A few quotes from the student director, Alain Lopez, delivered during his welcoming speech to the audience:

" As a Latino involved in community service in the South Bronx prior to becoming a student at Trinity, I well know the needs of children. Besides energy for learning, they need to appreciate their identity and have a sense of belonging. This these tributes provide. They also need to respect and learn about others such as Anne Frank, Golda Meir, Nelson and Mandela...." That is why we are preparing a Showcase Tribute, excerpts from past celebrations, to be presented in September 2003 in the Trinity Boys and Girls Club..

Here is a sample scene.

Scene #4  THURGOOD MARSHALL MUSES WITH LOUIS BRANDEIS

(Chorus; Thurgood; Brandeis; Father; Lady;) 

Thurgood: How old were you, Louis, in 1908, when I was born? And what were you doing?

Louis:    I was 52 years old and represented small companies against giant corporations and fought hard for the minimum wage. I was also  writing a book Other People's Money. Did not exactly become a bestseller. What were you, Thurgood, doing when I, the first Jew ever, was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Wilson in 1916. 

Thurgood: I was listening to my proud father's rendition of quitting yet one more job because of anti-Negro bias. 

Father: Of course, I quit. There she was lady of the house, all decked out in jewels and finery, showing of the feats of her toy poodle. 

Lady: (shrill voice) Manky, listen up darling. What would you rather be a Negro or DEAD! 

Father: And that little dog turned on its back and stuck his feet into the air and lay absolutely still. I happened to be serving caviar bites on a tray which I threw down next to the "dead" poodle and walked out. 

Brandeis: That's why you were called ornery and stubborn. My earliest memories are of my mother Frederika, carrying food to the soldiers fighting in the Union army- we were living in Kentucky, a border state loyal to the Union. My parents came to America to enjoy freedom and my father said on many occasions.

 Chorus:  And what's good for us is good for all  including slaves. 

Thurgood: We have a lot in common. I bet your appointment to the Supreme Court was mired in controversy. 

Brandeis: You bet. Business interests loathed the idea of me the anticapitalist Jew. And Justice James McReynold refused to sit next to me such was his bias. 

Thurgood: Probably thought your Jewish genes might contaminate him. That's why we both fought so hard for free speech and individual rights. And there was always someone who felt the same way. In my case Justice William Brennan who was as passionate about civil rights particularly of the less privileged. 

Brandeis: My buddy was Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. We both would have echoed your passionate words, even your dissents such as  

Chorus:  How do you suppose 800,000 families can support a fifty-dollar bankruptcy fee when their income is less than $19.23 a week. 

Thurgood: Pretty good, eh. I just love writing a dissent. Gets my juices flowing. 

Brandeis:  So do I. It results in the best of friendships. 

Thurgood: Even President Truman was my friend.  You, a passionate believer in Israel as the Jewish state, will like this. President Truman picked me to lay the cornerstone of a building honoring him in Jerusalem. He insisted on being represented by someone who stood up for civil rights when it wasn't fashionable. 

Brandeis: Congratulations Thurgood, what do you think is good about the Constitution? 

Thurgood: Look no further than the first three words We the People. 

Brandeis: Included Jews, Negroes and also women after many vocal dissents. We are supposed to be the melting pot, an example to the world. 

Thurgood: For a long time we Negroes didn’t get near the pot and, when we did we didn't melt..... but those healthy dissents guaranteed by the Constitution will permit us to further our goals.

Brandeis: I was considered a loner. Inclined to see all sides of a problem. 

Thurgood: That's where we differ. I am immersed in how I see the problem but could use your skills as a sort of punching bag - to further those goals. 

Brandeis: We have a lot in common. Let's name a few of what some call our lasting imprints.

Thurgood: Segregation: "Separate is not equal." 

Brandeis: Social facts rather than precedents. 

Thurgood: Right on. Social Change as opposed to a set of rigid laws. 

Brandeis: Free Speech. 

Thurgood: The Right to Counsel. 

Brandeis: The Rights of individuals indeed including the right to a                                    minimum wage and to unionize. 

Chorus: Thank You both for being giants in the quest for human rights and equal opportunity. You will continue to inspire us and make us proud to be Americans. 

Song:  Lift Every Voice and Sing