Students Bring Black History to Life
BATON ROUGE, LA. – Earlier this year, in celebration of Black History Month, pre-K through eighth-grade students at Martin Luther King Jr. Academy invited the community to a Black History Live Wax Museum, a red-carpet event designed to bring history to life.
From the moment guests arrived and were welcomed by a marquee naming the event, the theme was apparent, from the red, black and green-wrapped water bottles, to the vibrant Afrocentric attire. Inside, a continuous showing of King’s famous I Have a Dream speech set the tone for an immersive experience.
The concept, developed by Lisa Hansom and Principal Delores Newman, transformed classrooms into interactive exhibits. Students, dressed in period costumes, portrayed influential African American figures across themed categories such as Heroes, Helpers and Pioneers; Freedom, Education and Leadership; and Modern Leaders and Trailblazers.
With the press of a button, each “wax figure” came to life. Younger students portrayed figures such as activist Rosa Parks, tennis player Arthur Ashe, golfer Tiger Woods and inventor Garrett Morgan. In the upper grades, guests encountered pioneers such as educator Anna Knight, justice Thurgood Marshall, journalist Ida B. Wells, explorer Matthew Henson, author Zora Neale Hurston, athlete Colin Kaepernick, former presidentBarack Obama, minister Jesse Jackson and evangelist E. E. Cleveland, among others.
Students performed with confidence and enthusiasm, demonstrating both research and pride in their presentations.
A local television reporter covering the event described it as “a fun and interactive way for students to learn more about their history.” Hansom added that the experience helped students “see where they’ve come from—and realize they can achieve great things too.”
The program’s success has already inspired plans for an expanded event next year.
By Evelyn M. Edwards
Click on the link to view news coverage of the event.
