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All right I got it!  Here is Taking a Stand by Madelyn Brunvand, November, 2012!  Enjoy and comment please!  Sorry for a few errors with the paragraphs and font.

Taking a Stand

Kara Mitchell had one wish.  It was something that most of us take for granted.  It was something that many of us don’t like; something we would gladly give up.  For Kara, this wish was the most important thing in the world.  Kara’s wish was to be allowed to go to school with the white children in town.  This is the story of how Kara made her wish come true.

The sun shone brightly on Powell, Alabama.  Many families sat on their porches or worked in the yard and enjoyed the beautiful day.  On the edge of town, there was a small cottage.  In the little house lived an elderly woman, Mae Carlson, and her granddaughter, Kara Mitchell.  Being colored, Kara didn’t go to Madison Elementary, even though it was the closest school to her house.  It had been two years since the Supreme Court had decided that schools couldn’t be segregated because of race, but Madison Elementary still didn’t have any black students.  Kara had always wanted to go to Madison but was afraid to be the first colored student to attend.  But today was going to be different.  Kara and her friend Emma, who happened to be white, had finally figured out a way to make sure that Kara wasn’t the only colored student at Madison. 

Kara hurried to get dressed before giving Granny Mae a peck on the cheek and running out the door.  She ran all the way past Madison and arrived breathless at Emma’s house four minutes later.

“Emma?” Kara called as she knocked on the Thompson’s door.

The door flung open revealing a young girl with long brown hair and pale skin.

“Kara!  I’m so glad you’re here!  Come in, come in,” Emma smiled at her friend and led her to the living room. 

“Okay, where’s the paint?” Kara asked.

The girls had decided that Emma would paint her skin dark to match Kara’s.  Then, they would head to Madison Elementary together as colored students.

“I’ve got it here.  We should hurry, school starts in twenty minutes,” Emma grabbed the paint, a paintbrush and the girls headed into the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, no one could have recognized Emma.  Her skin was completely brown and her hair was braided just like Kara’s.

“Let’s go now,” Kara picked up the books she was borrowing from Emma and led Emma from the house and straight to Madison Elementary.  Once the friends got to school, Emma led Kara to a seat next to hers.

“Ahem!  Who are you two and what are you doing here?” a tall, blonde woman blocked their path.

“I’m Emma Thompson and this is my friend, Kara Mitchell,” Emma explained.

“What happened to your face, and your arms?  Is that . . . paint?” Ms. Lesy asked.

“Yes, it is.  Is there a problem?” Emma drew herself to her full height.

“Is that paint on your friend?” the teacher questioned.

“No.  It’s my skin.  Is there a problem?” Kara said bravely.

Ms. Lesy ignored Kara and looked at Emma.  “What are you trying to do here?”

Every student in the class turned to listen when Ms. Lesy said this.

“Why must I go?  I want the same thing as all the other children here.  We all want a good education so we can get good jobs when the time comes.  We all want to help society and make a difference.  Why may they follow their dreams and I may not?” Kara defended herself.

“There are no others like you here!  Please leave, now,” Ms. Lesy pleaded.

“She has me!  I look like her!  The only difference is that I can take this color off and she can’t.  Kara has a right to come here!  It’s part of the law that she can come to Madison Elementary and learn just like the rest of us!” Emma cried.  The other children gasped.  Emma had just done what no other child had dared to do.  She was arguing with Ms. Lesy.

“I understand the law but I could lose my job by allowing Kara in class,” Ms. Lesy said.

“You always taught us to stand up for what you believe in.  That’s what I’m doing!  I’m standing up for what I know is right,” Emma told her teacher.  “What do you think is right, Ms. Lesy?  Should Kara be able to come to school here?”

“Well, I think Kara has a right to go to school here, but there are a lot of people who don’t agree with me,” Ms. Lesy answered.

“There will always be people who don’t agree.  That’s okay, though.  You can stand up for what you believe in, what you know is right.  Don’t worry about what others think.  Please, Ms. Lesy,” Emma encouraged.

“You’re right, Emma.  I need to practice what I preach.  Kara can pull up a chair next to your desk until we get her one of her own,” Ms. Lesy smiled and moved aside to let the girls in.

Kara & Emma learned many things over the next several years.  The most important of them was to keep trying and never give up.  You can count on friends and family to help you.  Most of all, though, you can count on yourself to make your dreams come true.