HISTORY
SONGS
Books into Wings (Bessie Coleman, Ron McNair, Mae Jemison)
Citizen of the Universe (Ruth Asawa)
Education Can Happen Anywhere (Abe Lincoln)
The First Emperor (Qin Shi Huangdi)
Harlem Renaissance (Various Artists)
My Last Farewell (José Rizal)
One More Tree (Wangari Maathai)
Said Dolores (Dolores Huerta)
Voice of the People (Various Civil Rights Leaders)
"Books into Wings"
10 – 9 -8 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 - 2 – 1 – BLAST OFF!
Chorus: Bessie was a flier,
Ronnie too,
Mae was a flier,
How about you?
They studied Science, Math,
And many other things,
Picked up some books
And turned them into wings.
Bessie Coleman was born in Texas.
She went to France to learn to fly.
Before falling to her death in 1926,
She starred in airshows across the sky.
Chorus: Bessie was a …
Ron McNair was born in South Carolina,
Played saxophone and went to M. I. T.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
When the Challenger exploded in ’86,
The astronaut’s life ended in tragedy.
Chorus: Bessie was a …
Mae Jemison was born in Alabama,
Grew up in Chicago, went to Stanford U.
She worked as a doctor in West Africa.
NASA launched her shuttle in ’92.
Chorus: Bessie was a … repeat last line twice
“Citizen of the Universe"
Ruth Asawa: "I hold no hostilities for what happened; I blame no one.
Sometimes good comes through adversity.
I would not be who I am today had it not been for the Internment,
and I like who I am."
My name is Ruth Asawa,
I was born in California,
And my parents were born in Japan.
I am female, yes.
And I am Japanese-American,
But first I am an artist in the world,
My name is Ruth Asawa,
Citizen of the Universe.
Her family leased a farm in Norwalk,
Outside of L.A.,
Ruth came along in 1926,
January 24th was her birthday,
The fourth of seven children,
They all would lend a hand,
Growing fruits and vegetables,
On someone else’s land.
My Name is Ruth Asawa.
Her name is Ruth Asawa,
Citizen of the Universe.
Haiku: We break the rich earth,
And lay the seeds in their beds,
Working to make life.
When Ruth was in the third grade,
Her artwork was displayed,
Her teacher Mrs. Morrison,
Praised the drawings she made.
She even won a contest,
With a picture of Miss Liberty,
Saturdays she went to Japanese school,
Studying language and calligraphy.
My Name is Ruth Asawa.
Her name is Ruth Asawa,
Citizen of the Universe.
Haiku: Her arm reaches up,
To heavens from the nation,
Through the air we share.
Japan bombed Pearl Harbor,
In 1941,
USA involvement,
In WWII was begun,
People who were Japanese,
Were taken by the FBI,
Her daddy was sent to New Mexico,
They didn’t even have a chance to say “good-bye.”
My Name is Ruth Asawa.
Her name is Ruth Asawa,
Citizen of the Universe.
Haiku: They fell from the sky,
And changed our world just like that,
Why must there be bombs?
Thousands of people were taken,
to the Santa Anita Racetrack,
They were forced to live in
stables, that's a fact.
For six months they were held there,
Without any question of law,
Ruth met other prisoners,
Artists who helped improve her skill to draw.
My Name is Ruth Asawa.
Her name is Ruth Asawa,
Citizen of the Universe.
Haiku: Freedom state of mind,
Our imagination is,
A real salvation.
They were moved to Arkansas,
Where they spent the next few years,
Ruth made art whenever she could,
Smiling when there could’ve been tears.
She edited the paper,
For the high school in intern camp,
When Ruth earned a scholarship,
She felt just like a champ.
My name is Ruth Asawa,
Her name is Ruth Asawa,
I was born in California,
She was born in California,
And my parents were born in Japan.
I am female, yes.
And I am Japanese-American,
But first I am an artist in the world,
My name is Ruth Asawa,
"Education Can Happen Anywhere"
Abe was born to farmers in Kentucky.
His mama died when he was just a boy.
His family couldn’t prove their claim to any land
And they ended up in Illinois.
Abraham’s daddy soon remarried.
His step mama loved him like a son.
