Amandla! activity: Final cut - This chapter in South Africa comes to a happy end.

Say:
This chapter in the history of South Africa comes to a happy ending.

Start 1:21:10. End 1:28:40.

Say: This ending is happy but, of course, the people of South Africa still have their struggles in freedom Freedom is never free. What do you think freedom costs for you here in Columbus, OH?

Activity for Freedom Songs: American Code Spirituals (comes after Amandla cut 4)

Say: Sometimes the sound of songs is meant to fool your enemies. How many of you have heard of the Underground Railroad here in this country? [Many should have heard of it in school. Ask them to describe it. Emphasize the fact that Ohio was a very important state to the Underground Railroad and that even Columbus had a lot of stops on the Underground Railroad.]

Amandla! activity: cut 4 - Black South Africans Go To War

Say: In the 1960's, a little bit before your parents were born, the government made new laws that controlled where black people could and could not go. It made people with dark skin very angry and they protested. The police and army killed many of them and sent many of the leaders, like Nelson Mandela who when freedom came was made the president of South Africa, to prisons.

Amandla! activity: cut 3 - The alternative national anthem

Start at 18:20 End at 20:49

We sing this hymn in our church sometimes. It talks about God watching out for Africa and blessing the people. Duma, the historian talks about it being a soothing, nonthreatening prayer. They stopped singing it though in many places like schools because the whites didn't like it. Did you see how the people looked when they were singing it? What do you think they were feeling?

Amandla! activity: cut 2 - The empty bus

Start at 17 even and end at 18:20

Then ask if they knew why the mother didn't get on the bus with the daughter?

Amandla activity: 1st cut

Begin to show the movie. With a younger group, recite the beginning written words using some simpler words:

About the time your grandparents were born the white people in South Africa started the most horrible segregation ever.
Millions had ot leave home and live in very poor towns just to work. Families were separated.

Working with the movie Amandla! A Revolution in 4 Part Harmony - Intro

The full movie is free at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9BXqbxC9tA


This month we will explore the meaning of freedom. We'll see why we say that freedom isn't free. Today we're going to explore how people in South Africa and here in America have used music to win freedom.  It's important to know that they didn't just win freedom for themselves. They won freedom for all the whites. Because when people are treated well while others are treated badly, even those who are treated well are hurt.

Closing summary: Freedom isn't free

There are several strands that explore this month but a version of this closing works for most:

We've talked about freedom today. In our Principles our fourth and sixth principles mention freedom. The 4th Principle is about a free search for what is true and right. That's a personal freedom. Many times in history and in many places now people aren't free to decide for themselves what to believe. But here at First Unitarian Universalist Church we are free. Everyone who is a Unitarian Universalist has that right, although in some places laws and customs try to stop them.

Discussion: When are we free?

This is for grades 4 & 5
Emma Lazarus who wrote the words on the statue of liberty that most people know said this: "Until we are all free, we are none of us free." What does that mean? 

Talking about Passover

Most religions have holidays that celebrate the seasons to which they often add religious meaning. In the spring we celebrate several spring holidays. In the congregation we celebrate four - 3 Sundays from now we will celebrate Easter and the Flower Ceremony. In a month we will celebrate the Indian holiday of Holi (pronounced Holy). And just before Easter we celebrate Passover.

April Theme: Freedom

Big Question: What does it mean to be human and alive? 
Principle: 4th (free and responsible search for truth and meaning) and the 6th (peaceful, fair and free world)
Stories: The general story is the story from Exodus told at Passover each year. We will also use the children's book Virgie Goes To School with Us Boys.

Activity: Acting with Differences

This is for the older elementary kids and is particularly good to use to follow up on the scientific workshops. Just as environments make a big difference for animals, they make a big difference for human animals too The older kids have enough background and ability to see things from another's viewpoint to do this activity. Divide the group into smaller groups of 3 or 4 and give them the task of putting on a skit about someone from another environment thinking about living in Columbus, OH. What things will they miss from their environment? What things might they look forward to? What will be so strange that they will wonder about it?

Activity for older kids: Differences

It's tricky to talk about the reality of race with children, particularly children who are very literal. It can be hard for adults who understand that there is no scientific validity to race to grasp that there is more diversity within a racial or ethnic group than there is between groups. One activity that might help is to divide the class into groups, like this (and you can substitute other classes you think will work better):

Ask the kids to form two groups. One group likes math. The other group either doesn't like math at all or doesn't like it much. The groups should be divided but able to see one another.

Then ask them for a show of hands in answer to the next questions and record numbers for each group on a chart: