Like many Texas natives, Beck-Lee grew up in a rural area surrounded by a close-knit community that takes care of one another. History and education were always taken seriously; however, Beck-Lee also discovered the integral part diversity plays in education.
She moved right outside of Northwest Houston to attend Prairie View A&M University, a Historically Black College & University (HBCU) and second-oldest public institution of higher learning in Texas. This experience laid the foundation for her to deepen her understanding of Black history.
“In full transparency, I have grown to appreciate Black History Month (BHM) because I am able to explore Black history beyond what I was taught in textbooks. It was not until attending an HBCU that I learned that there was more to my history than slave ships and boycotts.
Now I can honor where we came from while choosing to celebrate where we are going. This has allowed me to not minimize or hide my Black girl magic!”
Bringing purpose to the workplace
Now in her second year at YES Prep as a student support counselor, Beck-Lee applies her knowledge of counseling and social work to serve and connect directly with students of color. She understood the importance of having a real-life example of someone Black children can look up to every time they walk inside the building. She believes YES Prep can and will continue building on this representation.
“I envision YES Prep creating ways to not only recruit more Black students and staff but also creating the spaces to support them during their experience. It means a lot to me that I am giving students the experience I wish I had: coming to school and seeing someone that looks like me!”
How YES Prep celebrates BHM
It’s no secret that our YES Prep campuses know how to celebrate Black History Month! Beck-Lee recounts a memorable experience from 2020 BHM at Northbrook Middle School.
“I remember last year we had an event called ‘Our Family Dinner’ where everyone in attendance brought their favorite dish. Aside from the delicious food, it was amazing to see the diversity. Everyone’s dish was uniquely different and highlighted their individual family culture. We had Caribbean American, African American, Afro Latinos and Caucasian attendees. It was powerful to show that we are from all parts of the world, so different but yet the same!”
Let Beck-Lee's story serve as a reminder: Black history is for all of us to share and celebrate! Although Black History Month is only a month-long, at YES Prep, we believe celebrating Black people and culture is year-round. Becki-Lee expanded on this by posing a thought we all should revisit when thinking of past history.
“Our ancestors weren’t brought to America searching for the American dream but brought here to help in creating the American dream. I would like to move away from the narrative that Black History Month is for ’us' and ’us’ only. Is there really a time to celebrate and learn about the true history of the African American culture? You don’t have to be Black to celebrate or acknowledge the success and contributions of African/Black Americans.”
Make sure to check out our other Black History Month spotlights, by clicking here.