It was a full-circle moment when, in covering the recent Minneapolis teacher strike, a Minneapolis news station went through the their archives to review old footage of a teacher strike that was held this time 52 years ago.
In a heartwarming discovery, the WCCO production manager dug up an old, restored film of a young boy being interviewed over 50 years ago whose identity became remarkably clear to anyone who watched.
The child was the late artist Prince.
Watch the video of the young pop legend below:
The young Prince was asked his thoughts on the picketing and his answer was touching.
He said:
“I think they should get a better education too ... and I think they should get some more money 'cause they work, they be working extra hours for us and all that stuff.”
With very few photos or videos of Prince during his early years of life, it was hard for the station to affirmatively identify him in the video. They called in an expert historian and old classmates to confirm the young interviewee was, in fact, the global icon.
Their reactions said it all.
When elementary school peer Terrance Jackson was shown the video he said of his old friend who went by the nickname "Skipper":
“That is Prince!"
"Standing right there with the hat on, right?"
"That’s Skipper! Oh my God!”
He then listened to the boy speak and was moved to tears, saying:
“I am like blown away. I’m totally blown away.”
“He was already playing guitar and keys by then, phenomenally.”
Jackson continued:
“Music became our sport."
"Because he was athletic, I was athletic, but we wanted to compete musically.”
You can watch the video of the aired story below:
Prince's sister, Sharon Nelson, shared the video on Twitter captioning the post:
"As you can see in addition to being a fantastic musician at this young age, my brother was also mindful and outspoken for the rights of others."
As you can see in addition to being a fantastic musician at this young age, my brother was also mindful and outspoken for the rights of others. #princepic.twitter.com/OEPq3d8mmw— Sharon L. Nelson (@Sharon L. Nelson) 1649115910
Fans of the late musician, who died in 2016, were both touched by the sound of his young voice and proud of his early activism.
One fan wrote:
"This brought tears to my eyes."
"I've loved his music since I was about that very age."
This brought tears to my eyes. I've loved his music since I was about that very age.— THEEMememememeeee (@THEEMememememeeee) 1649099840
Video of 11-year-old Prince demanding better pay for striking Minneapolis teachers in 1970 might just be the best thing I\u2019ve ever seen on this free websitepic.twitter.com/Yswq4whp19— Wu-Tang Is For The Children (@Wu-Tang Is For The Children) 1649095075
Someone else tweeted:
"Even at such a young age, Prince cared about the PEOPLE."
Even at such a young age, Prince cared about the PEOPLE.— Prophets Of Rock (@Prophets Of Rock) 1649097287
Fans pointed out his unmistakable features.
The same sideways smile— Problematic with a Heart of Stone\u264a\ufe0f (@Problematic with a Heart of Stone\u264a\ufe0f) 1649090521
One fan posted:
"Already had the mannerisms that he would become known for."
"The way he moves his lips, bats his eyes."
"Definitely Prince Rogers Nelson as a little boy."
Already had the mannerisms that he would become known for. The way he moves his lips, bats his eyes. Definitely Prince Rogers Nelson as a little boy.— Beverly Pinnix (@Beverly Pinnix) 1649107057
It's clear that not much has changed since then as teacher strikes continue in Minneapolis over half a century later.
52 years later and teachers still don't get paid enough.— Whistler (@Whistler) 1649060831
The discovery moved so many and breathed life back into the late star, even if just for a moment.
Fans expressed their sincere gratitude to the Minneapolis station for uncovering what everyone is calling "a gem."
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram