GoVivaLaFree @govivalafree-blog - Tumblr Blog

Viva La Free and Black History Remix director Layna Lewis and dancer Kayla Banks share why Afrofuturism is a powerful tool for imagining a b

Recent Article about Viva La Free’s 3rd production of Black History Remix using the medium of dance, sound and immersive tech May 2019

#earth dance #decolonize #vivalafree #black history remix #aftofuturism #dance #immersive tech #pnca

#artactivism #decolonize

Please join us in celebrating our courageous youth activists at "Oregon FAIL!" Film and Panel @ Race Talks 6-9pm Tuesday, May 9 @ Kennedy School McMenamins. PopUp Art Action 6-7 (Doors) Film & Panel 7-8 Discussion 8-9 Pop Up Art Action features local Artists Installations, Youth 4 Truth! PopUp Print Studio, Fish Martinez & NARA drum, Kanani Miyomoto, Jessica Blue https://www.facebook.com/OregonFAILactionNOW/?ref=br_rs Please share, post & like!

#decolonize #indigenize #art #youth #student activism

An original play written & developed in workshops w/Irvington K-8 students. Curriculum created by Director Layna Lewis

Oregon FAIL. 11 likes · 10 talking about this. Student Action for Equity & Historically Contextual and Accurate Education in Multnomah Education...

Please Visit, Like & Share our new page

Pop-Up Art Action! Youth 4 Truth

Four 5th grade Irvington students- featured in "Oregon Fail" short film-Demand Accountability

"Teach me the whole story!"

Monday May 23, 2016 3pm-7pm

Irvington Elementary

1320 NE Brazee St. | Portland, OR 9721

Equity, Inclusion & Accuracy in PPS Education

Please watch "Oregon FAIL" short film

https://youtu.be/lxAMb6KH920

I am curating a PopUp Art Show & Action to support our youth advocating for inclusive, accurate History in public school education.

We need you! Please join us to support these brave young people!

This Action is to

IMPACT the PTA Vote!

@ 6pm Irvington PTA is voting to fund MESD's Oregon Trail Overnight Field Trip

We need:

Your Art

Your presence

in Solidarity with

Youth 4 Truth 5th graders who will ask the PTA to either defund or only fund with contingencies MESD's Oregon Trail Overnight Field Trip

Visit-FB page Oregon FAIL

Featuring Local Artists:

Kanani Mikamoto's Pop-Up Print Studio

Jessica Davis Prints

Ta Zha

Layna Lewis

& YOU!

Storytellers, Musicians, Spoken Word, Drum, Song, Dance

Bring a shirt, bag or anything to be screen printed with our custom designs

Interactive installations for kids of all ages.

“Oregon FAIL” Action Update

_________________________________________________________

May 16, 2016

· Posted “Oregon FAIL” Final Cut & Context

*Neither “Oregon FAIL” Final Cut & Context or “Oregon FAIL” 101(originally submitted May 15) were posted until May 18th, and only after inquiry

· Teachers Meeting Cancelled due to Principal Kathleen Ellwood out w/pneumonia & other schedule conflicts.

May 18, 2016

10:30AM Met with Vice Principal Celina Garrido

12:30 AM Karl Logan, the Regional Administrator, arrived at Irvington to meet with Vice Principal Celina Garrido re: “Oregon FAIL” film and action. In 2012, “ Logan [said] whiteness does not refer to skin color in the district’s equity language. “I have whiteness in me and I’m a black man,” he says. “It doesn’t speak to color. It’s about the predominant culture. If we’re not aware of how much we take that for granted, we will all of us miss the opportunity to improve student learning.”( November 2012, Author Jennifer Anderson, Portland Tribune).”

6:00PM Screened “Oregon FAIL” at Irvington’s Families of Black & Brown Students Meeting

(3 of 4 students in film were present)Jasmine, Leilani & Nina were applauded, validated & celebrated. The young leaders fielded questions and graciously received appreciation, followed by discussion focused on solutions, strategy and action.

______________________________________________________________

…Up Ahead Verbs: Inclusion, Equity, Transparency

These are not just vague Theories or Values.

We Model Transparency Equity in Action Inclusion is a Verb.

