By Meg Brinckman
Amidon-Bowen Elementary School students, under the direction of Ms. Edgar, Special Education Teacher, Ms. Gray, Third Grade Teacher, and Ms. Zeiler, Librarian, presented a one-act play, “K.C.’s Dream,” by Brenda B. Covert, to students and parents. The play uses a dream sequence to bring forward the accomplishments of black civil rights fighters, scientists, business people and sports figures.
The play begins with K.C., played by Nevaeh Edwards, at the end of a long day spent grappling with issues of race and equality in her class at school. She is feeling the sting of comments made by fellow students because she is black. Harriet Tubman, played by Jaida Murray, appears in her dream and says, “You and I need to have a talk.” Tubman proceeds to remind K.C. that what she did to survive slavery in the time of the Underground Railroad took courage and most of all of the importance of believing in oneself.
George Washington Carver (Phillip Thomas), whom K.C. recognizes as “the peanut butter guy,” points out that education was the key to his ability to help make life better for southern farmers. He adds that believing in yourself means hard work and no excuses. Madam C.J. Walker (Denitra McDonald), who built her business in the early 1900sa time when she did not have the right to vote and few women of any race were developing businessestells K.C. to ignore those who “badmouth you” and believe in yourself.
In succession Martin Luther King (Clarence Eggleston), Coretta Scott King (Aarianna Scott), Oprah Winfrey (Shomari Edwards), Michael Jordan (Trevon Evans) and President Barack Obama (Khalil Warren) each appear to K.C. They tell of their contributions to the country at large and to the black community. They remind her that it took hard work and sacrifices to make those gains. The Chorus (Tasia Bailey, Dayonna Harris and Aleema Banks) echo the underlying theme, “believe in yourself.”