htothejizones

Today’s feature is a woman named Tara Seals. I met this girl when she was a lowly freshman at William Jewell College (‘cuz you know I was a big bad sophomore, lol). Her energy is undeniable. It’s impossible to not love Tara from the first time you meet her. She is strong and kind; plus she is talented as all get-out. This is her story.



My name is Tara Seals and I am a 27 year old African-American Young Lady who has definitely made a mark in history. I am currently a Public Health Nurse at the Kansas City Health Department and I work in the Child Immunization Clinic. I also work part time as a staff nurse at Children's Mercy Hospital. These are both great accomplishments; I am preventing diseases and educating the community with my full time job, plus caring for the sick in the pediatric field at Children's Mercy. However, I feel like my mark in history comes from other areas in my life.



I attended and graduated from William Jewell College, which is a predominately white private college, with a degree in nursing. There were only 6 African Americans who graduated from this program in 2007. In 2006 I was the 2nd African American to win Homecoming Queen and shortly after was honored with the Liberty Martin Luther King Jr. Service Award.

In April 2009 I became a member of the elite sorority of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., which is a historically Black public service sorority that was founded on January 13, 1913. Black History has impacted my life growing up for sure, but it really hit me when I pledged into Delta. I was taken aback as I learned about the rich history of not only our Phenomenal 22 Founders and the things they accomplished; especially being college educated woman in the 1910's who were educators, singers, lawyers, and made a stand when they walked in the Women's Suffrage March in March of 1913 (which was a movement for women's rights to vote and to hold public office). Our Sorority not only had amazing founders, but amazing members. We have woman who, like Shirley Chisholm, ran for the presidency, or like Frankie Muse Freeman, and the late Dorothy Irene Height; both women who were instrumental in the fight for civil rights for not only African-Americans, but for African-American Women.



I am making history from past accomplishments, but also through me chairing a mentor program for middle school girls through my sorority called the Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta Academy Program. We meet with the girls on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month and expose them to educational activities and service learning opportunities that deal with math, science, career exploration, self esteem building, book clubs, and sex education. I take this job seriously because I have an opportunity to give and have a positive impact on the future of Black history through these young ladies. Black History Month is important to me because it is a constant reminder that I am where I am because of what African-Americans have done during their history and I want to be the same for our future.