AUBURN - He may not have been the real President Barack Obama, but as 10-year-old Kolby Williams entered Genesee Elementary School's auditorium representing America's first black commander in chief, he also represented that there is still hope for racial equality.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
From left to right, Genesee Elementary fourth-graders Ke'shiana Thomas and Deja Smith and fifth-grader Atheena Woodward perform an African dance during Genesee Elementary's Black History Month celebration.
From left to right, Genesee Elementary fourth-graders Ke'shiana Thomas and Deja Smith and fifth-grader Atheena Woodward perform an African dance during Genesee Elementary's Black History Month celebration.
As Kolby walked to the stage to join several other classmates during their Black History Month performance Friday, Feb. 27, his father, Bryant Williams, said that for the first time he truly believed his son could grow up to work in the Oval Office.
“When my grandmother used to tell me that I could be the president, in the back of my mind I always knew there would be no way,” Bryant said. “And now there is hope that (Kolby) can be president as long as he does what he needs to do and gets good grades.”
Dressed in a suit and tie, Kolby said it was a nerve-racking job to represent the president, but that it was also a rewarding experience to fill Obama's shoes for a day.
“I was really nervous when I first started walking in, but then everyone started to cheer and it felt really good,” Kolby said. “He (Obama) shows we can be anything.”
With several children acting as a history class that questioned why learning about the past is important, students dressed as Harriet Tubman, Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and Abraham Lincoln along with Kolby helped to show why their actions still effect the country today.
Because Obama's election is the result of the combined effort of all those who pushed for equality before him, Leslie Walker, a teacher's aid who helped organize the presentation, said it was crucial to include the president in the event.
“(Barack Obama) is not in the history books yet, but he is part of that dream that Martin Luther King Jr. had,” Walker said. “He rose to a level that many people thought he could not rise to. He shows that no matter what color you are, you can achieve anything with hard work.”
With children from many ethnic backgrounds working together to put on the program, Walker said their effort to promote Black History Month represents the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.'s movement.
Walker, who was 12 years old when her father took her to see King's “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, said that on that day she saw why the civil rights movement was important to her father and why it is still important today.
“The dream is still alive,” Walker said. “I hope that someday all children have equal opportunity to become whatever they want without prejudice and unfairness.”
With African dancers and drummers, and a video of King's “I Have a Dream Speech” helping to round out the event, Kim Mazzeo, Kolby's mother, said the program was a great opportunity for the community to come together and learn about each other.
“It's an uplifting event and it's nice to bring people together like this,” Mazzeo said. “It's the start of a beautiful thing.”
Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net
“When my grandmother used to tell me that I could be the president, in the back of my mind I always knew there would be no way,” Bryant said. “And now there is hope that (Kolby) can be president as long as he does what he needs to do and gets good grades.”
Dressed in a suit and tie, Kolby said it was a nerve-racking job to represent the president, but that it was also a rewarding experience to fill Obama's shoes for a day.
“I was really nervous when I first started walking in, but then everyone started to cheer and it felt really good,” Kolby said. “He (Obama) shows we can be anything.”
With several children acting as a history class that questioned why learning about the past is important, students dressed as Harriet Tubman, Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and Abraham Lincoln along with Kolby helped to show why their actions still effect the country today.
Because Obama's election is the result of the combined effort of all those who pushed for equality before him, Leslie Walker, a teacher's aid who helped organize the presentation, said it was crucial to include the president in the event.
“(Barack Obama) is not in the history books yet, but he is part of that dream that Martin Luther King Jr. had,” Walker said. “He rose to a level that many people thought he could not rise to. He shows that no matter what color you are, you can achieve anything with hard work.”
With children from many ethnic backgrounds working together to put on the program, Walker said their effort to promote Black History Month represents the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.'s movement.
Walker, who was 12 years old when her father took her to see King's “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, said that on that day she saw why the civil rights movement was important to her father and why it is still important today.
“The dream is still alive,” Walker said. “I hope that someday all children have equal opportunity to become whatever they want without prejudice and unfairness.”
With African dancers and drummers, and a video of King's “I Have a Dream Speech” helping to round out the event, Kim Mazzeo, Kolby's mother, said the program was a great opportunity for the community to come together and learn about each other.
“It's an uplifting event and it's nice to bring people together like this,” Mazzeo said. “It's the start of a beautiful thing.”
Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net
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