For the second year in a row New York City’s Entertainers 4 Education Alliance organized a special rally performance show featuring some of today’s rising musical stars in a effort to encourage students to graduate high school and go on to pursue higher education. To kick off the event New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor David Patterson declared October 26, 2010 “I Will Graduate Day”.
This year’s event was held at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center and besides treating students to musical performances from singers such as Donnie Klang from MTV’s Making Da Band, Shontelle, and Tiffany Evans the event also consisted of a youth conference, awards ceremony and pep rally. 18 year old “Promise Ring” singer Tiffany Evans said about what were some of her favorite subjects that inspired her to stay in school were,”Social Studies and English,it really helped me because I’m able to speak to people correctly now. But it definitely made me stay in school.” “I know it’s hard kids, but you just gotta go and push through it, because it’s going to benefit you in the end.” Evans added. Evans new single “I’ll Be There” is currently available on Itunes and she mentioned that her new album is expected to be released next year.
Also performing at this year’s event was Dipset rapper Jim Jones who is featured on Dipset’s upcoming reunion album. Jones who is from Harlem recently had the opportunity to teach a music class to high school students in New York City. About that experience Jones said, “The most fun was how intrigued the kids were by the lessons I was teaching and how they kept coming back.” “The program was after school so to get a high school kid to come back after school to learn something is pretty incredible.” As for what lessons he actually taught the students Jones added,”Well we teach about the music industry as a whole we break down every department that the music industry has, we run through the motions.”
Other guest who showed up for the event included actress Emerald Angel Young, singer Alex Young, Miss Teen USA 2010 Kamie Crawford, former wife of rapper DMX- Tashara Simmons, and Dee Vazquez.
Entertainers 4 Education Alliance is a non-profit organization which organizes celebrities and other high power individuals together to help promote and encourage youth to recognize the importance of education. In a recent statement E4EA co-founder and president Tonya Lewis stated, “There have been many debates surrounding education and clearly no one has all the answers, but if we work together our children will benefit from our labor.”
