This year our National History Day group decided to stick with the idea of women’s rights and woman in the workforce, however, we decided to look through the issue with a science lense. We picked Barbara McClintock as the primary focus of our project and her accomplishments that helped to further what was known about genetics. Our goal over the years has been to bring to light an aspect of history that is less well known, and we believe that bringing to life her story will accomplish just that. She made astounding discoveries, but due to her gender and the social norms tied to that gender during the time she was not necessarily given credit where it is due. She was awarded many years after her work was published, but we still believe that she deserves further recognition. Through our performance, we will be illustrating the conflicts and compromises that arose in her life, particularly, what in her life was compromised because of the restrictions that were set upon a woman who wanted to further their education. Much like the previous year, we believe that a performance is an original, engaging, and creative way to showcase the message that we want to get across to the audience. A performance allows us to dive deep into the character development and portray who this woman was and what life was like for her struggling to pursue her passion. Our performance would give us the opportunity to also express our information in a clear and convincing manner. We give Barbara a voice and advocate for the equal rights that she should have been given at the time. This topic can be tied to controversies and issues that are arising today with gender discrepancies. We have seen a vast change since her time during the mid-1900s, but there are still hundreds of protests across the nation because women still are not satisfied. Having this strong connection to what is happening in society today will make our project speak louder because there is current day relevance. As we did last year, this project continues to allow us to grow as learners, students, and researchers. It expands our knowledge and gives us a personal perspective on the issues of the past, that we see persisting today. We hope to show to audience and judges what this woman accomplished even in the face of adversity. The grit and commitment she had is astonishing. Everyone around her, including her mother, was telling her, no, but she was internally telling herself yes every step of the way.
sofiadodaro 