Student Posts

Why I Chose This Theme

March is Women’s History Month, a time to honor the contributions of women throughout history. I chose to focus specifically on Black women because they have continuously broken barriers despite facing systemic challenges designed to suppress their greatness. From civil rights activists to scientists, artists, and athletes, Black women have shaped history and continue to inspire generations.

Why I Chose the Song “Freedom” by Beyoncé & Kendrick Lamar

I selected this powerful cover of “Freedom” by Church by the Glades because it captures the raw emotion of struggle, resilience, and victory. The song itself, originally performed by Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar, is an anthem of resistance and perseverance, making it a perfect fit for this project.

The beginning of the song features a speech by Martin Luther King Jr., immediately setting a tone of historical significance and activism. His voice reminds us of the long fight for civil rights and how Black women played an essential role in that movement.

Editing & Effects

To enhance the impact of my video, I added effects that emphasize movement and emotion. I also used strategic pacing to ensure that the images aligned with the beat and intensity of the song. This helps create a strong visual and emotional connection between the viewer and the stories of these remarkable women.

Software Used

For this project, I used Canva to design and edit my video. Canva allowed me to create a clean, visually striking presentation while maintaining a smooth flow between images and text.

Image 1

The Equal Rights Amendment: Yesterday and Today by U.S. National Archives, licensed under Flickr, History.

Image 2

Katherine Johnson by Obanmawhitehouse.archives.gov, licensed under US Government, public Domain.

Image 3
Young Woman Soliciting Funds For A Chicago Organization In A Shopping Center Parking Lot, 08/1973 by U.S. National Archives, licensed under Flickr, History.

Image 4
Religious Fervor is Mirrored on the Face of a Black Muslim Woman, One of Some 10,000 Listening to Elijah Muhammad Deliver His Annual Savior’s Day Message In Chicago, 03/1974 by U.S. National Archives, licensed under Flickr, History.

Image 5
A Black Woman, One Of The Nearly 1.2 Million People Of Her Race Who Make Up Over One Third Of Chicago’s Population, 07/1973 by U.S. National Archives, licensed under Flickr, History.

Image 6
20150326-01-104 by U.S. National Archives, licensed under Flickr, History.

Image 7
Black Woman Selling Gas Filled “Have A Happy Day” Balloons On A Chicago South Side Street Corner At Sox Park Baseball Field, 06/1973 by U.S. National Archives, licensed under Flickr, History.

Image 8

Dorothy_Height by Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, licensed under licensed under Flickr, History.

Image 9

Arline_Yarbrough by Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, licensed under licensed under Flickr, History.

Image 10

Claudette Colvin by GPA Photo Archive, licensed under Flickr, History.  

Image 11

Abna_Lancaster by Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, licensed under licensed under Flickr, History.

Image 12

Alice_Dunnigan by Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, licensed under licensed under Flickr, History.

Image 13

Bazoline_Usher by Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, licensed under licensed under Flickr, History.

Image 14

Ardie_Halyard by Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, licensed under licensed under Flickr, History.

Image 15

Alfreda_Duster by Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, licensed under licensed under Flickr, History.

Edited with iMovie and Canva.

Exported as MP4 , 720 resolution.

Audio Credits 

“Broken Media” by 700P3D. Available for use under the CC BY 4.0 license, at CC Mixer. 

Image Credits

“A Woman in Beige Tank Top” by Leeloo The First, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“The New York Times Newspaper” by Thom Masat, licensed under Unsplash, some rights reserved.

“Woman Sitting on Chair While Reading” by Lisa from Pexels, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“White Spider Web on Brown Wooden Wall” by Batuhan Doğan,, licensed under Unsplash, some rights reserved.

“Woman with Pink and Gold Eyeshadow Makeup” by Yunona Uritsky, licensed under Unsplash, some rights reserved.

“Grayscale Photo of Woman’s Face” by Marina Pechnikova, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“Girls Doing Makeup” by Kampus Production, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“A Woman with Band Aids on Face Looking in a Broken Mirror” by ShotPot,  licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“A Woman is Getting Her Makeup Done” by Lauren Greene, licensed under Unsplash, some rights reserved.