At the age of age of 22, he hopped in a canoe
And a whole new life had begun.
Abe moved so often as a child,
That he rarely had a chance to go to school,
But he taught himself to read and write real well,
And followed his own strict rule.
It just goes to show you,
Education can happen anywhere,
Whether you’re at home, or in school, or on your own,
Education can happen anywhere.
Abe worked on the Mississippi,
Delivered goods, explored the nation,
He got involved in politics,
To help improve navigation.
Abraham loved the animals,
So hunting was never his thing,
He was known for the swing of his ax,
And his skill at wrestling.
Abe became a famous lawyer,
Then a senator in government,
He led the country through civil war,
As the 16th president.
It just goes to show you,
Education can happen anywhere,
Whether you’re at home, or in school, or on a river,
Education can happen anywhere,
Education can happen anywhere,
Education can happen anywhere!
"The First Emperor"
Qin Shi Huangdi was the first emperor of China.
He lived nearly 23 centuries ago.
What was happening before?
7 kingdoms were at war.
When Qin Shi Huangdi was thirteen,
His father died and made him king.
Qin Shi Huangdi was the first emperor of China.
He lived nearly 23 centuries ago.
One by one the kingdoms fell,
His army grew more powerful,
In one kingdom there was a quake
That left it weak for Qin to take.
Qin Shi Huangdi was the first emperor of China.
He lived nearly 23 centuries ago.
Under the unification,
No one got an education.
Reading was against the rules,
So were books and having schools.
Qin Shi Huangdi was the first emperor of China.
He lived nearly 23 centuries ago.
Though he ruled by brutal force,
Qin Shi Huangdi set the course,
For using common currency,
And standard ways of measuring.
Qin Shi Huangdi was the first emperor of China.
He lived nearly 23 centuries ago.
During the first emperor’s days,
Canals were built and new highways,
The first Great Wall of China too,
Evidence of what was true.
Qin Shi Huangdi was the first emperor of China.
He lived nearly 23 centuries ago.
In nineteen seventy four,
Farmers digging found a door
Into ancient history
With a great discovery.
Qin Shi Huangdi was the first emperor of China.
He lived nearly 23 centuries ago.
In a tomb under the ground,
A Terracotta army found,
Life-sized soldiers, horses too,
Made of clay for you know who?
Qin Shi Huangdi, Qin Shi Huangdi, Qin Shi Huangdi.
"Harlem Renaissance"
We are the artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
We are the artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
We are the artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
Welcome to the 1920s.
My name is Louis of the Harlem Renaissance.
I was a musician of the Harlem Renaissance.
Louis Armstrong, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba.
I am one of many artists of those days.
My name is Ella of the Harlem Renaissance.
I was a singer of the Harlem Renaissance.
Ella Fitzgerald, scoobie doo-bop-bop-bop-bop.
I am one of many artists of those days.
We are the artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
We are the artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
We are the artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
Welcome to the 1920s.
My name is Langston of the Harlem Renaissance.
I was a poet of the Harlem Renaissance.
Langston Hughes, “It was a long time ago.”
I am one of many artists of those days.
My name is Josephine of the Harlem Renaissance.
I was a dancer of the Harlem Renaissance.
Josephine Baker, wa-wa-wa-wa-wa!
I am one of many artists of those days.
We are the artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
We are the artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
We are the artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
Welcome to the 1920s.
My name is Bill of the Harlem Renaissance.
I was a dancer of the Harlem Renaissance.
Bill Bojangles Robinson, tap-tap-tap-tap.
I am one of many artists of those days.
My name is Paul of the Harlem Renaissance.
I was an actor of the Harlem Renaissance.
Paul Robeson, “OH DESDEMONA!”
I am one of many artists of these days.
We are the artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
We are the artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
We are the artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
Welcome to the 1920s.
We are the artists of the Harlem Renaissance. (3X)
Yes, we are the artists of Harlem, New York City.
HARLEM RENAISSANCE
“My Last Farewell”
featuring the first stanza of “Mi último adios” by José Rizal”
Farewell, my adored Land, region of the sun caress'd,
Pearl of the Orient Sea, our Eden lost,
With gladness I give thee my Life, sad and repress'd;
And were it more brilliant, more fresh and at its best,
I would still give it to thee for thine welfare at most.
