The Salem City High schooler didn't learn the story at school.
It's a piece of Black history passed to her dad Walter Hudson at his barbershop, then told to Heavenlee at home.
African American studies are electives in many of New Jersey's public high schools.
As the state's youngest race equity activists awakened last summer to re-energize movements, Black high schoolers say they're thirsty for more on African Americans' contributions to the United States.
And they think their classmates of every color should learn those stories, too.
"Every race, every culture has contributed something important to our (American) history," said Cherry Hill East High School senior Machayla Randall.