“Person Holding Fortune Book” by Element5 Digital,  licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“Woman in Black Spaghetti Strap Dress Leaning on Brown Wooden Railing” by Elizaveta Chayko,  licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

“Women Wearing Swimsuit Lying on the Plastic” by Ron Lach, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

“Girl in Pink Hair Doll” by Matteo Badini, licensed under Unsplash, some rights reserved.

“Emotionless Asian woman in bodysuit standing with hands on waist” by Roberto Hund, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

“Woman in Blank Tank Top and Black Pants” by Hannah Xu, licensed under Unsplash, some rights reserved.

“Woman in White Sleeveless Shirt with Blue Eyes” by Joeyy Lee, licensed under Unsplash, some rights reserved.

“Woman Measuring Waistline With a Pink Tape Measure” by Kaboompics, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

“White Paint on a Person’s Skin” by Leeloo The First, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

“Anonymous overweight woman touching triceps before training” by Andres Ayrton, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

“Person Squeezing Her Belly” by Kaboompics, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

“Assorted Color Powders” by Igor Rand, licensed under Unsplash, some rights reserved.

“Black and Purple Computer Keyboard” by Brett Jordan, licensed under Unsplash, some rights reserved.

“Woman in Black Leather Jacket Holding Black Smartphone” by Mart Production, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

“This is the Sign You’ve Been Looking For” by Austin Chan, licensed under Unsplash, some rights reserved.

“Portrait of Woman Wearing Black Underwear and Holding a Bouquet of Flowers” by Polina Tankilevitch, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

“Inspiring Message on Mirror: Love Yourself” by Lisa from Pexels, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“Two Woman Sitting on Bed Inside Room” by Billie,  licensed under Unsplash, some rights reserved.

“Woman in Red Spaghetti Strap Top” by Stephany Lorena,  licensed under Unsplash, some rights reserved.

“Woman in a Black Top Smiling while Looking Sideways” by Anna Shvets, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“Woman in White Lace Dress” by Polina,  licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“A Young Woman Smiling while Holding a Mirror” by Cottonbro Studio, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“Elderly Woman Looking at Mirror” by Anna Shvets, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“Three Young Women Posing Together” by Polina Tankilevitch, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

“Silhouette of Pregnant Woman in Studio Setting” by Kalz UG Micheal, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

“Empowering Neon Sign with Woman at Night” by Miriam Espacio, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

Little Girls Standing on a Grass Field by Olia Danilevich, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

“Person Looking Sideways While Holding a Placard” by Viktoria Slowikowska, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

“Grayscale Photo of a Woman Wearing a Boxing Gloves” by Наталья Водопад,  licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

“Child Training Martial Art” by RDNE Stock project, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

“A Woman in Orange Cardigan Sitting Between Her Daughters Standing Near the Pink Flowers” by Sofia Shultz, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved. 

“Girl in Purple Crew Neck Shirt” by Cottonbro Studio, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“Girl With Face Paint Wearing White Crew Neck Shirt” by Cottonbro Studio, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“A Little Girl Holding a Stuffed Animal and a Flower” by Laura Marks,  licensed under Unsplash, some rights reserved.

“A Girl Blowing Confetti” by Cottonbro Studio, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“Three Young Girls Standing Near White Table” by Cottonbro Studio, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“Studio Shoot of a Smiling Girl Wearing Green Polo Neck and Braces” by Gabriella Ally, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“Mother and Daughter Running on a Beach” by Ekaterina Nt, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

“Dreamy Duo” by Mariah Fuertes, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND. 

“Group of Women in Tank Tops Posing” by Olia Danilevich, licensed under Pexels, some rights reserved.

I edited this video using Canva!

Audio credits

“Borrowed Time” by Jon Shuemaker retrieved from Free Music Archive is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

Visual Credits

“Livvy and Ani Home Video” by Liv Sampogna is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

“Little Girls Hand Touches Tree” by The Stacks was retrieved from Pond5 and used with an individual commercial license

“Jack Frost (1934)” by Ub Iwerks was retrieved from Archive.org and is dedicated to the Public Domain

“Madeline” by Ludwig Bemelmans was retrieved from Archive.org and is dedicated to the Public Domain

“The Librarian” by Holmes (Burton) Films, Inc. was retrieved from Archive.org and is dedicated to the Public Domain

“School Children in Mitchells Plain” by Bernard303 was retrieved from Wikimedia Commons and is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

“A Young Tibetan Indian Monk, Ladakh” by GetMyStock was retrieved from Pond5 and used with an individual commercial license

“School Daze (1942)” by Eddie Donnelly was retrieved from Archive.org and is dedicated to the Public Domain

Alien Contact by Theo Thomas is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

Software

I used Kdenlive to edit this video.

