The African American Culture Club (@lhsAACC) hosted guest speaker Grace Hewitson who is a recent graduate of the Class of 2017.

Hewitson recently participated in the Miss Maryland Teen USA pageant 2017. During her pageant’s interview she was asked, “What does everybody need?” She responded, “I think that everyone needs love and equality, because you can’t live without love, and everyone deserves equality.”  She wore a crown and sash when she was speaking to the group.

“I came in to speak about how black lives matter. It’s perceived in a negative way. . . the media shows them doing illegal things such as destroying property and being violent, when really they just want justice for their race,” said Hewitson.

Hewitson was inspired by the field trip her senior year to the newly opened National Museum of African American History.  She liked the Contemplative Court waterfall and was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s words inscribed above the waterfall.

“We are determined…to work  and fight until justice runs down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Grace is furthering her education at Illinois Central College, after taking the first semester off for pageants, where she soon plans to move in January of 2018 to attend Illinois State University and study nursing. She aspires to become a pediatric oncologist nurse at the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and help discover a cure for cancer.

The club’s President and Co-Founder, Ani Boghossian-James said, “I think that it was Grace’s presentation had an upbeat vibe and had me intrigued in her point of view on how all lives matter.”

Being a senior, James wants to make sure that her club and her vision remain in tact after her departure next spring.

“At the end of the year, I would have the club elect their next president because they are the ones who will be working with the president to further the club’s future goals and aspirations,” said James.

Echoing Hewitson’s ideas, James said, “I want to impact students here at Linganore by cultivating their knowledge that stereotypes shouldn’t be used to judge students, that we are all apart of one large student body.”