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Jul 5, 2007

"Therefore we pledge to bind
ourselves to one another, to embrace
our lowliest, to keep company with
our loneliest, to educate our illiterate,
to feed our starving, to clothe our
ragged, to do all good things,
knowing that we are more than
keepers of our brothers and sisters.
We are our brothers and sisters" --Maya Angelou

Familiar Beats in a New School

They trudged in, eyes cast down with no sign of a smile, unsure what to expect.Then they noticed the two drummers playing African beats. One by one, the Burundian children took over the skin-covered drums, cola-nut shakers and rhythm sticks, stomping the floor and dancing to the music. This was how the child refugees were introduced to the Dallas Independent School District. The 16 children had come to and learn about American schools. "We may not speak their language, but we speak the language of music and hospitality," said Judith Homs-Tomes, the school's director. She had planned their enrollment to coincide with World Refugee Day.