Monday, January 23rd:
Discussion about class, theatre games
Theatre games: Twenty-Second Characters, the Entrance Game
Chynna, Jess, Carter, Gus
Research:
Chynna: Advertising because Black History is for the entire month!
Poster proto-types of Sandra Bland, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Lamar Kendricks
Akili: Black Lives Matter website #hashtagphilandocastel, etc. Also
went on CNN and New York Times to corroborate. Read the website information about the murder of Mr. Castel,
a cafeteria worker, in front of his girlfriend, and her child. Philando Castel was pulled over forty
nine times in the last three years for minor offenses such as broken tail
light.
Alden Sterling, the C.D. seller in front of a store in Louisiana.
Akili found really good pictures.
Norman: Racial Appropriation
“Ten Times Black Culture Was Appropriated in 2015”
Kylie Jenner – has corn rolls but calls them boxer braids
Kim Kardashian – corn rolls
Teen Vogue – using white models for Senegalese hairstyle
Tuesday, January 24th:
Passed out folders and the weekly work logs
Discussed the “What Being Black Means to Me” with Akili and
the need to coordinate with Polina.
Fast theatre games: “Kitty Wants a Corner”
Present research
New fresh ideas regarding cultural appropriation
Jessyka: Cultural Appropriation – instagram and snapshat.
The word “ratched” is now a big thing on the internet. Everything that was
considered bad and tacky was called ratched ten years ago, but now that it’s
been appropriated by white people it’s considered cool and wonderful.
Jessyka will work with the writers Chris and Dale on a skit
about “ratched” and “instagram baddies”.
Akili: Iggy Azalea, Macklemore have appropriated music from
the black community.
Went on “Black Lives Matter” to investigate the deaths of
Philando Castile, etc. Contributed:
“Philando
Castile was shot sixty two seconds after the traffic stop began.
Alton Sterling – was reported as a very easy-going guy who
never posed a problem to anyone. He took off his gun before he was arrested so
he was unarmed.
Dale: Emmet Till was one of the best known victims of
racism. Originally from Chicago, he moved to Mississippi in the 1950’s, where
he was tortured, mutilated, and killed for saying, “Bye, baby” to a white
female shop keeper.
Cultural Appropriation: In Belgium “Black Pete” is still
part of Christmas celebrations. “Black Pete” is one of Santa’s helpers, who is
depicted – usually by white people in black face – as a caricature of blacks.
“Black Pete” is the deliverer of punishment to bad children.
Jess – mentioned “Hidden Figures”. Will speak more about
this tomorrow on stage.
Wednesday, January 25th:
Not here today.
Theatre games
Thursday, January 26th:
Discussion
New Line-up:
Suggestions
from Mr. Briggs
Mr. Bah Drumming
Black Anthem
Tai – poem
23 Ways to Die
Dance Guard
Cheyenne and Akili
Tai and Khalah – POW by Alicia Keyes
Jazmine – Poem “And Still I Rise”
Revised Tentative Line-Up:
As the student body is filing in
there will be live drumming, or recorded music
Martin Luther King, George
Washington Carver, Hidden Figures, Michael Jackson, Thurgood Marshall, C.J. Walker, Sojourner Truth, Nelson
Mandela, Lewis Howard Latimer – Inventor of the Traffic Light, Benjamin Benneker,
Harriet Tubman, Rosa Park, Malcolm X, Barbara Jordan, Abe Lincoln, Bessie
Coleman
Mohammed Ali – 20 second speech by
Ali (Flo)
Prince
African Tradition of Honoring the
Dead – Mr. Bah and Mr. Briggs
“Pouring of Libations” – 3 minutes
The Singing of the Black National
Anthem – 3:34
(Put up the lyrics on one side of the screen and pictures of
notable people on the other side)
Black National Anthem – Khalah,
Tai, and Chynna
Someone begins singing the anthem
onstage
Then “random” people with electric
candles scattered throughout the auditorium stand up and join in singing the
song
Tai – Poem (Two minutes)
Twenty Three Ways to Die
Dance Guard – Edith
(Choreographer) Chandler (Dancer)
Cultural Appropriation
Jazmin – “And Still I Rise”
Video Montage: “What Does Being
Black Mean to You?”
Akili and Polina
Prerecorded and edited video of
“What Does It Mean to be an African-American?”
Akili and Polina and Daesha
Three Questions in video: “What do
you want people to know about being a black man or a black woman”
The third question will be
forthcoming from Daesha Campbell
Will be shot in the NMA office
Dance – “Bottom of the River”
Cheyenne Dioh, Akili, Noah, Kaelen, Monai
Mr. Briggs:
Black Lives Matter – Twenty Three
Ways You Can be Killed if You’re Black in America
(Khalah)
* Maybe have students do the 23
ways to be killed…
Tribute to Michelle Obama
Cultural Appropriation – (Briggs)
Bridges + 5th Period
Section is introduced by an actor
who explains what cultural appropriation is
Then a scene is played by actors
to illustrate misappropriation of African American culture (Shania)
Meaning of cultural appropriation
Prison incarceration rate of Black
males and females – Mr. Briggs
Why is it happening? – Flo
Scene showing two cocaine users,
one white, one black, and the disparate treatment of drug users based on race -
Beverly
Meaning of the rising of black
incarceration rates
Black Lives Matter (Tai Jones)
Begin with footage of the Rodney
King beating (suggestion by Flo to
put at beginning of assembly)
Then fast forward to the present
with the beatings within the past four years and the emergence of Black Lives
Matter
Archival Material
Students write sketches or
speeches about Black Lives Matter and present
Victims of Police Brutality
Examples: Sandra Bland
Have an actor walk on with a sign
“I died because I refused to put out my cigarette.”
The actor in the guise of Sandra
Bland tells her story.
Then the actor turns the sign
around and shows a photo of Sandra Bland.
Example:
The therapist who was shot while
attending his patient.
Example:
The man who was pulled over by the
police and shot and killed in front of his child while filmed by his
girlfriend.
Michelle and Barack Obama – Mr.
Briggs
A portrayal of the Obamas
Obama’s Farewell Speech
Ending:?
Following people want to
participate:
Tai, Jazmine, Chrishandala,
Madison,
Shania and Carter worked on
and staged “Twenty-Three Ways to Die If You Are Black”
Friday, January 27th:
Went to the Magnets Assembly
Monday, January 30th: 
