I, once again, had the opportunity to attend an event at ArtsRevive this week.

Thankfully, not as a member of the press, but just as a spectator.

The 41st Annual Kathryn Tucker Windham Tale Tellin’ Festival was a great experience for a lover of stories like myself.

As great as Thursday’s event was though, I got a bigger kick out of watching a couple of tale tellers perform for local elementary school students on Tuesday.

Around 1 p.m. I went over to Knox Elementary to hear Al Elliott speak to a group of students in the library.

Elliott is an actor, poet and rapper from Birmingham. 

To be honest, I didn’t know any of that before Googling him 20 minutes before heading over to Knox.

What I saw Wednesday afternoon at Knox though was a pretty powerful experience.

After Elliot shared a story with the students, he shared a few of his raps.

Elliot had the room of students clapping along to his rhymes (even though he asked several times that they stop and listen to the words, but oh well, kids will be kids I guess).

After Elliot was done he scanned the room and asked if there were any other rappers in the room.

A young man in the back bashfully raised his hand.

After some encouragement by his classmates and Elliott, the youngster stood up in front of his peers and delivered his own rap, with Elliott providing a beat in the background. 

After he was finished the room erupted into applause.

I felt like the Grinch when his heart grew three sizes.

It was truly a sight to behold, watching that young man overcome the fear of judgement from his classmates and channel his creativity into a form of expression before my very eyes.

It’s important we have folks like Elliott in our schools.

We need to show our kids they can express themselves in creative ways, positive ways.

They don’t have to yell hateful words or throw punches or cry alone in the bathroom.

Instead, they can tell a story, write a poem, paint a picture or make a sculpture.

So many of our kids could benefit from having a creative outlet to express themselves.

They just need someone, like Elliott, to come into their lives and show them that they can.