EPCS Community Spotlight Featuring:
MALIK HARDING
We do not have enough words to express how proud we are of Malik at Eliot- Pearson Children’s School (EPCS) and are honored to have been part of an extended family and community that inspired and instilled these core values-
— the arts, social justice, mindfulness, respect and stewardship towards nature that he so vividly embodies today and for years to come. It takes a village! EPCS cannot wait to see all that Malik will accomplish in the future!
Introducing Malik
Malik Harding graduated from Eliot-Pearson Children’s School (EPCS) in 2018, he was always very artistic, active, intelligent, and enthusiastic in the classroom. Malik is a shining star and has already shown us extraordinary accomplishments at such a very young age! Malik Harding turned ten this December. He is now in 4th grade. Learn more about his accomplishments below
Card Game Creator
In first grade during the pandemic, Malik began to creatively use his art in helping others while engaged in remote learning. He invented a card game “Taco Chef,” a game that became a big hit and got featured on the news. Malik created the designs and rules for the card game, which focused on players having to build different recipes using the ingredients he provided to gain points.
Malik donated 20% of all proceeds to the World Wildlife fund—a cause he cares deeply about. “Taco Chef” is now for sale at “4 Good Vibes”, both at the Medford store and online.
Climate Justice
Malik co-founded the Activism Club at Fayerweather School in 2nd grade. It started as a Zoom club over the pandemic that brought kids together every Friday to discuss issues related primarily to racial and climate justice. The club featured guest speakers, games, art actives and other great discussions. In second grade when school went back in person the club became an in-person club where kids with these common interests got together after school once a week. The club did one project in particular that stood out where they learned about Jerry’s pond, a polluted pond across from Rindge Towers in North Cambridge.
Malik helped kids create a fictional story that tells the story of the pond, “Help Save Jerry’s Pond!,” in order to raise awareness and activism.
Social Justice
Over the years, Malik’s activism has continued to take roots in a variety of social justice issues. In 2020, his parents, Ashley and Laroy, started a social justice group for their friend’s father Eurie Stamps. Eurie Stamps died in a 2011 police shooting. Malik became very involved and learned a lot about social justice through this experience. His engagement was covered in the Boston Globe.
Recently Malik won an art contest through Arlington human rights commission! His banner designs will be up next week in Arlington heights on Mass Ave for black history month.
Mural on Sustainability and Black Joy
Last year, Malik collaborated with a friend and organized a fundraiser for “Breaktime” — a Boston based organization that supports youth experiencing homelessness. Malik and his friend designed and illustrated T-shirts and Tote-bags featuring historical figures in Black history in the United States. The items are for sale online at Speak Our Peace and can be bought in- person at the RepHairations store in Arlington. His school also held Pop-up sales for his outstanding work allowing his work a lot more visibility.
World Wildlife
Through this Malik was able to learn about current research in the Amazon Rainforest and how it is being affected by deforestation and climate change. In the interview, Malik discusses the significance of taking care of our environment that is important to us, and the effects of not cleaning up the mess we are create around us. He sends a clear message that it is the responsibility of adults to clean-up our planet for the next generations including animals. What a message from a brilliant, mindful, intentional, determined, and actively engaged eight year old!
The Power of Words
Recently Malik has gotten interested in writing and asked a friend at school, Remi to help him start an activism newsletter where kids from throughout the school can submit articles– poems, interviews, articles, data, interesting facts and pictures. He puts an enormous amount of work on this newsletter and does all the design on his own! The newsletter is currently a kid-produced publication.
Today, Malik continues to shine with his art, writing, social justice and climate change activism, and they remain to be a huge part of who he is. Malik has had quite an impressive start and Malik’s artwork on the instagram page his mother runs for him @Malikisamazingart.