Integrity is simply INTEGRATING our Values into our lives-

we do this with practice- not perfection

ACTION

· May 23, 2016 6:00PM PTA Meeting VOTE

Oregon Trail Overnight Field Trip, MESD $10,000.00

Finalize Budget: Vote to Fund Education Extensions

______________________________________________________________

The Negro's great stumbling block in the drive toward freedom is not the White Citizens Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice.

Martin Luther King Jr

Thanks Jason for sending the epic quote! & my personal fave-

“Ya cain’t put a 10 gallon hat on an eleven gallon head.” Foghorn Leghorn

6r�ҕ �

“Oregon FAIL” Action Updated Timeline

___________________________________________________________

May 15, 2016 “ Oregon Fail” 101

Education of our children must be accurate and comprehensive. It is essential that curriculum explore the greater historical context of European imperialism and colonialism that had become a well oiled machine by the time Europeans reached North America; having honed the ‘Formula of Conquest’ throughout the Asian and African continents. It is crucial to understand that racism is fundamental to colonization and how it was propagandized by ‘white man’s burden’ to sell it to the Christian populations, reconciling religious anxiety about protecting their own freedoms while intentionally denying the same rights to others. Historically contextual accurate education clarifies how privilege always comes at a cost to others who are oppressed; that, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness only applied to white men. Of course it is completely logical that “settlers” and “pioneers” wanted a better life for their families and suffered through hardships on the Oregon Trail and beyond to attain that- but it must be taught that it came at an immeasurable cost to Native Americans, African-Americans, Chinese Americans, other people of color and women. It is imperative to learn that land is the greatest builder of wealth and was the building block in America of creating white wealth at the cost of impoverishing people of color, who today are still impacted by it. Policies, practices and exclusionary laws are institutionalized racism; these are then embedded in our culture and in people who continue to perpetuate systemic oppression even after these laws are amended and the cultural practices are shunned. Historic context allows us to connect the dots, and see how this is still present -and playing out today. Centuries of oppression, policies and laws have excluded people of color from owning land, generating wealth, employment, equal pay, access to housing, healthcare and education. Generation after generation after generation of exclusionary laws insure brown bodies remain in poverty while whites build wealth with the privilege of laws that work in their favor exclusively; the best education, healthcare, and opportunity continue to subjugate minoritized populations to inequities in wealth, health, violence, imprisonment and education. Linear Historic Education demystifies the seemingly unrelated social ills and the staggering complexities of our past and present. Education begins to dismantle oppressive structures. Understanding our shared history is understanding systems of oppression. This insures accountability and empowers youth who may use their relative privileges to dismantle internal and structural racism in themselves, their communities and the world. It is harmful to learn history out of a greater context. Pre-existing conditions and cultural mores that create climates ripe for genocide, state sanctioned violence and oppression are rendered invisible, just like the racialized populations who suffer most from these very same systems of oppression that is today perpetuated in our current curriculum. Layna Lewis ______________________________________________________________

May 16, 2016

· Posted “Oregon FAIL” Final Cut & Context

*Neither “Oregon FAIL” Final Cut & Context or “Oregon FAIL” 101

were posted until May 17th , and only after inquiry·

Teachers Meeting Cancelled due to Principal Kathleen Ellwood out w/pneumonia.

May 17, 2016

Emailed PTA Twice Requesting 10 minutes on the agenda *No response as of May 20

· 10:30AM Met with Vice Principal Celina Garrido

· 12:30 AM Karl Logan, the Regional Administrator, arrived at Irvington to meet with Vice Principal Celina Garrido re: “Oregon FAIL”film and action. In 2012, “ Logan [said] whiteness does not refer to skin color in the district’s equity language. “I have whiteness in me and I’m a black man,” he says. “It doesn’t speak to color. It’s about the predominant culture. If we’re not aware of how much we take that for granted, we will all of us miss the opportunity to improve student learning.”( November 2012, Author Jennifer Anderson, Portland Tribune).” ·

6:00PM Screened “Oregon FAIL” at Irvington’s Families of Black & Brown Students Meeting

(3 of 4 students in film were present)Jasmine, Leilani & Nina were applauded, validated & celebrated. The young leaders fielded questions and graciously received appreciation, followed by discussion focused on solutions, strategy and action.

