Sudduth Elementary School celebrated its diversity Wednesday morning with its Black History program.
The school has presented a Black History Month program for the past decade, and approximately 100 students from the school participated in the program, singing songs and portraying famous African-Americans. Ward 7 Alderman Henry Vaughn also spoke, telling the children to respect their elders and those different than themselves.
“You have heard your parents and teachers say both good things and bad things about President Obama,” Vaughn said.“You have heard your parents and teachers say good and bad things about (President) Donald Trump. You have heard them say all these things, but what do you think? Whatever men hold this office, they’re due our respect, and I was always told you always respect your leaders regardless of what color they are and what position they hold.”
Monica Lucas, a CTS at Sudduth who helped organize the program, said the students had less time than normal to prepare, putting the program together with a week-and-a-half of practice. Usually the students put the program together after three or four weeks of rehearsal.
“We gave the students an opportunity to learn about people from the past, because we wanted to motivate them to become better people and to become leaders in our community and in the world,” Lucas said.
Lucas said she had been involved in Sudduth’s program for the entire 10 years it had been staged. She also thanked fellow members of the Black History program committee, first grade teacher Netasha Cummings, first grade teacher Leslie Hunt and interventionist Sophelia Woods. She also acknowledged kindergarten teacher Rosia Jackson, kindergarten teacher Jessica Glass and first grade teacher Debbie McLaurin for letting their classes participate.
“The importance of a program like this is allowing our children to take good things from our past and to better things and to see the way they are very privileged to have friends of different races and different cultures,” Lucas said.
The program ended with students singing the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome."