Ethics For Young Humans

Through ETHICAL community, young humans empower their ethical development, create life-long friendships, and stand up with care and courage for a GOOD WORLD through action. At Ethical Culture, where the cool-ness factor values KINDNESS and DEED, children bring out the best in one another, and thereby themselves... (variation on a quote by founder, Felix Adler.)

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For Black History Month

The Montgomery Bus Boycott Story: 
(sung to the tune of Wheels on the Bus)
created by Audrey Kindred

Intention: 
This is an easeful way to share an important and intense historical story about racial justice, 
and the struggle of the Civil Rights movement to achieve greater racial harmony and equality in America.

Action Note:  
A group can spontaneously gesture-drama this song,  as one would with the traditional version of Wheels on the Bus.
It is a resource for the grade-level ages who are studying Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. For both young and fluent readers, it's a perfect print-up. 

The updated version includes teen-activist Claudette Colvin as well as Rosa Parks.  The biography of Claudette Colvin was written for young readers, Twice Toward Justice, by Phillip Hoose is an important and oft-untold story that took place within the early moments of the Civil Rights Movement, this time of immense American development.


Throughout the text, there are terms, which can grow the social studies vocabulary of children. 

Suggestions from readers are all welcome!!!

Lyrics Note: 
Emphatic sounds of the rhythm are underlined when necessary. 
The bold words get repeated twice.

The wheels 
   on the bus 
      went round and round...
The wheels 
   on the bus 
      went round and round
Way back when, 
   in Montgomery town.
This story 
   happened
      several decades ago.
This story 
   happened 
      several decades ago
The year was 
    1955.

The story 
   teaches us to 
       stand up for justice.
It teaches us
    to stand up 
       for justice.
So our world 
    can be more FAIR.

The rules 
    on this bus
       let some folks sit,
The rules
    on the bus
       let some folks sit,
…if the color of their skin was light.

Those rules 
  were
     unfair and wrong...
Those rules 
  were
     unfair and wrong...
This song tells how 
   things have changed.

A driver told
   people  
     "You can’t sit there.
A driver told
   people, 
     "You can’t sit there
if your skin is brown."

Separating people 
   by 
    the color of their skin
Separating people 
   by 
    the color of their skin
Was a rule called
   Segregation.

Many brave people 
    protested those rules
Many brave people
    protested those rules
And they were punished
    for doing right.


A brave teen bus-rider
  named
    Claudette Colvin
A brave teen bus-rider
  named
    Claudette Colvin
Was grabbed and
    locked in jail.

"With Sojourner Truth
on one shoulder
and Harriet Tubman on the other shoulder,"
Claudette Colvin could not get up!
"History had me glued to the seat"

The N, double A, C, P helped 
her get out of jail.
The NAACP helped 
her get out of jail.
and there she met 
Rosa Parks.
 (note:  NAACP:  National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

Ms. Parks invited Claudette 
to speak to youth
Ms. Parks invited Claudette 
to speak to youth 
At the N, double A, C, P.
 (note:  National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)


The N, double A, C, P
   is an 
     important institution
The N, double A, C, P
   is an 
      important institution
Working hard for equal rights. 

History books say that
Rosa sparked change
History books say that 
Rosa sparked change
By getting arrested 
on the Montgomry bus.

Rosa Parks
   had 
     worked all day 
Rosa Parks
   had 
     worked all day.
At the NAACP.


Rosa Parks 
  said, 
   "I'm tired and I’ll sit"
Rosa Parks 
  said, 
   "I'm tired and I’ll sit."
I won't give up my seat!


The driver on the bus 
   said "You must 
       obey the rules."
The driver on the bus 
   said "You must 
       obey the rules.
Even if the rules
     are unfair."


Rosa Parks
  said,  "No, I’m 
        tired of one thing"
Rosa Park
  said
     "I’m tired of one thing
I’m tired 
   of giving in!"

The Policeman said
  "Ms. Parks! We’re
        taking you to jail."
The Policeman said
  "Ms. Parks!  We’re
        taking you to jail.
Just for
   sitting in that seat."

People in the town
   said 
     "The rules are unfair!"
People of the town
   said 
     "The rules are unfair!
Racist laws
   need to change!"

"To stand up
   for justice, 
     we’ll walk instead
To stand up
   for justice, 
     we’ll walk instead
Of taking
   a racist bus-ride."

The wheels
   on the bus 
      went round and round 
The wheels
   on the bus 
      went round and round
but people
   walked and walked.

The manager
    of the bus said 
       "We're loosing money!"
The manager
    of the bus said 
       "We're loosing money!
 When people
      don't ride our bus."

The people 
   of the town 
     said "Change those rules" 
The people
   of the town
     said "Change those rules
Then
   we'll ride your bus"

They walked 
   in the winter
      and the spring and the sun,
They walked
   in the winter
      and the spring and the sun
They walked for over a year.

They also 
    carpooled to 
       help one another 
  They also 
    carpooled to 
       help one another 
Let's boycott that bus!
    

A great leader 
   named Dr. 
     Martin Luther King
A leader
   named Dr.
     Martin Luther King, Jr. 
      stood up for Rosa Parks.
Dr. Martin Luther King
    shared 
       a dream for the future
Dr. Martin Luther King
    shared 
       a dream for the future
He dreamed of 
    racial integration.
      

"I have 
   a dream"
      of equality for all.
"I have 
   a dream"
      of equality for all.
Let's protest with our Love.

The boycott of the bus
    lasted 
       ten whole months
The boycott of the bus
    lasted 
       ten whole months
But the bus laws finally changed. 

Now, the wheels
   on the bus
      go round and round
Now, the wheels
   on the bus
      go round and round
Equal rides for every one.

Standing up
   for fairness
      we're not alone
Standing up
   for fairness
      we're not alone
Justice is on our side!

Claudette Colvin
    went to court to
       change racist laws
Claudette Colvin
   went to court to
       change racist laws
The Supreme Court of the Land.

Dr. King and Ms. Parks
   became 
       Civil Rights Heros
Dr. King and Ms. Parks
   became 
       Civil Rights Heros
of Non-violent Revolution.


People worked 
   together in 
      the Civil Rights Movement
People worked 
   together in 
      the Civil Rights Movement 
to make the world a better place.

Judging people
     by their color
         is prejudice
Judging people
     by their color
         is prejudice.
Whether their skin is
    dark or light.

Like Dr. King said, 
   "The content of 
         your character"
Like Dr. King said,  
    The content of 
         your character
Is how everyone shall be judged.

The Content of your 
    character  is 
     how you act
The content of your 
    character  is 
     how you act
And the values that you portray.

When we all do our best
   for 
     humanity 
When we all do our best
    for 
       humanity
The human family includes 
      EVERYONE! 

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