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    Black Lives Matter, cnn.com, and Future: These South Bronx fourth grade boys are
 talking about race and Black Lives Matter
 through theater
Art stays imitating life! Success Academy Bronx 2 teacher Sentell Harper has created the spoken-word production entitled Alternative Names for Black Boys featuring boys in his fourth grade class as performers, CNN reports. During the production, six black boys wearing gray hoodies line up and ask the poignant question, β€œDo you see me?” and repeat it several times. With hoods on their heads, they recite the names of black youth and men killed in police brutality incidents, β€œFreddie … Michael … Philando … Tamir,” they say. β€œEric … Alton … Trayvon … Jordan.” β€œI got my group of boys together, and I said, β€˜Today we’re gonna talk about race,'” Harper said.β€œAnd they had so much to say. They started telling me stories about their fathers and their brothers, and about dealing with racism β€” things that I never knew that these young boys went through.” Harper, who is a black actor and playwright, was inspired by the Danez Smith poem β€œAlternative Names for Black Boys," and created the five-part performance of the same name. Besides the recitation of names, Harper's production includes Tupac Shakur’s famous poem, β€œDid you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete?,” snippets from Langston Hughes’ β€œPopular Tree” and a monologue addressing future issues of young black boys. β€œWith the killings of black men and boys being in the media, it was really just scary in my world,” Harper said. β€œI thought about the boys I was teaching … society won’t see them like I see them. Society will only see them as black men.” The production has clearly had a significant impact on the young boys, who unfortunately have to navigate a world where the police see them as a target. β€œWhen I do this piece, I’m, like, proving everybody wrong, that I could get an education, and I could go somewhere in my life,” performer Tysean Wheeler said. β€œWe want to prove people wrong about what black men and boys can do, because we might be the future men [that] would [or] could get shot or killed,” another performer Gregory Hannah, added. Harper did initially worry about the subject being too heavy for such young boys, but has experienced an β€œamazing” response, notably from the performers’
    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                Black Lives Matter, cnn.com, and Future: These South Bronx fourth grade boys are
 talking about race and Black Lives Matter
 through theater
Art stays imitating life! Success Academy Bronx 2 teacher Sentell Harper has created the spoken-word production entitled Alternative Names for Black Boys featuring boys in his fourth grade class as performers, CNN reports. During the production, six black boys wearing gray hoodies line up and ask the poignant question, β€œDo you see me?” and repeat it several times. With hoods on their heads, they recite the names of black youth and men killed in police brutality incidents, β€œFreddie … Michael … Philando … Tamir,” they say. β€œEric … Alton … Trayvon … Jordan.” β€œI got my group of boys together, and I said, β€˜Today we’re gonna talk about race,'” Harper said.β€œAnd they had so much to say. They started telling me stories about their fathers and their brothers, and about dealing with racism β€” things that I never knew that these young boys went through.” Harper, who is a black actor and playwright, was inspired by the Danez Smith poem β€œAlternative Names for Black Boys," and created the five-part performance of the same name. Besides the recitation of names, Harper's production includes Tupac Shakur’s famous poem, β€œDid you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete?,” snippets from Langston Hughes’ β€œPopular Tree” and a monologue addressing future issues of young black boys. β€œWith the killings of black men and boys being in the media, it was really just scary in my world,” Harper said. β€œI thought about the boys I was teaching … society won’t see them like I see them. Society will only see them as black men.” The production has clearly had a significant impact on the young boys, who unfortunately have to navigate a world where the police see them as a target. β€œWhen I do this piece, I’m, like, proving everybody wrong, that I could get an education, and I could go somewhere in my life,” performer Tysean Wheeler said. β€œWe want to prove people wrong about what black men and boys can do, because we might be the future men [that] would [or] could get shot or killed,” another performer Gregory Hannah, added. Harper did initially worry about the subject being too heavy for such young boys, but has experienced an β€œamazing” response, notably from the performers’
                
            

            
            
Art stays imitating life! Success Academy Bronx 2 teacher Sentell Harper has created the spoken-word production entitled Alternative Names f...