Black History Facts

Prologue 
Fifth grader Sam has always known that Black history is bigger than what’s written in textbooks. Raised in a home where truth is spoken boldly and history is honored daily, Sam enters Black History Month with a sigh, bracing himself for the same three names he’s heard every year: Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman.
But this year, something is different.
When Sam raises his hand to challenge the routine lesson, he doesn’t expect his voice to spark a movement. What begins as one brave question becomes a powerful shift in his classroom, as Sam begins to share the stories passed down to him, stories of Africa before colonization, resistance during slavery, and the brilliance of Black minds and leaders often left out of the school curriculum.
Guided by his parents’ teachings and the strength of his ancestors, Sam teaches not only his classmates, but his teacher, Ms. Murphy, who begins to unlearn, relearn, and grow right alongside her students.
“Ms. Wicks presents, Sam’s Black History Facts” is a powerful middle-grade story about reclaiming history, honoring identity, and the quiet courage of a young boy who unknowingly becomes a leader. Through Sam’s journey, readers are reminded that the past is not something to brush over, it’s something to understand, carry with us, and use to shape a better future.
Sometimes, it’s the youngest voices that speak the loudest.
Sometimes, it’s the children who lead us forward