Sylvia’s Rap
Published July 4th, 2001
Sylvia Timmons grew up in 3615-17 South Federal, the first building at Stateway Gardens to be demolished. Her family now lives in 3547-49 South Federal. A student at Harold Washington College, Sylvia has a particular interest in criminal law. When she was an eighth grader at Raymond Elementary School, her teacher asked the class to memorize the Preamble of the Constitution. Sylvia struggled with the assignment until she hit upon an idea: she turned the Preamble into a rap. In the cadences of the Founding Fathers, she located rhythms she recognized. Years later, the national aspirations articulated in the Preamble, remembered as music, are secure in her memory. Here, in celebration of the Fourth of July, is Sylvia's rap.
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Jamie Kalven
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