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MILWAUKEE — Every weekday, from the moment school closes until around 6 p.m., Leah Noid works with elementary school students in a program called Jackson Safe Place.
What you need to know
- Leah Noid runs Jackson Safe Place at Milwaukee’s Gwen T. Jackson Elementary School
- It is a pre-school and after-school program, as well as a summer program for school-age children up to age 13.
- Her goal is to help kids build a strong foundation and keep them off the streets
Recently, she spent time teaching them about the Harlem Renaissance.
“Today’s lesson about the Harlem Renaissance was to have the courage to stand up and speak in front of an audience and be able to perform,” Noid explained. “That’s what individuals in the Harlem Renaissance were doing.”
She taught about the music of the time, popular dances like Charleston, culture, and theater.
“As a musician, I also had to play jazz there so the kids could tap into their creative skills,” Noid said.
But this lesson didn’t stop there. This is part of Jackson Safe His Place’s mission to keep kids off the streets and help them succeed in school.
The program began when Noid was a parent volunteer at Gwen T. Jackson Elementary School.
“I saw students struggling academically,” Noid said. “Education was a strong factor for me, and that’s what drew me back.”
She said she has seen first-hand the struggles facing children, especially in her community, and wants to change that.
“This community is like a hidden gem, a light. to make it,” said Noid.
She said she is preparing to wear a hat ahead of this school year. But her youngest son, Jeremiah Noid Harrington, her fifth grader, wanted her to be by his side all the time.
“These kids need help,” said Noid Harrington.
He said he grew up watching his mother help his siblings and their friends with schoolwork and keep them off the streets. He said he wanted his friends and young people to help him as well.
“I just want them to get a good education,” said Noid Harrington. I just want you to have a good life.”
His friend Deshaun Shaffer agreed. He said that’s why Jackson started attending his Safe Place a year ago.
“I have seen many children doing good, learning and making new friends,” Shaffer said. “Miss Leah is a wonderful person. She knows how to teach and teach you math, how to read and write.”
Noid said she hears she feels incredibly blessed. That’s her motivation.
She said it shows her kids want someone outside their own family they can look up to. I think.
“These distractions become more important in seducing children,” Noid said. “But when you have something, you have to use the word base People come back to that base.”
It’s been her mission for nearly 20 years, and she said she’s confident the message is getting across.
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