Today, after a review of "rhetoric" and making attempts at identifying examples of rhetorical devices in 2 presidential speeches (Obama's '09 Back to School speech & Abe Lincoln's Gettysburg Address) we discussed an article we read and summarized for a "Do Now" (I hate that term, btw) the previous class session. During the previous class session we read an article by Franklin McCain on his and his comrades' experiences during their lunch counter sit-ins in Greensboro.
The discussion was lively. The students were really taking a critical look at the circumstances that surrounded these and other acts of civil disobedience.
But then a colleague in the room stood up. I'll call her, "Mother". Mother stood, gave some insight into some of her personal experiences as a woman from the continent of Africa and a citizen of the United States. She detailed some of the prejudice she and her family encountered and what she did to fight it. Mother also took the time to remind our dear young people how they come from the lineage of African royalty! That they should speak and behave as such; that they should carry themselves as such; that getting an education was beyond important, especially for Black and Brown children in the United States!
Listen here! Mother's sassines didn't upset me one bit! Didn't seem to bother the kids none either, for they gave her a raucous round of applause when she got through! If Mother had a mic, it'd be broke.
With that, class was dismissed.
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