Save the Light
by Claudia Clarke
This Saturday, come on out to the Festival of Folly. There will be an oyster roast, a 3K walk/run, a seaside tour of gorgeous Folly Beach homes, and children’s activities. The festival is a fundraiser for the Save the Light foundation, a nonprofit that raises funds to restore and prevent the lighthouse (located near Charleston and Folly Beach) from being lost to the sea. Click here for background and history of the lighthouse.
The festival will also feature free fishing, prizes, and a special parade featuring the newly reinstated West Charleston High School Marching Panthers Band. “Don’t call it a comeback—we been here for years,” says Belafonte Jones, the drum major for the Panthers marching band. “Even though they eliminated the band, some of us still practiced, and we got a show for y’all. Believe that.” This will be the first performance by the West Charleston marching band since it was shut down by the West Charleston school board more than twelve days ago.
Save the Light would like to convey a big thank-you to the WCHS students, the Folly Beach community, and visitors for their support during this historic preservation process. For more information and tickets, visit Save the Light’s website.
Arrested Rappers Get Record Deal
by Blu McCants
In a strange turn of events, two rappers turned bank robbers pleaded guilty to all charges and then announced that they’d been offered a record deal with Green Mile Records. “Yeah yeah, Redbone and Hoe Daddy representing the eight-four-three,” Redbone said outside the courthouse after their arraignment. “Me and Hoe Daddy going into the studio as soon as we get in.” The South Carolina state prison has recently installed mobile recording studios to accommodate all the young black men who are enrolling.
“Only in the country, girl. You couldn’t make this stuff up,” Blu says.
“I know, right. Straight comedy! Hurry up and finish, so I can post this and meet Omar.”
“Why you rushing me, trick? Omar ain’t thinking about you.”
“Wrong. I’m all Omar is thinking about.”
Mr. Football Heads to South Beach
by Blu McCants
Omar Smalls, South Carolina’s Mr. Football, recently made an appearance on CNN’s Evening Edition, where he announced what most of us at West Charleston already knew: he’ll be playing football at the University of Miami next year. “I’ll be representing West Charleston and Brooklyn, believe that. It’s a dream come true,” he said in an email. To find out about Omar Smalls’s plans and the one thing he loves more than football, click here for a full profile.
Student Protest Yields Results
by Claudia Clarke
After twelve days of the “silent protest,” school officials announced on January 26 that some of the students’ demands would be met. In a morning announcement, and on the school Facebook page, Dr. Jackson informed the student body that the band, drama, and visual arts programs would be reinstated. Originally cut to make a dent in the school district’s severe budget deficit, the programs “are vital to the morale and academic achievement of our students,” she said.
Called the silent treatment, the nonviolent protest was supported by students, teachers, and national media alike. As word got around of the protest, schools across the state began their own silent protests. Even a few celebrities sent words of encouragement. Charleston’s own, country singer Darius Rucker, showed solidarity for the students with a special song at one of his concerts last weekend in Columbia. During a recent episode of his Comedy Central show, even Stephen Colbert, another native Charlestonian, voiced his concern. Colbert, who funded a new arts award at the University of Virginia, was interviewing the actor Bill Murray about his latest movie and the minor-league baseball team he owns in Charleston when Murray mentioned the protest.
Luther Lee, a senior and staunch supporter of the silent treatment, had this to say: “I hope everyone learned something from this. We didn’t have to raise our fists. We didn’t have to fuss and fight. We used our silence to fight. We fought together, and we won.”
While we certainly proved something major with our concerted effort, this fight is far from over. Several of our teachers are still without full-time jobs and thus health insurance. Next Monday, the school board will meet to decide their fate. While we wait for the verdict, let us remember that if we’ve learned anything during this protest, it’s that we are a family. And families stick together. We have every hope that the school board will do the right thing. We won’t be quiet if they don’t!