The Poignant for 8/5/09: Melissa Harris Lacewell Latest Touching Piece

From one of the better professors and human beings in this country, the Princeton pedagogue and MSNBC contributor gives an account of how we have to cherish the greatness of children and persevering the arts for them

I spent last Friday night at a 4th grade poetry slam.

I wasn't sure I wanted to go. As the mother of a first grader I know that sometimes parents and teachers simply have to smile widely and clap loudly so that our kids will feel supported even when their skills make us want to cover our ears and look for aspirin. But the teacher, Eric Thomas, had been asking me for months to come to Trenton, NJ and check out the students at Stokes Elementary School. His enthusiasm convinced me I should attend. I was not disappointed.

The Stokes students did not recite the lofty words of other writers; instead they composed their own verse. In language that was precise, compelling, inspiring, and sometimes heartbreaking these 9 and 10-year-old children presented a surprisingly mature critique of our nation. They employed not only poetry but also drumming and dance to craft a unique and coherent vision of the world from the perspective of working class black children living and learning in an American city.

Deep stuff, and it continues.

Just deep stuff.