Rainier Beach High School BLOC Party

Rainier Beach School Bloc Party

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Description:

On March 23, 2017, I gave a workshop at the Rainier Beach High School BLOC party. The Workshop, “Rewriting Our Urban Footprints” focused on the differing mediums of which teens can use to respond to the issues of climate change and bringing awareness of their own personal footprint.   

Analysis:

Rainier Beach High School is a school with a very high population of people of color in Seattle. My interests is in increasing awareness and efforts on combating climate change among people of color in neighborhoods that also deal with other pressing social justice issues.   

During the session, I showcased activists of color who are using their mediums to bring attention to issues of Climate Change and pollution. I showed them examples of visual artists, hip hop, and some videos with facts about climate change. I brought art supplies, and  music equipment for them to express themselves in art freely. As someone who thrives in various art mediums, my goal is to use this love to connect with others in meaningful ways.    

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Reflection:

This workshop is a presentation I looked at in many ways as a failure and biggest learning moment. I came into the workshop with very clear goals and way that I wanted the workshop to go. I wanted to talk about climate change and show urgency and agency to the teens who came to my workshop. In that, I think I missed some very teachable moments where I could have connected better with the teens in my workshop.

This became very clear when I went around asking teens to share with me the art they were working on. One girls drawing of a black woman with a scar on her face stands out to me. She explained to me that this portrait represented police brutality against women. In that moment, I wish I had spend more time learning about what was imminent to them. I too care about police brutality, but I feel I came into the classroom as Rasheena Fountain the student at Antioch and IslandWood with intentions of applying environmental strategies in the real world.  It is a lesson that I took to heart and bothered me for days. I will always remember to bring my entire self into any place I go in.