Commit 2 Literacy - Shelby County Schools 11/29/2019

With thanks to Ladell Beamon of the Heal the Hood Foundation of Memphis, Muley the Mule had an opportunity to read a book which will air on the Shelby County Schools' website for students.  Many other local celebrities participated as well.

Be sure that you read books to your children, too.  Supporting literacy will give us smart, inspired leaders!

Also, special thanks to my nephew, Anakin Wade, for letting us borrow his books!

Muley celebrates Sesame Street with friends

Hi, Muley here.  I was sitting around drawing one day when I got a phone call.  "Hello?"

"Hi, Muley?" came the voice.

"Yep, is this Steve?"  I asked, referring to my friend Steve D'Monster.

"It is, and I have a great idea..."

Steve gathered a bunch of his pals from the internet to sing "Sing" in celebration of Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary and, well - here's what happened:  CLICK HERE

Muley Message: November 10, 2019 - Theme "Diversity"

Typically, during the kids' messages at First Congo, it's only Muley (there has been a visit by Missy Mule and Roy Duck), and I planned to NEVER use a non-MuleyVerse characters

But, with Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary falling on the same day as Muley's Kids' Message, something special had to be done.  So, we had a visit from a special fan-made guest star...

The theme was "Diversity," a celebration of which has been a theme of Muley the Mule and Friends since I was a kid, hence a mule, dog, duck, donkey, cow, and horse are all friends even with their differences.  Having seen that Sesame was also a big leap forward in celebrating diversity, I wanted to combine the kids message with a celebration of Sesame's 50th.

The beginning of the Sesame Street Theme introduced Muley's entrance, and he said:

Well, can you guess what show is celebrating 50 years?  That’s right: Woodstock! But, from the music you can tell that today, Sesame Street is 50 years old!  That means it started in 1969, back when Moses split the red sea so Noah cold get his ark across…or…something.

And today’s kid’s message is brought to you by the letter D.  D.  Do we all know the sound the letter D makes?  Duh. Duh. Duh.  That’s right.  It makes the sound: DUH.  Duh starts with the letter D.  Also, dog.  My buddy Buford is a d-d-d-dog.  It also starts the word dessert, and you know how I love my cookies!  D stands for d-d-d-different!  And you can’t get more different than First Congo!  See, one of the things I love about Sesame Street is that we can learn words.  Also, because they have puppets, and some of my best friends are puppets! 

But, what’s a cool place like Sesame Street have to do with a cool place like First Congo? Or even church for that matter?  Well, because it also teaches us about another “D” word:  D-d-d-diversity!  Say it with me: diversity.  I didn’t know what that word meant, so I looked it up in my d-d-d-dictionary, you know: Google?  Anyway, it means:  “the understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences in the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.”  Yeah, I still don’t know what that means…  Probably a long-winded definition to just simply say, “Diverse means different.”

Anyway, Sesame Street has always had diversity.  See, in 1969, it was the first kids’ show that included Caucasian people, African Americans, and Latino people all living on the same street, and even in the same building!  They had Gordon and Susan, Bob and Linda, Luis and Maria, a big bird and a grouch, a monster and a kid, a frog and a Snuffleupagus, they even had an Ernie and a Bert – and no matter how diverse, or how different, they were: everyone could be friends.  Everyone is welcome on Sesame Street!

And isn’t that just like First Congo?  Everyone is welcome here no matter how different.  Look around you at the diversity.  Everyone is different than everyone else, and isn’t that beautiful?  It’s just like in my circle of friends, we celebrate our differences because that’s what makes us interesting and special: there’s me, dogs, ducks, a cow, a horse, a donkey, and a Missy Mule!  Yeah, I put her in her own category because..well…Missy! 

To recap, I want to read our reading today because reading puts the fun in FUNdamental.  I add the “mental” part to that word.  The reading today says, “you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female.  For you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  You know what that means?  No matter how diverse, or how different, you are, you are all one and the same to Jesus, and you are all worthy of his love and blessings! 

And Sesame Street is like that: you’re all welcome, you’re all our friends, you’re all special, and we celebrate the differences.  Also we…wait, did you hear that? I think someone’s at my stage door, I’ll be right back. Hold on…

ENTER COOKIE – (Humming)  Oooh!  Where dis at?  Oh, me KNEW me took wrong turn at Albur-COOKIE!  *gasp* COOKIE!?  Yeah, yeah, yeah!  Hmm, Should me eat dis cookie now or save it til later?   Yeah, me gonna eat dis cookie now! COWABUNGA!  NOM!  Oh, can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?  Dat OK, me think it back here somewhere.  OK.  Bye bye…

Photo by Julia Hicks

ENTER MULEY – Well, nobody was there. *sniff* Hey, anyone smell cookies? Or *sniff* copyright infringement?  Anyway, remember this word: Diversity.  Remember that Sesame Street teaches us, a lot like the Bible and a lot like First Congo, that being different is beautiful, and loving people who are different than us is exactly the way that God loves you, Jesus loves you, and your pal Muley loves you, and I’ll see you real soon!  Have a sunny day!

