This girl's curiosity brings recognition to a forgotten civil rights leader

A couple years ago, 10-year-old Sarah Haycox was in a park in her hometown of Shoreline, Washington. She noticed a stone with a memorial plaque dedicated to a man named Edwin Pratt who had died in 1969 at the age of 38. Sarah never heard of the man, and wondered why he had a memorial and had died so young. She asked around, but no one knew.

So she did her own research. She learned that Edwin Pratt was the first black resident of Shoreline. He was the director of the Seattle Urban League and worked on school desegregation during the 1960's Civil Rights Movement. She also learned he had been assassinated on his own front porch while his wife and children were inside, just nine months after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Touched by his story, Sarah looked for a way to bring attention to the man's life and work.

Sarah started sharing what she learned with students, churches, PTAs, and community groups. About that time, she saw a new (as yet unnamed) early learning center under construction across from her own school. A plan came together.

Sarah went door to door with a campaign to name the new center after Mr. Pratt. She collected over 2000 signatures on her petition, and presented it to the school board. The board unanimously approved, and the Edwin Pratt Early Learning Center will be opened next year.

Sarah has started a GoFundMe page with three objectives: to bring Mr. Pratt's family to the building's dedication, to help with expenses for a memorial at the building, and to continue her own efforts to inspire social justice efforts.