SOUTH OZONE PARK— Liza Wiemer lined up eight students in the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy auditorium, smiling at each one — until she scowled at the last, who immediately looked upset.
“Do you see what I did? I didn’t even have to use mean words to steal his power,” Wiemer said to the seventh and eighth grade classes. “Do not give your power away to anyone because there’s always going to be people who will try and steal your power.”
On May 7, Wiemer visited the South Ozone Park school to give a lesson on the power of speaking out against injustice. Before her visit, students received free copies of her bestselling book, “The Assignment,” based on a real-life event in which students refused to argue in favor of Hitler’s Final Solution in a classroom debate.
Eighth grader Kheera Seenarine said she and her classmates created crossword puzzles using words from the book, which they presented to Wiemer to show her the impact the book has had on them.
“She was very happy, and she said she hadn’t seen anything like that before,” said Kheera, who noted that the book’s two protagonists, Logan and Cade, show how to persevere in the face of injustice.
“In the book, they were told countless times by teachers, classmates, neighbors that they were overreacting when they wanted the assignment canceled and got the press involved,” Kheera said. “But they stuck to their morals and did the right thing, and in the end, they ended up receiving a lot of support, and the assignment was banned.”
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During her visit, Wiemer drew on her own childhood experiences to discuss perseverance and stereotyping, gave students a lesson on the ethnic cleansing of Jews in Germany, and spoke with them about how to respond when they witness racism.
Eighth grader Lana Baburam said Wiemer’s message connects to real-life situations in which someone might feel ashamed of speaking up.
“She does a very good job reinstating moral values into children, especially across the globe with her work,” Lana said. “She really encourages us to stand up for what we believe is right, even when we are being put down for it.”
Wiemer has given over 800 workshops across the globe and has been visiting schools in person for four years because she believes “students are the hope for the future.” She said her visits to the Diocese of Brooklyn are her favorite.
“I love these schools I think what I’m seeing in these students — a sense of respect, kindness — just blows me away,” Wiemer said. “I think we need to do everything we can to ensure these schools continue.
“Our students need it. The future of our world needs it.”
Wiemer, who said “The Assignment” is being adapted into a film, said she plans to return to the diocese next year with a new book on Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, centered around kindness and compassion.
