#28speakersin28days | Tamar Smithers & Ben Rudd

On Tuesday, February 5, 2019, first graders received double inspiration from two local musical artists. Tamar Smithers, Education Director of Syracuse’s Community Folk Art Center, spoke about Marian Anderson, the first African American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera, in 1955. Marian inspired Tamar to follow her dream as a singer. As a result, she has performed all over New York State and received the Syracuse Area Live Theatre award in 2016. Ben “Tribe of Benjamin” Rudd, a local rapper in the community, enthusiastically encouraged students to express themselves through the creative arts of rapping and writing.