On Wednesday, fifth grade students at Scotland Elementary School explored a defining moment in history when they experienced “A Journey Through America’s Civil Rights Movement” performed by Seattle organization Living Voices.

Living Voices aims to “Bring Life to History” through live multimedia performances. They combine theatre, video and live interaction to create a high impact event which allows audiences to discover history’s relevance to their lives. The students experience what it was like to live in another time through dynamic archival imagery combined with a live performer.

The compelling story the students watched was “The Right to Dream," which presented the struggle and sacrifice for Civil Rights in America.

"The Right to Dream" recreates a young man's coming of age as an African American in Mississippi during the 1950's and 1960's. This program illuminates the issues surrounding Civil Rights, leading audiences to understand how the fight against prejudice has shaped our history.

The story follows the life of a boy, Raymond, after he is no longer allowed to see his best friend who is white. Raymond becomes aware that segregation and inequality must end in order to imagine a brighter future for himself and his family, but his dedication is tested when friends are hurt and killed during the protests of the early 1960‘s.

After attacks by state troopers in Selma, AL — and the subsequent march from Selma to Montgomery — Raymond and the Civil Rights workers are rewarded with the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Raymond, inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., dedicates himself to continuing the fight against racism and raising his people out of the world of intolerance.

This performance was planned to tie in with the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and to give the fifth graders a better understanding of events that they have little experience of in their lives today. While they have read the history books, this performance, together with the added explanations and illustrations given by the live actor, really made them think about day to day life in a segregated America and how badly people suffered.

 “It was actually pretty graphic and quite shocking," said fifth grader Jack Maiorino. "I didn’t realize how badly the black people actually got treated. Seeing it on the video made it much more real than just reading about it in books."

Megan Fridrich, another fifth grader said, “I thought it was sad how black people were treated, especially the lynching. The video taught me a lot, and the person acting alongside the video really helped."  

“I liked how it showed how people reacted to black people," fifth grader Oliver Bradburn said. "I was shocked at how graphic it was, and seeing the man hanging was awful."  

It shows just how successful and valuable this method of teaching is for Living Voices to have had this impact on our students and to help them learn from our history.

“It was really good," Reid Kagan said. "I can't believe these things were happening in our country only 60 years ago. It really makes you think that we've come a long way, but that we still have a long way to go."

Living Voices runs many other programs including, “Through the Eyes of a Friend: Young People During The Holocaust," “Island of Hope: The Journey Through Ellis Island," “Hear My Voice: Fighting For Women’s Right to Vote” and “Journey From the Dust: Surviving the Great Depression."

For more information visit their website at livingvoices.org.

Sally Alexandroff is a member of the Scotland Elementary School PTA.