Last week, I had the opportunity and honor of judging North Penn School District’s Black History Oratorical Competition, where students from across the district ranging in ages from under 10 to 18 memorized and presented speeches, stories, and poems written by Black Americans. Students recited and acted lines from Maya Angelou, Amanda Gorman, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass, and many others.
To be clear, students were expected to step on stage, alone, and give their version of some of the best written/spoken rhetorical language ever heard here or in any other country. I was in awe of every student’s courage, skill, and passion. Every student stepped into that spotlight and shared with the world their emotions, how that speech or poem made them feel, and how they hoped it might change us.
As many of us can attest, it is typical to read the words of these authors and understand the challenges they faced and appreciate the skill they had as writers. However, something is lost when a powerful speech, like Frederick Douglass’ “What to the Slave Is the Fourth Of July,” is simply read and not heard. You might read the lines and understand that Douglass’ point is that we have fallen short of our American promise, but to hear the passion, the pain, and frustration be vocalized through a young adult is something else entirely. It drives the point home, and it humanizes the message. In that moment, Douglass and all the other Black authors, come back to life and you can see the power and importance of those words on our world in real time.
Did I mention I was moved by their performances?
While every student brought something special to their performance, I was particularly impressed by the younger students who brought another dimension to their delivery. They are the face of the future. Youthful students who tend to be hopeful, inquisitive, and earnest. As parents, adults, and neighbors, we project so much onto them in the hopes that it will empower them to build a better world. To then hear the ringing remarks of Sojourner Truth in “Ain’t I a Woman” demanding equity and equality vocalized and portrayed by someone we have projected all the hope unto and realizing that they are already worried that Sojourner Truth’s demands have still not been met is an emotion that sticks with you as an adult responsible for helping to build the future.
As Black History Month ends, it is always the hope that the lessons, the reminders, and ideals shared throughout the month of February will last all year. After all, “there is hope in the thought, and hope is much needed, under the dark clouds which lower above the horizon. The eye of the reformer is met with angry flashes, portending disastrous times; but his heart may well beat lighter at the thought that America is young, and that she is still in the impressible stage of her existence. May he not hope that high lessons of wisdom, of justice and of truth, will yet give direction to her destiny? Were the nation older, the patriot’s heart might be sadder, and the reformer’s brow heavier. Its future might be shrouded in gloom, and the hope of its prophets go out in sorrow. There is consolation in the thought that America is young.”
Winners of the NPSD Black Oratory Competition:
Grades three through five
Grades six through eight
Grades nine through 12
(Mayoral Musings is a weekly op-ed column submitted to North Penn Now, courtesy of Lansdale Borough Mayor Garry Herbert. The views expressed are his own.)
See also:
Mayoral Musings: Annual Lansdale Police Report Preview
Mayoral Musings: Opening of Classic Game Junkie and Retroware Arcade
Mayoral Musings: Preliminary Lansdale Police Community Survey Results
Mayoral Musings: Preparing Lansdale for the Electric Vehicle Revolution
