Steel Valley’s Interactive Living Museum brought Black history to life again this year

Photo above of Steel Valley School District’s Interactive Living Museum courtesy of KDKA.

One local school district took Black History Month to a new level recently. For the fifth year, the Steel Valley School District invited the Homestead community to celebrate Black history throughout the school.

History came alive at Barrett Elementary in Homestead where storytellers shared folk tales during the district’s Interactive Living Museum.

Elementary school students tasted soul food, as middle and high school students acted as interactive “wax museum” figures from history to today, sharing details about their characters’ notable contributions to Black history and culture.

Pharaoh Conway, a senior at Steel Valley High School, explained that “Jack Johnson was the first Black world heavyweight boxing champion, and he became that during the height of the Jim Crow era.”

Conway comes to life as the wax figure of Jack Johnson, who is said to have inspired Muhamad Ali and Mike Tyson.

“I think it’s really cool to celebrate our culture,” Conway says, “and educate the little ones about people they might not know about or people they do.”

Second-grade teacher Jonette Bost wanted to make history fun and inspire the younger students to dream big.

“We are here to celebrate all the Black excellence and joy, and to make sure my children — our children, the community’s children — hold their head up high and keep their crown on straight.”

Parents and the community were welcomed inside to celebrate the history and culture together.

The kids especially like learning how history was made in Western Pennsylvania with figures like basketball player Swin Cash from McKeesport and the Homestead Grays baseball team.

”The kids were totally amazed there was history right here,” said first-grade teacher Beth Catterall. “So to put two and two together — that they were the Homestead Grays — that really hit home for them.”

For the full video story, watch Kristine Sorensen’s Kidsburgh report here.