It’s time for the only black kid in class to start thinking about his Black History Month project due March 5. Suggestions so far:
Tiger Woods, sans TMZ and TMI.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the character, not the actor who played the character nor the person on whom the character was based. Q threw out that suggestion as a joke, but I am warming up to it.
Henrietta Lacks, the woman for whom HeLa cells are named. HeLa cells are central to research and cures for many diseases. In fact, these cells, extrapolated from stolen tissue samples from Henrietta Lacks led to the cure for polio.
It took me about 30 minutes of research to write those two sentences. Can you imagine trying to break down to third graders the mysterious immortality of this cell line, even if it is a fascinating introduction to a black woman during BHM other than Harriet Tubman?
Tiger Woods it is.
[UPDATE] A sucker for a good story just like his mama, Jon Alex chose Henrietta Lacks. I was going to buy the book anyway (I can’t keep my end of the bargain with public libraries), so I’ll pick it up this week so we can get started. I’m excited…
I only knew about Henrietta Lacks because of People magazine. Thank you, Black History Month!
@Motormouth, I was surfing the ‘net and followed a link on Amazon to her biography. I’m guessing that was a BHM edition of People even though her cells have saved millions of non-black people’s lives. Sigh…
Following you from MBC Follow Each Other Club. Following you on Twitter too. Visit me at http://nobirthcontrol.blogspot.com.
@Mom of Many, drive-by comments are very high on my list of blogging pet peeves.
I’m so interested in the HeLa phenomenon. I’m on the waitlist for that book at the library. I hope JA picks her and you can post his report too. So incredibly juicy from a scientific and human perspective.
@Erica, he did choose her! I was surprised and excited. Her story is so compelling, even a third grader wants to share it.
I’ll see if I still have the issue w/ the article and I’ll send it along.
@Motormouth, thank you!
I still vote for the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
He was born in West Philadelphia and was raised by his extremely over protective mother. It started downhill for him when he was shooting hoops outside of his high school. A couple of young men, who were up to no good started making trouble for young William. His mother was appalled by the violent acts that these young hoodlums performed that she sent her son to live with his financial stable uncle, who was a well respected judge, and his aunt, who was his mother’s favorite sister. Also in this family were an older sister Hillary, the middle brother Carlton who was the same age as William, and a young sister Ashley, who from an early age had looked up to William as a role model…
@Q, you still have those old college papers on your hard drive?
I read about her in O and had to have the book! Way to go JA for picking just a great subject!
@Tex In The City, now that so many of you already know her story, I’m wondering if there will be 30 HeLa presentations in Ms. Butler’s third grade classroom.
No comment lest I stir up a potential hornet’s nest.