Photo provided
Student Ka’Liyah Johnson (left) sings with Dr. Fairest Hill as part the Stop the Violence Tour on Sept. 14 at Krueger Middle School.
Former funk drummer Fairest Hill brings positive vibes to Krueger
By Damani Edgington
Staff writer
MICHIGAN CITY – Krueger Middle School felt the funk last week.
Motivational speaker Dr. Fairest Hill, who used to be the drummer of the Gap Band, came to speak with students about a multitude of things Thursday, Sept. 14, at an assembly in Krueger’s gymnasium.
Hill, who is CEO of a nonprofit organization called Youth on the Move, spoke to the students as part of the organization’s Stop the Violence Tour. Topics he covered included persevering through struggle, keeping the youth away from violence and to find purpose in helping others – all through catchy tunes and heart-tugging stories.
Hill said he succeeded in his goal of spreading his message to the community by interacting with the audience as much as possible. This included bringing out students and teachers like eighth grader A’Naria Williams, Ms. Allen and Mr. Williams to sing.
“It’s easy to get the kids involved, but teachers kind of stand back,” he said. “But, the teachers were engaging, you heard the teachers singing today and I think that’s what makes it an awesome assembly.”
After using a call–and–response style to get the crowd fired up, he asked if anyone wanted to come sing with him. A’Naria jumped at the opportunity to sing and dance with spunk and zeal.
“It made me feel exhilarated, included and just overall happy to be there,” A’Naria said.
Hill not only kept the crowd actively engaged during the fun parts of his assembly, but also had students quiet and captivated when talking about and relating his struggles to theirs. He let a more vulnerable side of him show when he told a gymnasium full of people the story of how both his father and his brother died. Instead of letting that grief pull him down, he used it as momentum to spring forward.
“It was good to get an understanding of other people’s points of view, (and) also seeing how he chased his goals through all (his) struggles of life,” eighth grader Hillary Labis said.
He also included how he grew up in the Brewster Projects, a rough neighborhood in Detroit. When relating to other students who lived in a rough area, he kept it short and sweet.
“If you can overcome the riots and the rats, you can overcome anything,” he said.
Even after Hill shared his struggles with them, he still drove home the point of helping others.
He had one simple takeaway for the students: “Find purpose in serving the world.”