Music

into you feat. missjudged by madimpactunit

Images

A Boat on Water by Rahime Gül

A Man Swimming next to a Whale by Elianne Dipp

An Underwater Shot of a Woman Diving by Polina Tankilevich

Close-Up Photo of Jellyfish by Hung Tran

Clownfish Under Water Near Coral Reefs by hille brand

Divers Swimming Over the Corals by Tom Fisk

Gray and Silver School of Fish Underwater Photography by Peter Simmons

Man Diving in Darkness by Jake Houglum

People Diving at a Coral Reef by Leonardo Lamas

Person in Black Wet Suit Swimming in the Sea by Frank Cordeiro

Photo of Woman Swimming Underwater by ArtHouse Studio

Pink Fish Swimming in Dark Water by Aleksey Bystrov

Reservoir with Fish by limoo

Stingray in Blue Water by W W

Underwater Photo of Air Bubbles by Francesco Ungaro

Underwater Photography of a Stingray by Elianne Dipp

Underwater Picture of Man Diving by Jordi MB

Underwater Picture of Man Diving [different from the first] by Jordi MB

Unrecognizable man snorkeling in azure seawater by Kammeran Gonzalez-Keola

Vessel on Sea Coast in Storm by Pok Rie

Water with Bubbles by Francesco Ungaro

Woman in Gray Wetsuit and White Flippers Swimming Underwater by ArtHouse Studio

Woman submerged Underwater by Polina Tankilevich

Yellow Fish in Nature by Victor Suarez

Edited with Canva, Capcut, and DaVinci Resolve.

“Hotter Than That” by Louis Armstrong (1927 Version)”  was recorded on December 13, 1927 licensed under CC0 Downloaded from the Internet Archive

]“Lanature1882 praxinoscope projection reynaud ” by Louis Poyet Licensed under CC0  Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons
“Prof. Stampfer’s Stroboscopische Scheibe No. X” by Simon Ritter von Stampfer Uploaded by Joortje1  Licensed under CC0  Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“Optical Toy, Phenakistiscope Disc with Cats and Donkey, ca. 1830” by MiguelMunoz Licensed under CC0  Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“Original Eadweard Muybridge Animation of The Horse in Motion” by Eadweard Muybridge Licensed under CC0.Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons.

“Phenakistoscope 3g07690a” by Eadweard Muybridge Licensed under CC0.  Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“Dog galloping slow motion” Photos made by Eadweard Muybridge  Animation by Waugsberg Licensed under CC0  Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“Muybridge race horse animated” by Eadweard Muybridge Uploaded by Trialsanderrors Licensed under CC0  Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“Gertie (1)” by Winsor McCay Licensed under CC0 Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“Gertie the dinosaur standing on a cliff edge looking at a mastodon” by Winsor McCay Licensed under CC0.  Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“Gertie the Dinosaur with her mouth open” by Winsor McCay Licensed under CC0  Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“Gertie the Dinosaur looks in from offscreen (original art)” by Winsor McCay Licensed under CC0.  Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“A Felix prototype in Feline Follies (1919)” by Pat Sullivan Licensed under CC0  Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons 

“Felix arriving in Hollywood” by Pat Sullivan Studios Licensed under CC0  Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons 

“Felix-chaplin” by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer Licensed under CC0  Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons 

“Non Stop Fright (1927)” by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer Licensed under CC0  Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons 

“Felix Laff” by Denis Barthel Licensed under CC0  Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons 

“Oswald Smiles” (Tall Timber, 1928)” by Walt Disney Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“Oswaldrabbitwave” by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks 

