HUNTINGTON, WV (WOWK) – Second grade students at Southside Elementary in Huntington came together to create something special for the community.

The students made a quilt to celebrate Black History Month in February. The quilt contains prominent African American figures, both past and present, including some from this area. Family and friends were invited today, Friday, March 3, to see all of the kids’ hard work completed.

Each student was given a person to research, or even interview if they were local. One of the students even got the opportunity to research the story of civil rights activist John Lewis who helped end segregation and went on to serve in the United States House of Representatives.

“John Lewis is really important because he helped end racial segregation and discrimination by doing sit-ins at restaurants,” said second-grader Sam Ruff.

Some other figures included on the quilt include Harriet Tubman, Barack Obama and Serena Williams.