My students and I were wrapping up our online classes when people across the world abandoned their quarantine to protest the killing of George Floyd. I questioned how I would address this with a class of majority black students. What did they already know? How would I ensure all my students were heard while sitting miles away in their own homes?
In that same moment I received a piece of artwork from a student who had, without instruction, depicted her own personal response to the protests. She used tape to stitch together the portrait of a young person with the words “silence is violence” and “BLM” over their face. It was clear that my students were cooped up at home soaking in an abundance of media and needed an opportunity to vocalize their thoughts and emotions.
I opened up our discussion post with, “What issues have you heard about recently? If you feel comfortable, share some thoughts and/or emotions in response to recent events in the news.” Their responses were honest, immediate, and full of anger and fear. They had a lot on their minds and the artwork reflected this.
I knew I needed to share their work with others. Attached is the pdf of their artwork and writing published into a zine. I am currently accepting donations for the zine in order to donate the money to Deer Park Middle Magnet School in order to benefit the students who created the work.
Donations can be made at youth-wins.tumblr.com. @youth.wins