Benton Harbor Area Schools students use music to reshape the community's image

BENTON HARBOR, Mich – A group of Benton Harbor High School students and their mentors created a music video to reshape the community’s image into a positive one.

“I’m just glad to make an  impact on people’s lives and let them know that we can succeed and I’ve been getting a lot of love and I’m so happy to be like, I feel like Drake in some sort of way,” Benton Harbor High School Student Lecoreon Travier said.

At the time of this story the music video has over 80 thousand views on Facebook. 

 “Really this came about because I felt compelled to give back to my community this community poured so much into me as a young girl who didn’t necessarily have a knack for sports but I had several mentors who were drama instructors who were dance instructors who gave me a platform to express myself,” Mentor and former Benton Harbor Area Schools student Traci Burton said.

The students in the video said they are happy they’re setting a good example through their music.

“Not too many people could rap about not smoking not drinking and doing the right thing and when you hear somebody that can do that and it’s cold at the same time I feel that’s all in one,” Travier said.

Burton said that when given the ability this is one of many great works children in the community could produce.

“Until we create a sustainable platform for our youth to express their voice we won’t know what they have to say and until we do give them that space this is the result the world listens,” Burton said.

Benton Harbor High student Lecoreon Travier said he is determined to create a positive future for himself.

“What I want more than anything is just success but what I really want to do is music to impact people’s lives and let them know like there’s good things in life and you only got one life so you gotta live it to the fullest and chase your dreams and chase what you wanna do because once you got it locked in ain’t nothing stopping you,” Travier said.