"To the students, remember that there is power in theatre education as a medium of making the voices of the marginalized to be heard."

"To the stakeholders who are watching this [performance], it is sometimes difficult to see all that is happening within the system,
but take time to support these activities and learn the story about societal issues."

-Silas Juaquellie, Course Instructor and the National Director of
Burning Barriers Building Bridges Youth Theatre (B4YT) from the Republic of Liberia

December 2020

"I was excited that I was selected as one of the energetic and professional Arts Instructors to serve as guest facilitator for a course for the Master of Public Health program at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States with a focus on bringing together local and global public health research methodologies through the arts."

"It has been a great time working together with students of different levels in making sure that the course was taught at a great standard, and it was my honor working with this team as a co-facilitator."

-Hannah Nentakpeh McKay, Course Instructor and Senior Arts Instructor of the
Burning Barriers Building Bridges Youth Theatre (B4YT) from the Republic of Liberia

December 2020

"People need education designed to help them see inequalities."

-Stanley Straughter, Chairman of the African and Caribbean Business Council of Greater Philadelphia

September 2020

On September 17, 2020, Stanley Straughter and Oni Richards-Waritay spoke to Penn students and Philadelphia high school students about the importance of community-defined solutions. They invited Penn students to come learn from and alongside local communities, rather than extracting data from communities and then departing.

Richards-Waritay is the executive director of the African Family Health Organization in Philadelphia. Straughter is the Chairman of the African and Caribbean Business Council of Greater Philadelphia. He was also the Chairman Emeritus of the Mayor of Philadelphia’s Commission on African and Caribbean Immigrant Affairs.