ALICE S.PRATT WHEELS OF FREEDOM *PLEASE BRING NOTES ...

ALICE S.PRATT
WHEELS OF FREEDOM
*PLEASE BRING NOTES TO THE SESSION. IT IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF
THE PRESENTATION. Additional music will be posted ONLINE.
aprattaosa@gmail.com
This is a project that was done by several fifth and sixth grade students under my
guidance. They wrote the narration and created melodies, lyrics, and ostinato for Orff
instruments which I, as the master quilter, sewed together into a workable format. In
addition, authentic songs, or artifacts, of our nation’s history of civil rights were included
in the body of the story. **Additional music will be available on the online notes.
Narrator 1: The School 16 Chorus proudly presents this tribute to Rosa Parks
Songs: Intro- OH, ROSA! Song- Wheels of Freedom (p. 3, 4)
Narrator 2: As the song tells us, Rosa woke up one morning with her mind stayed on freedom.
It was that desire that drove her to one of the bravest actions of any American.
SONG: WOKE UP THIS MORNING (p.6)
Narrator 3: Rosa Parks was a great woman who stood up for what she believed was right. She,
in her quiet way, fought for the freedom that all people deserved. In those days, it was a hard life
for both blacks and women. Neither group was always treated fairly and was denied the equal
rights that all Americans were to have. Rosa overcame both difficulties by a simple bus ride.
Narrator 4: Rosa was born in 1913 in the state of Alabama. There was a law that discriminated
against blacks that said that blacks must sit in the back of a public bus. The back was
uncomfortable because the ride was bumpy and often smelled horribly from the bus fumes.
There were other things that were not fair. For example, the water fountains were separated for
blacks and whites. The one for black people was not clean and was dirty and rusty. Separating
people is called segregation.
Narrator 5: Rosa was coming home from a long day of work and she boarded the bus. She sat
down in a seat near the front of the bus. The bus driver told her to get up because a white person
needed a seat. He said,
Chorus: “MOVE TO THE BACK OF THE BUS!” (p.4)
Song (interlude): MOVE TO THE BACK OF THE BUS.
Narrator 6: Rosa refused to get up out of her seat.
Song: STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS (melody of Move to the Back of the Bus, p.4)
Narrator 7: Because she broke a law by refusing to give up her seat, Rosa was taken to jail.
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Song: JAIL, JAIL (p.5) (Note: this comes before Walk, Walk, error in notes)
Narrator 8: Rosa was not alone. A great man named Martin Luther King Jr. heard about what
happened and decided that it was time for a change.
Optional Song: any song about Martin Luther King or the song We Shall Overcome may be
used. We used The Dream of Martin Luther King by Merle Gartrell , arr. by Susan Van Dyck
from Holidays: 21 Festive Arrangements, for Unchanged Voices and Orff Instruments;
Memphis Musicraft Publications, 1980
Narrator 9: Being a man who wanted peace, Martin convinced other black people with his
commanding way of speaking to help him protest what happened to Rosa by not riding the bus
instead of fighting about it. If the people stayed off the buses, the bus company would lose
business and money and complain to the law makers.
Narrator 10: This was hard on the people because it meant that they had to walk to work,
church, stores, and to visit their family and friends. Yet, they were determined. They wrote
signs that said,
Chorus: People, don’t ride the bus today. Don’t ride the bus for freedom!
Narrator 11: This is called a boycott. They knew it could work because the bus people would
surely miss that money!
Song: WALK, WALK (p.4) (NOTE: Jail, Jail is performed before Walk, Walk-out of order on
sheet).
Narrator 12: Victory was won and the laws were changed. As a result:
Narrator 13: Black and white people could sit wherever they wanted
Narrator 14: Bus drivers were to respect all people.
Narrator 15: Blacks could even now drive a bus and earn money doing so.
Song: MAKE AMERICA A BETTER PLACE (p. 5)
Rosa Parks: I am the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Louise McCauley Parks. I
hope that you learned something from my story. Remember to always treat people fairly and
equally, and to stand up for your rights in appropriate ways, with the peace that Dr. King and I
demonstrated.
I received many awards for my bravery and courage. I received the Springarn Medal, the Martin
Luther King Jr. Non-Violent Peace Prize, and the Eleanor Roosevelt Woman of Courage Award.
I leave you with these words: “To this day, I believe we are here on the planet earth to live,
grow up, and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom. “
SONG: INTRO ONLY OF OH ROSA
Immediately lead into: WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED (p. 7)/ WE SHALL OVERCOME
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