Jeremiah Dew Performs His “One Voice” Show for CCES

On Tuesday, February 22^nd, CCES presented an educational performance for students in Grades 4-12, by Jeremiah Dew (JDew)— local Greenville entertainer extraordinaire.  Many students and faculty members recognized the local emcee, as he is well known to Greenville as the original voice of The Greenville Drive and the on-court hype of Clemson Basketball.  CCES was thrilled to welcome him to our very own Hartness Performing Arts Center!

It was the first assembly in many months that gathered entire divisions and grade levels, yet another cause for celebration. 

A special show titled Sit By Me took place first for Grades 4-5.  JDew performed characters and commentary from the Civil Rights Movement from the point of view of sitting next to others on an imaginary “bus”, fashioned from rows of chairs.  Through engagement, interaction, singing, and speech, the voices of Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and the Freedom Riders came to life.  The students were mesmerized by JDew’s stage presence, and when he asked for volunteers to “ride the bus,” loads of hands shot in the air.  The subsequent questions and answers from our fourth and fifth graders students were thoughtful and poignant.  When asked if they knew what a boycott was, one fifth grader promptly replied, “when something disrupts the trade.”  Impressive to say the least.

The Middle School and Upper School shows, while different in their delivery, continued to connect the older students with the amazing stories of the Civil Rights Movement.  JDew enacted narrative, quotes, and facts by former slave and activist Frederick Douglas; delivered Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ‘I have a Dream’ speech impeccably; captured Cassius Clay on the verge of becoming a legend; and took us to a more recent time when former President Barack Obama became the presidential nominee.  In addition, filmed vignettes from Greenville’s own Wilfred Walker and Dr. Margaree Seawright Crosby, who was one of the infamous Greenville Eight— a group of African American students that successfully protested the segregated library in downtown Greenville in 1960, were played for the students.

It was a wonderful way to celebrate Black History Month, to honor the contributions and legacy of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history, to acknowledge our own past, and to be together again.