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It is not unusual for Anderson to compare Thomas, who died of natural causes in October, to the woman Pharaoh Hatshepsut, noting that Hatshepsut wore a falcon crown and his late wife was like a falcon mother, “seriously protective” of her children, a mother to the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cSakkara is like a large oak tree that has fallen in the forest,\u201d said Anderson, who hosted a virtual memorial<\/a> for his wife on Friday, adding that the oak has already spread its seeds, especially through QHS.<\/p>\n Situated on Santa Fe Avenue by Admiral Kidd Park, QHS ventures across the city and beyond to cover 3,000 years of teachings about African history, focusing on the lives of eight queens. Since its establishment, members of QHS have shared curriculum through verbal storytelling, royal attire, hosting traveling museums in Bixby Knolls<\/a> as well as performing for more than 30,000, K-12 students for\u00a0 nine years inside the pyramid at Cal State Long Beach, as well as an annual lecture to 500-student classes outside of the pyramid.<\/p>\n Thomas was a fashion designer and that helped her greatly as she created elaborate costumes and jewelry for those performing African dances, songs and storytelling. She researched African history and culture, even traveling to the country of Ghana to bargain with weavers for their fabrics.<\/p>\n While California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill<\/a> in August that made taking a three-unit ethnic studies class a graduation requirement within the California State University system, Adisa Anderson said he and his wife believed that exposing students to African culture at much younger ages remains critical in the child development of Black children. He pointed out that most Black students first learn about their African ancestors in middle school while studying the slave trade, a jarring entry into one’s history.<\/p>\n \u201cThe slave narrative for young learners is the first introduction to who you are,\u201d he said. \u201cThat can not only cause trauma for a young person, but it sets, in print, what their possibilities are.\u201d<\/p>\n Having visited schools in Long Beach, including West Long Beach\u2019s Cabrillo High School, Anderson, QHS\u2019s managing artistic director, recalls entering classrooms dressed in royal African attire and asking students to raise their hands if they are from an immigrant heritage. When it was the turn to ask if they were of African descent, he said, Black students wouldn\u2019t raise their hands.<\/p>\n \u201cAfrican Americans are in a unique place because they are the only community that came here through forced migration,\u201d he said, adding that he believes many Black students feel embarrassed or ashamed of their heritage.<\/p>\n \u201cWho wants to raise their hand to being a slave?\u201d<\/p>\n After their performances of \u201cpageantry,\u201d he said students are asked the question again, and Black students, with excitement, raise their hands.<\/p>\n The QHS documented some anonymous student reflections after they saw one of the organization\u2019s dance performances: \u201cI really wish that I could go to Africa and dance with them,\u201d a student wrote for the QHS website<\/a>. \u201cI couldn\u2019t take my eyes off the queens.\u201d<\/p>\n For the time being, QHS has stopped operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the performances, Anderson said, rely entirely on in-person connections. However, Anderson said that once it’s safe, he and his two sons will resume the curriculum, a continuation to honor Thomas\u2019 legacy.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/09095052\/Nile_128.jpeg\")
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