This is the final farewell,
Of a hero named José Rizal,
Novelist, artist, naturalist,
Teacher, ophthalmologist as well,
Whose light was eclipsed by imperialists,
José Rizal.
Pinipintuho kong Bayan ay paalam,
Lupang iniirog ng sikat ng araw,
mutyang mahalaga sa dagat Silangan,
kaluwalhatiang sa ami'y pumanaw.
This is the final farewell,
Of a hero named José Rizal,
Revolutionary of the late Nineteenth Century,
From Calamba, Laguna,
Whose light still shines bright at the heart of a country,
José Rizal, José Rizal, Doctor José Rizal.
"One More Tree"
Celebrating Wangari Maathai
One more tree, Wangari, one more tree,
One more tree, Wangari, one more tree,
Wangari Maathai,
Looked up to the sky,
Breathed the atmosphere,
Exhaled out a tear,
Water to the earth,
Nurturing the birth,
Of a tree planted here,
Giving was her cry,
Watering the dry,
Light the life, Wangari.
One more tree, One more tree,
Wangari’s legacy!
One more tree comes to be,
Growing life, tree by tree.
One more tree, Wangari, one more tree,
Wangari was a woman born in Kenya,
a country in the eastern part of Africa.
She was raised up in a village,
where boys had the advantage.
Nevertheless, that girl could study,
earned scholarships to university,
in Germany and the U.S. of A.
With hundreds of women on their knees,
They planted 50 million trees,
Breathe the Green Belt Movement today.
One more tree, everyone, one more tree,
Wangari Maathai,
Saw the Nobel Prize,
For Peace in her hands,
Someone understands,
The work and it’s worth,
To our planet earth,
And the life that lives here,
May we join our force,
Cultivate the source,
Make a difference that’s clear.
One more tree, One more tree,
Wangari’s legacy!
One more tree comes to be,
Growing life, tree by tree.
One more tree, Wangari, one more tree.
Said Dolores
When shadows are cast on our spirit,
And they try to strike fear in our heart,
Remember the power within us all,
To light our own way from the start,
And pave the vision forward,
With the strength of collective will,
To meet the needs of our children,
By shining our light on Capitol Hill,
“Sí Se Puede,” said Dolores,
Long before Obama,
But her fortitude and independence,
Could be a credit to her mama,
Who owned a large hotel,
In the Central California Valley,
Where she sheltered farm workers,
When they were short on food and money,
Imagine the day when all children walk,
Without holes in their shoes,
Imagine the day the workers sing,
When songs of joy resolve the Blues?
“Sí se puede, sí se puede,” said Dolores,
“Sí se puede,” long before Obama,
“Yes we can,” (repeat)
At home, church, and at school,
She was quick to volunteer,
A girl scout and a majorette,
To Dolores it was clear,
Change can only come,
When we look to our own hand,
And claim the value,
That we bring to this land.
Dolores, Larry, and Cesar,
Formed the U.F.W.,
With the help of many others,
Soon the labor movement grew,
As people began to realize,
With the food upon their table,
There were countless workers,
Hidden behind each label.
Imagine the day when all children walk,
Without holes in their shoes,
Imagine the day the workers sing,
When songs of joy resolve the Blues?
“Sí se puede, sí se puede,” said Dolores,
“Sí se puede,” long before Obama,
“Yes we can,” (repeat)
"Voice of the People"
Martin Luther King was a voice of the people,
A voice of the people,
A voice of the people,
Martin Luther King was a voice of the people,
He helped people get their rights!
Repeat using 3 other leaders from history such as...
Harriet Tubman
Mahatma Gandhi
Shirley Chisholm
Key changes for the next part with more names listed quickly
___________________ was a voice of the people.
___________________ was a voice of the people.
___________________ was a voice of the people.
Key changes to name a current "voice"
___________________ is a voice of the people.
a voice of the people,
a voice of the people,
I am a voice of the people.
Last part
We keep dreaming Martin Luther King's dream,
We keep dreaming Martin Luther King's dream,
We keep dreaming Martin Luther King's dream,
We keep dreaming Martin Luther King's dream.