Dreamer ENT

We all love his playful and eccentric characters and rhymes in books like “The Cat in the Hat” and “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!”. Today, March 2, would mark the 106th birthday of beloved author and illustrator Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.

Below are some inspiring and fun Dr. Seuss quotes. Visit http://www.seussville.com to learn more about his story and for fun memories from some of your favorite Dr. Seuss books. It’s also “Read Across America” day, so be sure to curl up with a good book.

• “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.

• “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

• “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

• “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!”

• “Kid, you’ll move mountains!… Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way.”

Black History Month Spotlight: Sojourner Truth

You may remember the Ron Clark Academy students from their “You Can Vote However You Like” video that went viral around the web and was picked up by CNN during the 2008 Presidential Election. In the video below the students perform a tribute to Sojourner Truth, who was an influential civil rights leader of the 19th century. They did their creative performance at an event a few month ago to unveil a bust by sculptor Artis Lane of Sojourner Truth. Esteemed guests like First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Members of Congress, were attendance.

The bust is the first sculpture to honor an African American woman in the U.S. Capitol and was donated by the National Congress of Black Women. You can learn more about the bust at http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/truth_bust.cfm.

Sojourner Truth

“Sojourner Truth was perhaps the most famous African-American woman in 19th century America. For over forty years she traveled the country as a forceful and passionate advocate for the dispossessed, using her quick wit and fearless tongue to fight for human rights.

“She traveled around the east and midwest speaking out for human rights. This illiterate ex-slave was a powerful figure in several national social movements, speaking forcefully for the abolition of slavery, women’s rights and suffrage, the rights of freedmen, temperance, prison reform and the termination of capital punishment.”

Find out more about Sojourner Truth at http://www.sojournertruth.org.
Photo Source: http://www.nps.gov

February is Black History Month, and we wanted to present inspiration from Dreamers who have impacted many through their work. Langston Hughes was a writer and poet who greatly shaped American literature during the Harlem Renaissance. Below is part of one of his poems called “Dreams”.

Dreamer Profile: Langston Hughes

“Langston Hughes (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967) was one of the most important writers and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance, which was the African American artistic movement in the 1920s that celebrated black life and culture.

“Hughes’s creative genius was influenced by his life in New York City’s Harlem, a primarily African American neighborhood. His literary works helped shape American literature and politics. Hughes, like others active in the Harlem Renaissance, had a strong sense of racial pride. Through his poetry, novels, plays, essays, and children’s books, he promoted equality, condemned racism and injustice, and celebrated African American culture, humor, and spirituality.” Click here to learn more about Langston Hughes.

Bio Source: http://www.americaslibrary.gov

Dreams

“Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams, For when dreams go
Life is a barren field, Frozen with snow.”

- Langston Hughes

In this quote, part of one of his poems, Langston Hughes reminds us to keep our visions alive, because it’s so important to have hope for the future. Don’t just follow along with the crowd, but dare to be different and follow those creative ideas in you. With hard work, faith and perseverance, dreams can come true.

Alyson Stoner, the talented actress, dancer and singer who you’ve seen in music videos, Disney movies like Camp Rock and shows like The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, shared some inspiration for young people on her blog a few weeks ago:

“…Dare to dream. We have an imagination for a reason. Write down your wildest dreams and then create an action plan to make it happen. Stay focused on improving your character and skills (instead of nit-packing others’ flaws) so you’ll be prepared to fly when the opportunity arises. You were created to do amazing things, and I’m not going to let you fail. You are strong. You are valued. You are loved, and you are gifted. Do not waste your life…”

That’s some great and powerful advice to take into the New Year! You can read the full blog post on her official website by clicking here. You’ll be able to see Alyson doing what she does best when Camp Rock 2 premieres on the Disney Channel in the summer of 2010.

The Dream In Color African American Heritage project is sponsored by Target and Scholastic, Inc. It features various videos of Renaissance woman Dr. Maya Angelou, poet, educator, historian, best-selling author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and director. Here are some of her words from the video entitled “How can students find their creative voice?”

Dr. Maya Angelou: “I would say to young people and to old people or upper middle age, that we have seriously crippled ourselves and our children by telling people, ‘don’t try all these different things. You’ll become a jack of all trades and a master of none’. That’s ridiculous. You can become the master of everything. The best you can be.

“You know, we don’t understand talent. We don’t understand electricity. We probably use about one millionth of one billionth percent of the electricity around us. However, you can plug into two little holes in the wall, or three. You can light up a church, a cathedral, a synagogue, a temple. You can light up a surgery. You can light up a…a bedroom. Or you can electrocute a person strapped in a chair. Electricity makes no demands. It says if you are intelligent you will use me intelligently. If you’re not, you will use me destructively. But I’m here.
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