“Oswald empty socks 08” by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney  Licensed under CC0 Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“Steamboat Willie” by Walt Disney  Licensed under CC0 Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“Mickey Mouse concept art (clear version)” by Ub Iwerks  Licensed under CC0 Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“Ub Iwerks Mickey Mouse and Pete production drawing from Galloping Gaucho 1-1″ by Ub Iwerk Licensed under CC0 Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“Plane Crazy” by Walt Disney Licensed under CC0 Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“Plane Crazy (1928) storyboard 04” by Ub Iwerks Licensed under CC0 Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“Karnival Kid storyboard 09” by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks 
Licensed under CC0 Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

“Karnival Kid storyboard 03” by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks 
Licensed under CC0 Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons

I used ClipChamp and PowerPoint to make my video. I exported the PowerPoint slides as a video file (.mp4). I then uploaded it into ClipChamp with my music so I could then mix the two together. This was saved as a .mp4 file as well.

∙Music

#1 Celebrity by milkdaddy Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) from ccMixter

∙Pictures

Hilary Duff – Candids In Denim Shorts In New York – August 2016 by Century Black licensed under Public Domain from Flickr

Mordeno Magazine. by jenipur13 licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (2.0) from Flickr

Celebrity by Thomas Hawk licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (2.0) from Flickr

Local celebrity caught by Sten Tamkivi licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike (2.0) from Flickr

Diane Lane by Emily licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike (2.0) from Flickr

Orient Beach, St. Maarten by Austin Appel licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike (2.0) from Flickr

Pavement Celebrities by Terry Kearney licensed under Public Domain from Flickr

DSC00104 by Jake Dobkin licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike (2.0) from Flickr

celebrities by bocata licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike (2.0) from Flickr

Singers by Mariya Senenko licensed under Public Domain from Flickr

Hollywood by abgpt licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (2.0) from Flickr

Hollywood by abgpt licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (2.0) from Flickr

Hollywood by abgpt licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (2.0) from Flickr

Hollywood by abgpt licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (2.0) from Flickr

Hollywood by abgpt licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (2.0) from Flickr

Paparazzi by Anthony Acosta licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike (2.0) from Flickr

Zivity Paparazzi Shoot by Dav Yaginuma licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike (2.0) from Flickr

Zivity Paparazzi Shoot by Dav Yaginuma licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike (2.0) from Flickr

paparazzi by washingtonydc licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike (2.0) from Flickr

Paparazzi by mary hodder licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike (2.0) from Flickr

Lindsay Lohan Paparazzi by Ben Christen licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (2.0) from Flickr

Paparazzi by Jamie Mellor licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike (2.0) from Flickr

Paparazzi! by David Fisher licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike (2.0) from Flickr

Paparazzi by Edward Peters licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (2.0) from Flickr

Paris-Jackson-in-Jeans—07 by galeria.paris licensed under Public Domain from Flickr

I used the video editing function of Canva to create this video. Canva only allows you to export an mp4 file but you can adjust the definition of the video up to 4k.

Extended Credits

Creepy House by Tim Venchus from Flickr.com used under CC BY-NC 2.0

Dirt in the ground by Thomas Quine from Flickr.com used under CC BY 2.0

Face by Thomas Quine from Flickr.com used under CC BY 2.0

The Fall of the House of Usher by Thomas Quine from Flickr.com used under CC BY 2.0

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe exists in the public domain courtesy of Project Gutenberg

Hallway Lighting by J Swanstrom from Flickr.com used under CC BY-NC 2.0

Lightning storm over London by Tom Doel from Flickr.com used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Madeline Usher by EdenPictures from Flickr.com used under CC BY 2.0

The Mad Woman by Thomas Quine from Flickr.com used under CC BY 2.0

Old Door by Zoe Clarke from Flickr.com used under CC BY-NC 2.0

OUTCAST GROUNDED DREAMS by Skye Jordan FT. Quiana Nadine from digccmixter used under CC BY 4.0

The Phantom Hag by Thomas Quine from Flickr.com used under CC BY 2.0

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Thomas Quine from Flickr.com used under CC BY 2.0

Roderick Usher by EdenPictures from Flickr.com used under CC BY 2.0

The Sign of the Four by Thomas Quine from Flickr.com used under CC BY 2.0

Wuthering Heights by Thomas Quine from Flickr.com used under CC BY 2.0

The blog post, The Fall of the House of Usher by Sara DeRoo created under CC BY 4.0