*INTRO*
Dr. Marshall: *Welcome, brief explanation of expectations, and what students will
be seeing today.*
[Lilly] What is Black History Month? Black History Month is a time set aside each
year to celebrate the achievements of Black people in the past and today.
[Charlotte] Why Do We Have Black History Month? Lots of people knew that
treating people unfairly because of their skin color was wrong and wanted things
to change.
[Arhaan] In 1926, a man called Carter G. Woodson introduced a week-long event
to recognize and celebrate the history and achievements of Black people. In 1987,
this turned into what we know today as Black History Month.
[Giuliana] The songs we will be performing today are all ones that have a message
of resilience, hope, and a call to work hard for a better future.
[Tristen] Yonder Come Day, is a well known, traditional spiritual from the Georgia
Sea Islands. The song is joyful and hopeful and is about looking forward to a new
day.
[Alex] The song symbolizes the triumph of hope over despair, offering
encouragement to anyone who is facing challenging times.
*Yonder Come Day*
[Gianni] Music has always been a very important part of telling stories and
advocating for what is right. Black artists and musicians have paved the way in the
music community for some of the very popular genres that we love today.
[Lilah] These black musicians incorporated their culture, history, and experiences
into their music and really changed the music scene for the better. Without their
creativity, influence, presence, and expertise we wouldn’t have some of the most
popular songs we have today.
[Ellie] This next song is another traditional spiritual song called Peace Like a River.
The song is a beautiful reminder that peace and joy can still happen even in the
darkest times.
*PEACE LIKE A RIVER*
[Drizzt] Songs have long been used to provide courage, comfort, and community
during protests. The song, “We Shall Overcome” has a long history as a protest
song, dating back to melodies written in the 1700s.
[Ryan] In a quote describing the song, Noah Adams wrote, “It is not a marching
song. It is not defiant. It is a promise: "We shall overcome someday. Deep in my
heart, I do believe."
[Kadin] Long thought of as the anthem of the Civil Rights Movement, We Shall
Overcome now is widely known as a song of hope and as a promise that “We’ll
walk hand in hand one day”. Please enjoy our version including American Sign
Language of, “We Shall Overcome”.
*WE SHALL OVERCOME*
[Charlotte] Last week we also celebrated Black Lives Matter in our school week.
We reflect on the 13 guiding principles which help us unite and fight against
inequality. These principles are:
[Allison] Restorative Justice: We know that if you hurt somebody, you have to
help them feel better; you can't just say, "Sorry," and walk away. We also know
that it's important for kids to be able to make a better choice another time, and
it's grownups' job to help them make better choices and to give them chances to
do that.
[Raymond] Empathy: It's important to think about how other people feel,
because different people have different feelings.. Sometimes it helps to think
about how you would feel if the same thing that happened to your friend
happened to you.
[Giuliana] Loving Engagement: It's important to make sure that we are always
trying to be fair and peaceful, and to engage with other people (treat other
people) with love. We have to keep practicing this so that we can get better and
better at it.
[Alex] Diversity: Different people do different things and have different feelings.
It's so important that we have lots of different kinds of people in our community
and that everyone feels safe.
[Lilah] Globalism: Globalism means that we are thinking about all the different
people all over the world, and thinking about the ways to keep things fair
everywhere.
[Charlie] Gender and Transgender Affirming: Everybody has the right to choose
their own gender by listening to their own heart and mind. Everyone gets to
choose if they are a girl or a boy or both or neither or something else, and no one
else gets to choose for them..
[Holden] Queer Affirming: Everybody has the right to choose who they love and
the kind of family they want by listening to their own heart and mind..
[Drizzt] Collective Value: Everybody is important, and has the right to be safe and
happy.
[Lexi] Intergenerational: It's important that we have spaces where people of
different ages can come together and learn from each other.. Another way to say
that is intergenerational.
[Ava] Black Families: There are lots of different kinds of families; what makes a
family is that it's people who take care of each other. It's important to make sure
that all families feel welcome.
[Eumorah] Black Villages: There are lots of different kinds of families; what
makes a family is that it's people who take care of each other; those people might
be related, or maybe they choose to be family together and to take care of each
other. Sometimes, when it's lots of families together, it can be called a village.
[Piper] Black Women: There are some people who think that women are less
important than men. We know that all people are important and have the right to
be safe and talk about their feelings.
[Adrianna] Unapologetically Black: There are lots of different kinds of people and
one way that we're different is the color of our skin. It's important to make sure
that all people are treated fairly, and that's why we, and lots of other people all
over the country and the world are part of the Black Lives Matter movement..
[Glyn] For our last song, we will be performing We Are Here. This song is about
how children are the most important change makers, and how we are here to
work together for a better future.
[MaKayla] Thank you for joining us for our assembly today, and we hope you
enjoy We Are Here.
*WE ARE HERE*