Recommended Grade Levels: 3 - 6
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10 year old Jabari loves to paint. And through these paintings and in his dreams, he escapes the reality of a friend hurt by police violence and the turbulent world around him. He meets children and young people from the Civil Rights Era, including Ruby Bridges, Claudette Colvin, and others, who teach him how to be fearless. He also meets his hero, Barack Obama, as a 7 year old boy on the eve of the assassination of MLK, Jr. Will Jabari be able to instill in 7 year old Barack the lessons he's learned and therefore ensure that Barack will have the necessary tools to become president? Will Jabari learn to take these lessons back into his own life and heal his community? Using rap, freedom songs, hip hop dance, history, and humor, this play explores what it means to have courage in a world where Black children, Black boys, are not safe.

JABARI DREAMS OF FREEDOM trailer from Holden & Arts Associates on Vimeo.