Franklin Road Academy Kicks Off Black History Month with Special Event Featuring Nashville’s Barry Scott

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (February 1, 2018)— On Wednesday, Franklin Road Academy kicked off Black History Month by welcoming Barry Scott for a special presentation of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speeches, including I Have A Dream, during which he shared with the students how that speech impacted his life as an African-American boy growing up in the 1960’s.

Barry, founder and producing artistic director of the American Negro Playwright Theatre at Tennessee State University, recalled memories of his childhood and instances of being treated differently than white children his age and challenged the students to keep moving in an effort to better our nation.

Middle and upper school students were brought together to hear Barry’s message. “It can be a touchy topic, so it is important to have people of all ages know and understand black history and what is happening today and be educated about Martin Luther King,” said freshman Isa Holt. “Black culture can be overlooked sometimes, so I think it is important to have people like Mr. Scott come in and tell his story.”

After reciting King’s words, “whatever you choose to do in your life’s work, do it as if God Almighty called you to do it, no matter how small it may happen to be. Because we have come a long way, but we still have a long, long way to go. And if you can’t run, walk; if you can’t walk, crawl; if you can’t crawl, inch your way along, but by all means, keep moving,” Barry said, “These words he said to you before you were born; these words were said to your children, yet they are unborn. I often wonder what he would say today, about his dream for America. The dream lives on; it lives on in me, and it lives on in you. That is what I think; that is what I feel; that is what I believe.”

He then challenged our students to remember and reflect on the past while doing their best in the present in order to create a brighter future.

“It is important to hear about the past, to hear about the struggles of those before so that we can appreciate the freedoms we have today and look forward to a brighter, more prosperous future together,” said seventh grader Stanley Davis.

At the conclusion of his message, Scott asked the students to speak up and share their thoughts on the context of MLK’s words and how they believe they apply even in today’s world. A number of students, ranging from grades 5 – 12, spoke about their thoughts on where we are as a society and the hope they have for their generation.

“Hearing the students’ feedback made me appreciate the FRA community, where everyone is open to learning about different topics and sharing their perspectives. It’s really cool that it resonated with so many people,“ sophomore Bryce Barrett said.

While the timing of Scott’s message was to kick off Black History Month, it also leads our students into Spiritual Emphasis Week, which begins Monday on campus. This year’s theme is Unity, and Scott’s words helped get the students’ minds on what it means to be unified.

“I think it is cool to see how, in this small community, we can all come together for the common good. And I think Mr. Scott solidified that. Next week, we will focus on coming together to see how God’s working in our lives and how we can be unified,” said junior Becca Morency.

Spiritual Emphasis Week is a weeklong event that allows us to focus on and be rejuvenated by the gospel of Christ in the midst of the school year and to live out his example of service. This year, we hope students experience what it means to be united with Christ and remember Scott’s words on how we can unified with one another.

About FRA
Franklin Road Academy is a coeducational, diverse learning community, offering pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade students from 15 different countries a challenging educational experience within an inclusive Christian community. FRA provides an elite education within a collaborative learning environment, ensuring students become critical, innovative thinkers and leaders.