Studies prove that elementary school intervention programs
help at-risk children succeed in their adult life. The Go Project
NYC is a nonprofit organization in Lower Manhattan that is
dedicated to providing academic assistance and social services to
low-income, underperforming elementary school children in the
area. When a teacher's aide expressed concern that a new summer
program would include a political message, he was abruptly let go
from the program.
Robert Bullock was reluctant to air this information publicly, as
he hoped that the director of the program would change her mind
about enhancing the program with a song that to him had clearly
politically overtones that he considered
"inappropriate." After reading the lyrics I found that
I agreed with his assessment.
Basically the program starts off the day with a pep rally based
on a decades-old Kenyan tradition of community self-help called
Harambee. It literally means "working together for a common
cause." The Go Project provides academic assistance and
social services to students who attend public elementary schools
below 14th Street in Manhattan. Most Go students may be described
as first-generation, low-income individuals and as
English-as-a-second-language learners whose parents speak
Spanish, Mandarin, or Cantonese.
Mr. Bullock was also a volunteer as well as an aide and he told
me his work with the program for several years had been pleasant
and professional. However, when he learned that a political
protest song was to be sung every morning in assembly during the
summer semester he expressed his concern to the executive
director, Wendy Reynoso.
He explained, "This program, in my past experience, has made
no effort to familiarize these children with this country's
constitutional framework. We do not sing the National Anthem or
say the Pledge of Allegiance. The inclusion of political content
is new to the program. I believe it was chosen not to improve
self-esteem but to deliver a political message to a young and
easily manipulated audience. Perhaps that motivation was
unconscious. It is a song of political revolution. To have these
children sing it in assembly every morning is improper."
The song is an empowerment song that I was unfamiliar with. It's
called "Something Inside So Strong" by Labi Siffre. I
contacted Ms. Reynoso to ask her questions about the new
enhancement and to verify that this song would be part of the
program. I specifically wanted to know the meaning behind the
words, specifically, who are the people the children are supposed
to stand up to?
These are the beginning lines that gave me pause and I repeated
them to Ms. Reynoso to confirm that we were speaking of the same
song: "The higher you build your barriers, the taller I
become; The more you refuse to hear my voice, the louder I will
sing; You hide behind walls of Jericho, your lies will come
tumbling; Deny my place in time, you squander wealth that's
mine."
The refrain is obviously about self-empowerment: "Something
inside so strong I know that I can make it, tho you're doing me
wrong; You thought that my pride was gone, something inside so
strong."
Exactly who is the "you" in the song, I asked Ms.
Reynoso. She explained that the song was written more than 20
years ago by a South African to protest apartheid and that we
should all agree that apartheid was something to protest. But, I
told her, this is not South Africa. This is Lower Manhattan. The
Go Project is funded in part by the Robin Hood Foundation, a
charity led by wealthy hedge fund managers.
"The children love the song," she said. "It has
been part of the Harambee tradition for years and is being sung
by children in Washington Heights." Ms. Reynoso confirmed
that it was she who decided to include this song in the program;
that it is a song to show children that they can achieve despite
circumstances.
On the website www.goprojectnyc.org, there is a video of students
testifying how much the program has helped them already, so how
will this song, which Ms. Reynoso does admit has political
overtones, improve the program, I wondered.
Why was Mr. Bullock fired, I asked? Ms. Reynoso said that she had
great respect for Robert but that she needed workers to be
totally committed to the program and he was not.
Having grown up under worse circumstances than these students,
it's my opinion that lessons and tutoring produce better results
than anachronistic songs from foreign lands. How about singing
songs about how great it is to live in this country? That would
be an original concept in the public schools.