Dating back to the 1800s, “Miss Mary Mack” is a classic rhyme and hand-clapping game, perhaps the most common of its kind in the English language. From the United States to the United Kingdom, Canada to Australia, even neighborhood to neighborhood, the lyrics and gameplay can vary slightly, but it always creates a sense of joy among players. Kate Rinzler recognized “Miss Mary Mack” as a form of children’s folklore and documented these students at Peabody Elementary School in Washington, D.C., in

Do you remember clapping along to “Miss Mary Mack” as a kid? Through the Black Girls Handgames Project, OnRae LaTeal reinterprets classic hand games and rhymes to promote resiliency among young people and introduce girls to beat-making and music production. At the 2019 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, LaTeal led a workshop that brought a dance party to the middle of Jefferson Drive. Read more: https://s.si.edu/2swDBlN | Smithsonian Folklife