The year is 1972 and a young women stands wide-eyed and breathless in a crowd of people listening to a determined African American woman speaking defiantly against the odds in an attempt to fight back against racial prejudice and to achieve her dreams.
Award winning author, Sheila P. Moses remembers vividly the impact left by the words of Shirley Chisholm, the first black major-party presidential contender for the United States on a campaign stop in her small North Carolina town.
“She came to my town to speak,” said Moses, “and that was the first time I saw a successful person outside of my community that told me, ‘you too can be great,’” said Moses.
The memory that Moses had of Chisholm has forever impacted her life, and she hopes to give a similar message to the children of Thornwell Home For Children.
Moses- author, poet, playwright, and producer- has been instructing classes of middle school and high school Thornwell students in a week-long writing workshop in the Thornwell Library.
The week began with an author’s reception hosted at the Gilliam Center Auditorium at Thornwell where Moses read from her self-proclaimed, “favorite book,” “The Legend of Buddy Bush,” which was published in 2003.
Her historical fiction novel was awarded the National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature in 2004 as well as the 2005 Coretta Scott King Author Honor title.
Her inspiration for the piece was very personal she said, as the entire book takes place in her hometown of Rich Square, NC, and centers around an infamous racial scandal.
Moses wanted her workshop attendees to work with what they knew best, and for some that meant writing their autobiographies. The stories of some of her students touched Moses on a personal level.
“These kids are not bitter about what is happening to them,” Moses said. “In a lot of the dedications they are writing, they are to their parents, Thornwell is a beautiful place, but everyone wants their mommy and daddy,”
For Moses, who has been hosting writing workshops since 1993, teaching at a “children’s home” was a new experience, but one that she said she has thoroughly enjoyed.
“I have taught at some of the finest private schools in the country, but nowhere have I seen such well adjusted children.” Moses said.
The workshop attendees were required to write a 10-page historical fiction story on the person of their choosing. The characters ranged from basketball player Magic Johnson to human rights activist, Malcolm X.
Moses encouraged the students to dig deeper into their characters’ lives. She urged the student who had chosen Magic not to focus on his basketball accomplishments, but on his work to improve HIV awareness.
Moses went on to praise the hard work the students had put into their writing in the short amount of time they were given to work.
“A lot of them came in here saying, ‘I can’t do it,’ “ Moses said, “and now they won’t stop writing for breaks.”
The idea for the workshop began when Moses learned of Thornwell through “a friend of a friend.” She contacted the school, and was quickly given the go-ahead for the program.
Lorain Crowl, Thornwell’s media director, explained that the organization has always sought out educational opportunities for the students during the summer when many school lessons are forgotten in the hot lazy days.
“The workshop gives a creative way to encourage students to keep their skills,” Crowl said. “They can have fun and probably learn more than they can in a whole English class.”
Anything to do with writing is a treat for Moses, who is determined to do her part to spread the love of writing wherever she goes.
“I used to write with a stick in the dirt and in the corners of the newspaper,” Moses said. “Writing is something that I will always do.”
Midway through the Wednesday high school class, Moses asked several of the students to read what they had completed on their stories.
Sheryl Richardson read her story, “I Am My Father’s Daughter.” based on author, Walter Dean Myers’ life, from the perspective of his daughter.
Her story was strikingly similar to that of many at Thornwell. A young boy, raised and loved by foster parents, goes on to achieve greatness.
“He began writing all day, every day,” Richardson read from her pages, printed from the computer she’d been working on.
Moses looked on, leaning forward, intent on catching every word.
“That was wonderful,” she said, moving back in her seat. Moses hopes to continue her relationship with Thornwell home saying that she would love to come back during the school year.
“I want them to know that they can fly as high as an eagle,” Moses said. “Just because they do not have a (traditional upbringing) does not mean that they cannot be great.”
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