When he's not presiding over his courtroom, Associate Cook County Judge Stanley L. Hill is teaching kids the power of public speaking.
Hill runs the Rainbow PUSH Excel Oratory Society, which focuses on teaching kids the power of the spoken word through expressive speeches from great orators of our time.
Hill’s work, coupled with some of the world's most historic speeches, is helping young people gain courage, dignity and respect for themselves and others.
The children he mentors are eloquent, confident, nimble and bold. Some of them are only five years old.
"We get our speeches from everywhere," Hill said. "From Nikki Giovanni to Frederick Douglass to Shel Silverstein."
Hill ssaid he uses words to help motivate, inspire and build self-esteem, adding that what he does isn't hard - he just helps children focus on what's already inside of them.
"What it does is it allows them to realize they have something that is really special within themselves," he said. "It allows the youngster to see themselves as people of dignity, intelligence and beauty. All we do is pump it up, give them platform - youngsters want to be seen. When you feel good about yourself, you are going to be able to share that and spread it around and that's what we push at PUSH Excel.”
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The PUSH Excel Oratory Society started here in Chicago and is now in several colleges around the nation - teaching college students the power of the spoken word.
On April 22nd, there will be an oratorical presentation at PUSH featuring kids from kindergarten through the 12th grade.
