Essential Question

"Be ever mindful of your right to speak your mother tounge. Be ever mindful of your right to life and education. Be ever mindful of the lives once slain for your gain. Be ever mindful! Let them not have died in vain."

Tears, sweat, blood, flesh, stained the streets. Premature lives offered in the name of freedom dated June 16, 1976. On this day thousands of students self led a peaceful march against the white goverment and a passed law that they shall only speak english tounge in their schools. 10 Highschools in Soweto, South Africa, led a march to peacefully protest. They had enough of the white boundaries they were taught in school. They had enough of the restrictions they were forced to live with every day. So they decided to do something. Thousands of students marched. Thousands of them angry. Thousands of them were masacred. The black and white picture of the young man holding a little boy was printed all over the papers of the world. That little boy was Hector Peterson. He was 13 years old. He was the first of the children to be shot. No one knew Hector, but they planned on avenging his death. "And a child shall lead them."

They all marched and planned to meet in a designated spot. They did not make it there. They were stopped by white police officers who, unprovoked and without reason, open fire on the students. The students ran away. Angry, they came back, and they rose hell. The video tells of the mayhem that occured on that June 16. The mayhem caused by Highschool students who wanted to make a difference. Highschool students who learned the hard way that nothing is for free. Many of them were unarmed. They took up bricks and threw them. They burned government buildings, schools, police cars, everything. They wanted to be heard. Many of them died. Many as young as 8 years old. The movie "Sarafina", is about one of these Highschools whose students marched on that day. The movie shows you alot about what happened that day. What fueled the movement, and how they changed South Africa. I remember a part in the movie where they show the white police officers gathering hundreds of Highschool students into their prison for investigation. They wanted to know who started and who was leading the march. They tourchered and killed most of those kids. The walls of the prisons were covered in blood, bodies piled high. Broken promises of freedom, life and education.

We've talked alot in class about giving. It's quite evident that these deprived kids don't need whats in our hands, but our hands themselves. They needed our care, they needed our help. Money is good, but help is better. These Highschool students changed a their education system. Together they helped free South Africa. I am a Highschool student, we are Highschool students. What is our Potential? What can we change?