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On Feb. 6^th, 2009 Elizabeth Alexander came to our school and talked to the 4^th grade in the morning and the 6^th, 5^th, and 4^th grade in the afternoon.

She talked about her book of poems on the Amistad. She said she was inspired while she was walking in New Haven Green she wondered what happened there years ago. So she researched the Amistad and she found out there were kids on board so she wrote about kids too.

She also talked about her book MIss Crandall’s school for young ladies and little Misses of color. She said Prudence Crandall (Ms. Crandall) was a teacher at a school for white girls. She let one African American girl come to the school. The white people in the town said we don’t want our kids to be taught with an African American. So Ms. Crandall said fine. So Ms. Crandall made her school for only African American girls. The town’s people didn’t like this and they did terrible things. They killed the school cat and put it on the steps to the school. They poisoned the well with cow dung. And then they burned down the school. After they burned it down Ms. Crandall closed the school.

Elizabeth Alexander also talked about the inauguration. She said it was awesome as awe-some. She said that she was really nervous she thought she might start crying while she was reading the poem so she talked to her friend who is a performer. Her friend told her to remember to breath. She did exactly that and she ended up fine. She was only allowed to take one person up on stage with her and she thought she was going to bring her husband. But her and her husband both agreed that she should bring her father up with her since his whole life was dedicated to civil rights. She also said that when she was little she went to the, I have a dream speech. Her father wore a pin with a picture of a white hand and an African American hand shaking hands with three words hope, jobs, and peace