According to Messmer teacher and Black History Month coordinator Mr. Jon Stern, "It is terrible what [African Americans] went through [in history] but amazing that they were still able to contribute to the medical profession."
The assembly was a combination of poetry, role-plays, and music. Senior Shameka Moore was one of the narrators and the voice of Henrietta Lacks. Lacks' cells were used without her permission for medical research to learn the intricacies of how cells work and test theories about the causes and treatments of diseases. Senior Chantal Atychan, also a narrator, was the voice of Henrietta's daughter, expressing her outrage at this abuse of power.
The show also featured Spoken Word by Juniors Denzel Taylor and Ashley Jordan, and Freshman Jasmane Trotter, with powerful messages about the impact of AIDS on the African American community. Freshman Destiney Jones stated about the assembly, "I liked the music and the poems." Senior Marquita Baker added, "The program gave a lot of good information."
Sophomore Austin Kenekeo said, "I like that I found out things about Black History that I didn't know before." Junior Jessica Paton Jackson summed up the assembly, "The students came together and made something beautiful."
A video of the assembly will be posted here soon--stay tuned!
