[Si] TV

So recently i paid a visit to Ms. Uraline Hager's class at Bronx Green Middle School. I brought along my friend & music group partner Rephstar to meet and perform for the students. The school is located on 2441 wallace avenue just off the  2 train on allerton avenue.  The students had just finished completing a poetry unit and were publishing their work. This was their publishing party. We were the invited guest. I had also invited my really good friend and fantastic actor Dominic Colon, last minute he couldn't make it so i'll ask him to come another time. The students watched the film On the Outs, and Dominic is an important charter in the film. He also delivers a knock out performance.

 

Anyways, for about a half hour Rephstar and I walked around in the classroom while students where finishing their books & designing their covers. So imagine, glue, glitter, construction paper, markers etc. all over.  There was one student, his name Jose he was in the corner doing graf, he was looking and reading a book and when i saw the title i couldn't believe it he had  Graffiti World: Street Art from Five Continents (hardcover) by Nicholas Ganz. ............ . Just threw me off to see it in a public school, when i went to school in the bronx there were no hip-hop books, and you couldn't really bring it into the school. I was happy he had his outlet and he was in a zone writing in his black book/ sketch book. The book is  really dope, it's great to see so many writing styles from all over the world. Then, I sat with a group of 7th grade girls, they asked me questions about where i was from and and we talked about poetry. It was nice. Reph made the rounds as well.

 

After that, we all sat in a cipher, a circle. I talked about what i do and why i do what i do, Reph did the same. We performed some of our poems for the students and then we opened the floor and student after student read their work. It was amazing to see these 7th graders speak on things that have affected them, things they wish, things they wanna change. One girl got so emotional she even started to cry and continued reciting her poem. She was the only one that memorized it and gave a performance of her life. If  i could have given her an Oscar i would. I got chills. To be so young and tap into that kind of emotion and to do it amongst her peers who weren't that quiet and kinda giggled when she started crying. Especially the boys.  It seemed like the boys would laugh when things got a lil to heavy.. but i guess it makes sense now to see guys in their 20's.. Is it true that girls are more mature than boys? .....

 

After the students read and the bell rang it was time to go. I gave one of the girls i saw that reminded me of me a sistahood cd (some of my music) and i gave out my best friend Lemon's book "Ready Made Real" to the first student that read and took a risk. On my way out the class presented Rephstar and I with all of their poems in clear plastic sheet protectors. It was a very sweet present. I could hardly believe this class is labeled or considered 

"rough". It's testament to the arts and also teachers like Ms. Uraline Hager.

So shout out to everyone in the class & to Ms. Uraline Hager at Bronx Green Middle School!  

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a poem from one of the students:

 

 

THE PRAYER OF THE FLAG by Nicole Garriga

 

GOD, dear mighty I pray that the flag of Puerto Rico is represented by my people.

 

I pray that i stand up and represent my culture.

 

GOD, i pray that every Puerto Rican out there is proud to be who they are.

 

I pray that they celebrate their culture and festivities.

 

I pray that they will wake up saying I'M PROUD TO BE PUERTO RICAN!

 

GOD, this is what I pray!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peace,

PATTYDUKES

www.PATTYDUKES.COM

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/PATTYDUKESREPHSTAR