Chamberlain Talks about the Dreams of Black History Month

STORY BY CANDACE SPRUILL, MACKENZIE WALDEN-TAYLOR & DESTINY BENNETT. RAP POEM BY YAZMIN BRADELY. PHOTO BY DEVONTE JACKSON. CHAMBERLAIN BUREAU

FNN CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY: FEB. 12, 2014.  Dreams are things that can happen in the future. This month we celebrate Black History Month and the people who dared to dream big. There are many reasons people celebrate Black History. One of the reasons is to honor and remember the leaders who spoke up for civil rights. If it wasn't for them, we would be segregated, enslaved and denied our human rights—instead of being free and united.

Students at Chamberlain are dreaming big and achieving. Chamberlain students who scored 8o and above on their interims and some students of the month were invited to the gym for a pancake breakfast.  During the breakfast chefs served bacon, sausage and pancakes made to order. “ I had a great time at the breakfast, my friends were there and the food was very good. They had toppings for the breakfast,” said Aaron Spruill.  Eighty  and above is a reason to celebrate because many students here at Chamberlain are going beyond proficiency on their interims.

Administrators and staff at Chamberlain push children to accomplish their dreams small or big. For example, one third-grader said, "I want to go to Harvard for college”. Candace Spruill says, "My dream is to grow up like my brother or sister. My older brother is applying for colleges and one of the colleges he wants to go to is Harvard. Mackenzie Walden-Taylor would like to become the first female president. Yazmin Bradley is a fifth grade student who raps about dreams of the past, present and future. Here is one of her raps:

Take A Look At My Race

I wrote this rap because it inspired me to be a part of Black History Month.

-Yazmin Bradley

Black history, no mystery. I am a student at Chamberlain Elementary.

More than a century before slavery, my people was free. Don’t lie to me.

You see my Bible decry that there’s more to me than you pretend to be.

Now remember me making history.

Jesus had skin of brown, hair of wool. My soul is full.

You can’t feed me bull. You can’t tug and pull. We do more than scream.

Martin King had a dream that this nation will rise and be free.

Now with Obama in place, take a look at my race.

Imagine what was next if I was the new president of the United States.

Candace Spruill and Mackenzie Walden-Taylor are 5th graders, Destiny Bennett is a 6th grader and Devonte Jackson is an eight grader at Friendship Chamberlain Academy.