______________________________________________________________

…Up Ahead

Verbs Inclusion, Equity, Transparency These are not just vague Theories or Values. We Model Transparency Equity in Action Inclusion is a Verb. Integrity is simply INTEGRATING our Values into our lives

We do this with practice- not perfect

ACTION·

May 23, 2016 6:00PM PTA Meeting VOTE

Oregon Trail Overnight Field Trip, MESD $10,000.00

Finalize Budget: Vote to Fund Education Extensions _____________________________________________________________

The Negro's great stumbling block in the drive toward freedom is not the White Citizens Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice.

Martin Luther King Jr

Thanks Jason for sending the epic quote!

& my personal fave,

“Ya cain’t put a 10 gallon hat on an eleven gallon head.”

Foghorn Leghorn

Layna Lewis

Mangia!

Oregon FAIL 101

Below are posts to Irvington Google group to provide context. ___________________________________________________________May 9, 2016

I urgently ask all that are committed to providing our children accuracy and equity in education to consider the failure and omission of historical facts to the extent of oppression, erasure and harm, which is the curriculum of the Oregon Trail Overnight Field Trip. PTA Members, Parents, Administrators and Educators; My hope is that: 1. Multnomah Education Services will, with pressure from consumers(Irvington) amend and reform their curriculum, removing grave inaccuracies, providing historical context and facts to our children who desire and deserve the whole truth of Oregon's early History. 2. The PTA(and Irvington community members) will ensure Education Extensions are historically accurate, equitable and educate rather than disseminate misinformation serving to indoctrinate and perpetuate systemic oppression.When the harm outweighs the strengths of the program our mission is clear. I am, right now, editing the film, "Oregon Fail" Irvington students speaking about their experience on the Oregon Trail Overnight, in their own words. I will post the rough to this forum ASAP. Until then, other experts weigh in: "K-12 Primary Education 1. Mastery of skills to navigate our society 2. Education; specifically Critical analysis to identify inequities; causes and impacts 3. Socialization- ability and desire to transform communities" Enid Lee, Teaching For Change Editor: “Beyond Heroes and Holidays:  A Practical Guide to K-12 Multicultural, Anti-Racist Education and Staff Development” 

https://www.teachingforchange.org/books/our-publications/beyond-heroes-and-holidays  “Schooling is not enough we have to move to a higher level of education, a critical thesis to not just navigate the world but change it. To see how we might reorganize this world so it might be more just, so all might fit in it without having to distort themselves and be other than who they are.It allows you to ask the critical questions about; ' Why are we not in this picture?', 'How do we change that?' So its not simply accepting it as it is, but changing it, radicalizing it. Because if in fact we don’t do that, than we have no justice. We are engaged in the most fundamental work for creating civilizations that are healthy and just". Enid Lee Enid Lee on Education for LiberationShow original messagehttps://youtu.be/yyaC94JlWOE Enid Lee, co-editor of Beyond Heroes and Holidays: A Practical Guide to K-12 Anti-Racist, Multicultural Educatio... https://mg.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=354iu408ul2k1

Thank you, Layna Lewis

_________________________________________________________ May 10, 2016

Posted Oregon Fail (rough cut) Short film ___________________________________________________________May 12, 2016

Oregon Fail- Draft letter Invitation to Irvington 4th grade Teachers Hi! Below is the email I will send to our awesome 4th grade teachers- please let me know if you'd like to add or remove your name. Thank you, Layna ________________________

