Bright Star Touring Company brought their show “George Washington Carver and Friends” to Lee Elementary for two shows this week. The show offered a glimpse of some of the many significant contributions African American people have made throughout history. But it was more than just giving students a history lesson, it also offered a lesson in believing in oneself no matter what the circumstances.
Carver himself walked 10 miles to the nearest school he could attend, but by the time he arrived, school was over for the day and he ended up sleeping in a barn for the night. But he didn’t give up on his dream of going to school. He knew how important it would be to him and eventually it led him to become an inventor and scientist who developed hundreds of products using peanuts.
“Hard work can take you anywhere,” said the actor portraying George Washington Carver. He told students how Carver was a scientist, groundbreaker, and inventor. And while he could have turned some of his inventions into millions, he opted instead to give back and help others.
“You can make the world a better place. Lend a friend a pencil. Show them kindness - that’s what makes a hero in my book,” said the actor.
The two-person show featured one actor portraying a variety of different Black people through history who came to help a student (played by the second actor) decide who to pick as a hero for her school essay. The show featured the lives and accomplishments of baseball great Jackie Robinson who was the first African American baseball player in the professional league.
The actors told students Robinson was asked to join the Brooklyn Dodgers professional team in 1947 as the first African American player in the league. Robinson knew it would be a challenge, but he also knew it would help break barriers for more people in the future.
There were many African American inventors and leaders portrayed including Lonnie Johnson, an aerospace engineer who invented the super soaker water gun, George Crum who invented the potato chip and Willis Johnson who invented the eggbeater.
Madam C.J. Walker was also highlighted as America’s first self-made millionaire after inventing beauty products. Dr. Daniel Hale Williams was the first surgeon to perform open heart surgery in 1893 in Chicago and Dennis Weatherby invented the dish soap called Cascade.
“I love science. Science is all around us. Where would we be without it?” asked the actor portraying Carver.
Some other notable African Americans were recognized for their contributions to society like Booker T. Washington who fought for equal rights for all and Thurgood Marshall who served as the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Judge.
Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Mary McLeod Bethune - who started a private school for African American students in Florida - were all included in the show for their contributions to history.
“If you really believe in something, don’t let anything stand in your way. It’s a big world we live in, but when we get together, we realize we can do anything together.”
Bright Star Touring Theatre is a national touring theatre company based in North Carolina. Their mission is to challenge, engage, and delight audiences all over the world. They’ve performed for schools and communities all across the United State and in many foreign countries. The company offers more than 70 different shows covering topics such as classic literature, health and wellness, STEM, Diversity and Inclusion, Bullying Prevention, Cyber Safety, and Social-Emotional Learning.
The performance for students was also tied to the elementary students learning about their own “agents of change” through history and in their own community. The people highlighted as agents of change all found ways to make a difference. Students were then encouraged to consider ways they could also make a difference in their world - by being kind to others, recycling products, picking up trash and simply believing in themselves.