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Tonja Walden brings a remarkable family connection into her second-grade classroom at Newington Forest Elementary School: She is a great-great-great-niece of Frederick Douglass.
Walden said Douglass’ perseverance, curiosity and commitment to learning inspire her work with children and deepen her sense of purpose as an educator.
“The struggles he overcame, his curiosity and desire to learn — it makes me want to do that for kids,” she said. “I think it’s an honor to be a teacher.”
During Black History Month, Walden shares her ancestry with students and discusses their reactions to discovering her connection to the abolitionist and statesman. She hopes lessons from Black history and the broader American story will encourage them to shape a better future.
“They can make this world better through what they’re learning from history — from our history, from Black history, from American history,” Walden said.