Eric, Ellie and Katie,

Hello, I know you are all committed educators and that you have addressed the issue and worked to bring more to the curriculum. Below is the prior email sent to Irvington Google group Monday, May 9, with the Rough cut of the Oregon Fail short film I posted Tuesday. This was and is and invitation. Because time was so short (and I'm in Finals now) I was compelled to post and would've liked to bring you in first. The overwhelming response merits our immediate action to optimize the momentum. Can we sit down and work together before the PTA meeting, ASAP? In Solidarity, Layna, Kamelah, Jason, Rayna, ______(your name here!) ___________________________________________________________May 14, 2016 UPDATE: Meeting with Irvington's 4th grade teachers Wednesday May 18, with myself, the girls and a few parents. The girls are thrilled to be a part of the process to create solutions.The Director of MESD's Oregon Trail Overnight has been contacted by a community member & former employee of MESD. She indicated he is aware of these issues and is open and willing to consider revision. We look forward to sitting down with all the players. The girls' participation is paramount, as we collaborate to create inclusive, historically contextual curriculum. What is most important is that the girls have experienced their power. Their voices did this. And our attention and answer of action demonstrates that we value them. Thank you Jasmine, Leilani, Amelia and Nina. Your courage, your voices are powerful. In Solidarity, Layna Lewis ___________________________________________________________May 16, 2016 It is imperative that curriculum explores the greater historical context of European imperialism and colonialism that had become a well oiled machine by the time Europeans reached North America; having honed this formula of conquest throughout the Asian and African continents.It is crucial to understand that racism is fundamental to colonization and how it was propagandized by 'white man's burden' to sell it to the Christian populations, reconciling religious anxiety about protecting their own freedoms while intentionally denying the same rights to others. Historically contextual accurate education clarifies how privilege always comes at a cost to others who are oppressed; that, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness only applied to white men. It's completely logical that "settlers" and "pioneers" wanted a better life for their families and suffered through hardships on the Oregon trail and beyond to attain that- but it must be taught that it came at a great cost to native Americans, African-Americans, Chinese Americans and other people of color and women. It is imperative to learn that land is the greatest builder of wealth and was the building block in America of creating white wealth at the cost of impoverishing people of color, who today are still impacted by it.Policies, practices and exclusionary laws are institutionalized racism; these are then embedded in our culture and in people who continue to perpetuate systemic oppression even after these laws are amended and the cultural practices are shunned.We then can connect the dots of how this is still present -and playing out today. Centuries of oppression, policies and laws that excluded people of color from owning land, generating wealth, employment, equal pay, access to housing, healthcare and education. Generation after generation after generation of exclusionary laws insure brown bodies remain in poverty while whites build wealth with the privilege of laws that work in their favor exclusively; the best education, healthcare, and opportunity continue to subjugate minoritized populations to inequities in wealth, health, violence, imprisonment and education. Linear Historic Education demystifies the seemingly unrelated social ills and the staggering complexities of our past and present. Education begins to dismantle oppressive structures. Understanding our shared history is understanding systems of oppression. This insures accountability and empowers youth who may use their relative privileges to dismantle internal and structural racism in themselves, their communities and the world. It is harmful to learn history out of a greater context.Pre-existing conditions and cultural mores that create climates ripe for genocide, state sanctioned violence and oppression are rendered invisible, just like the racialized populations who suffer most from these very same systems of oppression that is today perpetuated in current curriculum. Layna Lewis

Irvington Elementary students talk about their experience on The Oregon Trail Field Trip, an education extension contracted through MESD, Multnomah Education...

Self Evaluation

I struggled with technical issues which diminished the impact of my presentation in the classroom. This, however, is contrary to the overwhelming response I continue to receive in the Irvington Community and beyond. The film and subsequent discourse have created a momentum that is being answered by action on the part of all players at the school and district levels.

I gained invaluable skills and experience and most importantly created a forum that these courageous girls utilized to experience the power of their voices!

Still climbing trees- In the 'Friendship tree' where I shot "Oregon Fail"

UPDATE:OREGON FAIL Meeting with Irvington's 4th grade teachers Wednesday with myself, the girls and a few parents.The girls are thrilled to be a part of the process to create solutions.The Director of MESD's Oregon Trail Overnight has been contacted by a community member who was a former employee of MESD and she indicated he is aware of these issues and is open and willing to consider revision. We look forward to sitting down with all the players. The girls' participation is paramount, as we collaborate to create inclusive, historically contextual curriculum. What is most important is that the girls have experienced their power. Their voices did this. And our attention and answer of action demonstrates that we value them. Thank you Jasmine, Leilani, Amelia and Nina. Your courage, your voices are powerful!

Artists Statement

I risked delving into this new medium of film, with so many unfamiliar moving parts, to create the greatest possible outcomes. I chose to film the kids outside in familiar environments, removing overt adult presence from the film; my voice and image. Children’s honesty and innate sense of justice is refreshing and, among most adults, a novelty.

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

GoVivaLaFree