Writer/Director of "The Untold African American Experience"    Shanell Rodriquez-Johnson and her incredible cast.

The untold african american experience: The whole story

The creator of remarkable play "The Untold African American Experience", Eagle Academy Newark Social Studies teacher    Shanell Rodriquez-Johnson, spoke briefly with Eagle Newark scholar/author of the Scholars Voice" Peter Iyayi about the play...
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1. Was this your plan all along or was it just an informational video at first?
Yes, it was my plan.
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​2. Are you happy with the result?
Yes

3. What exactly were you trying to drive home with the whole play?
I don't think the community today knows what we went through. I feel like if they knew then we would be more proactive. I feel like if students of color understood that other students of color were tortured just because they wanted knowledge, they would take it more seriously.
4. How was practice with the amount of kids you had to handle?
There were a lot of moving parts so at times it got hectic. Each job required special training and practice. Approximately 60 students, it definitely became kind of overwhelming at times.

5. What was your inspiration?
My students. People of color in general, there is a tremendous amount of struggle that is happening in 2017.
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6. Would you do something like this again in the future?
Yes, absolutely, I think you guys enjoyed it. I feel like once you guys saw the result, you appreciated it.

The Unknown african american story - parts 1 - 10
Click videos to view all 10 parts of "The Unknown African American Story".         *Plus 1 Bonus Photo Gallery!