Linley Schmidt visits Muley and Kevin, photo by Julia Hicks.

HTH: Evolution Concert

Ladell Beamon of the Heal the Hood Foundation of Memphis called and asked would Muley the Mule and Friends be able to participate in a concert with the theme about anti-bullying.  Could we?  But, of course!

We've always been against bullying.  So, it became important to us to participate and share in the message of why bullying is bad.  Kevin L. Williams wrote the script baesd on some research, and DaMarco Randle rewrote lyrics for the song Shake It Off which the characters performed.

Enjoy the script below:

INTRODUCTION

               MULEY

Hi everyone!  I’m so glad to be here, and glad you are, too.  You know, today we’re hearing from my friends how bullying is bad.  Nobody wants to be the bad guy, do they?  I don’t.  Bad guys always lose.  Also because bullying hurts people and I don’t want to hurt anyone, and I don’t want anyone to hurt me or my friends, do you?  Bullying happens on the internet, at school, in the playground, and even at home.  You see, bullies are WEAK – they try to find someone weaker than they are to pick on them.  But, do you know it shows that you’re a stronger person if you help and take care of people weaker than you?  That’s what being a HERO is!  You can be a hero!  You know…

               ROY DUCK

Muley!  Muley the Mule!! * HEY, MULEY!!

                              (*Run up and bump into Muley, who almost falls over the stage, he looks back at Roy)

MULEEEEYYYY!!!  (In Muley’s face)

               MULEY

Roy Duck!  Are you okay?

               ROY DUCK

Yeah.  I mean, I am now.  But, I wasn’t.

               MULEY

Why, what do you mean?

               ROY DUCK

Well, I was just hanging out at the playground and minding my own business, I was drawing and had been playing with a toy, and you know what?

               MULEY

Not yet…

               ROY DUCK

Well, this bigger kid came up.  I didn’t know this kid yet, so I invited him to play with my toy and draw with me and then that’s when he…

                              (Pause and look away, sad)

               MULEY

It’s okay, Roy Duck, you’re with friends now.  You know, if something bad happens, you should always feel okay to talk to a friend or a grown-up.  What happened?

               ROY DUCK

There was some sand close-by, and he kicked the sand at me.  It got in my eyes and it hurt real bad!

               MULEY

Oh, Roy Duck, I’m so sorry that happened.  What did you do?

               ROY DUCK

Nothing much I could do, I had sand in my eyes. But, not my ears and I could hear what he said next.

               MULEY

Uh-oh!  What did he say?

               ROY DUCK

He told me if I didn’t bring him my lunch money tomorrow, he’d make duck soup out of me!

               MULEY

How RUDE!  I’m sure glad you told me this, Roy Duck.  You know, one thing about a bully is that they have no power over you unless you give them that power.  Having a good friend close-by is a good thing to do because bullies will pick on a single person while they’re alone; but, they don’t usually pick on a group of kids.

               ROY DUCK

What do we do now?

               MULEY

Next time that bully tries to do something to you, shout “get away!” and walk away to find an adult.  If you can’t find an adult come find your friends!  Let all of us know so we can help watch out for each other.  You know, bullies are really only looking for attention.  Do you know why?

               ROY DUCK

Not yet.

               MULEY

Because they don’t have the attention or friendships they need, or their parents don’t show them enough attention.  Because they have no power anywhere else.  Do you know that’s the one thing a bully needs?

               ROY DUCK

What?

               MULEY

Friends! 

               ROY DUCK

But, I tried to be friends with him, and I got sand in my eyes!  How can I be friends with someone like that?

               MULEY

I don’t know.  But, we have to remember:  Bullies seem tough and strong on the outside, but inside they are sad and weak.  Whenever I see a bully, I just remember how sad they are, and that I am a happy, valuable person.  And you know, Roy Duck, you’re a valuable person and a good person.  Don’t let anyone ever make you think differently.

               ROY DUCK

I won’t!

               MULEY

And you kids who hear this are good, wonderful people.  Don’t ever try to bully others because you’re better than that.  Be a hero, be super, be someone that others can look up to even if they’re bigger and older than you are.  I believe in you.

               ROY DUCK

Me, too!  Look around you.  Everyone around you could be your friend.  All you have to do is say hello.

               MULEY

After all:  strangers are only friends you haven’t made yet.  So, Roy Duck, you were picked on by a bully earlier, what will you do now?

               ROY DUCK

Hey, kids, stand at your seat and shake with me, like this!  (SHAKE) Because I’m going to shake it off!

               MULEY

You’re going to shake it off?  Oh!

               ROY DUCK

You remember that song I re-wrote about bullying?

               MULEY

I do! 

               BOTH

HIT IT!

(Then came the song...)