Black History Month 2010: Obama Inspires Young S.I. Student Group To Accomplish More
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As NY1 continues its coverage of Black History Month, the station profiles a group of Staten Island students who are nothing less than inspired by President Barack Obama's leadership. Borough reporter Amanda Farinacci filed the following report.Young, Talented And Gifted, a grassroots organization in St. George founded in 2001, provides North Shore children with an opportunity to enjoy recreational activities like singing and dancing for free, and it has expanded its mission in the year since President Barack Obama took office.
Each week, more than a dozen kids meet to rap, sing, read poetry and talk about what's going on in the world. Obama is often a topic of conversation and a point of inspiration.
"We have had a lot of young people just feeling empowered and encouraged enough that they wanted to do something new," says Serena Mohamed of Young Talented And Gifted. "They wanted to showcase their talent, they wanted to stand up and I saw a lot of pride in them now."
The students say they want to reach for goals they previously thought were impossible, like getting college scholarships and producing music videos. Obama's presidency has also inspired them to become more active in the community, and they are still solid supporters of the president, despite his drop in popularity.
"To see Obama, that's like a superhero to me," says student Jada McClain. "It just makes you think, 'Oh, I can do it.' Because you've been told, we've been told we couldn't do it, and he proved that we can."
"If he can make a difference in the world, why can't I?" says student Kim Sharpton. "He's made that moment for me, to make my moment to make this world a better place."
Most in the organization believe it is too soon to judge Obama on what he has and hasn't done since he came into office, and believe those who say he has not done enough for the black community are wrong.
"I don't believe that he should play favoritism to us because we are like him," says teacher Makeda Campbell. "He's preparing a way, and because he took that initial step, you guys have to go out as African-Americans, we have to go out and take those steps, too. He can't do it for us."
Over the next year, Young Talented and Gifted will continue to be inspired by Obama and focus on taking their lives into their own hands to make their dreams come true.