Compassionate ARTS in Action, in partnership with PostsForPeaceAndJustice.org (P4PJ), Art to Change the World (ACW) and South High School students, Minneapolis Police Officer Chard (who works at the school,) artists and teachers – all participated in a COMPASSIONATE CONVERSATIONS art workshop at SEE. SAY. DO! (a series of ACW events at Squirrel Haus Arts Center in Minneapolis in Oct. 2018.)
We then continued with mentoring and a writing contest with Fe Love (LA.) Kira Carrillo Corser (CA) and Barbara Bridges (MI) with additional help from Jill Waterhouse, Assistant Principal Isabel Rodriguez, and Denny Sponsler to complete the 8-foot painted inspiration Post about Safety and Justice.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS POST: To work collaboratively through the arts to help youth cope with issues of race and feeling safe while encouraging civic engagement and compassionate conversations with possible solutions to healing past experiences.
Such an unusual opportunity! In our Minneapolis workshop, students got to sit down with adult artists, a school vice principal and police to discuss historical trauma and family/personal experiences on safety and justice – and then create Mini-Posts and a collaborative 8-foot P4PJ Post as a way to educate, inspire and remember this opportunity!
This workshop was facilitated by Compassionate ARTS in Action and Art to Change the World, in partnership with Posts for Peace and Justice and South High School. Oct. 2018 – Jan. 2019 and supported by funding from the Givens Foundation for African American Literature and from the Minnesota Humanities.
“My dad got stopped so many times by cops for no reason . . . I’m hurt and I know other people are hurt, of color. So that is why I did this . . . “ — Nykia, South High student talking about society needing to heal, and her painting
“When my dad was younger, he was subject to the social normality that was for colored people, in Minneapolis. He grew up in Blood Territory, which is a highly gang related area…so that sorta projects fear onto me…if I am riding with him, or see a cop, it’s sort of like that subconscious fear, but now, I’ve grown and gotten to know cops personally and professionally.” — Adrianna, South High Student, Writing Contest Winner
“I drew a girl that had a hijab on (her head) and said ‘I AM MUSLIM, NOT A TERRORIST.’ “ — Muslim student, South High
The daughter’s words on the Post say,
“Mom, I’m scared!”
She went on to write:
“Shots fired, shots fired!
Over 10 of my Muslim Brothers passed away this summer.
Are we really safe?”
“I feel so hopeful, and excited especially for my students. We didn’t really know at the beginning of this project how the end of it was going to be. Just listening to how excited they are, about continuing this conversation and wanting to get back and let everybody know what they did, they want to stay here. Like they wanted to continue to paint and talk about their hopes and change and social justice.” — Ms. Rodriguez, Assistant Vice Principal South High School, Minneapolis
“We are supporting this project because we like the idea of using the written word in conjunction with building youth through the practice of art. This is a great way, where art itself is being integrated ….You have law enforcement and youth coming together…so Compassionate ARTS does a wonderful job of integrating cross disciplinary, Education, Arts and a Human Justice topic for police community relations.” — Mr. Herman Milligan Jr, Chair, Givens Foundation for African American Literature
The project is ongoing, outcomes include:
- Better communication between law enforcement and youth (with testimonials)
- A student essay contest with Spoken Word/Poetry about their personal experience with Safety & Justice, reflections and suggested solutions from youth perspectives.
- Installation of an 8-foot collaborative painted inspirational and educational post with 40 participants writing quotes, facts, and drawings/painted illustrations.
- Take home mini-posts (painted small wood pieces with inspiring messages for sustaining knowledge and self reflection)
- 3 short video documentaries on the workshop
- The formation of a Youth Arts Council with desire to continue working with Compassionate ARTS and the Art To Change The World groups
- Action for present and future engagement in politics, civic engagement and the arts.
SCHOOL CELEBRATION OF CONTEST WINNERS
PERFORMING THEIR WRITING & INSTALLATION OF POST
see outcomes!
“Compassionate Conversations on Safety and Justice” was the title of our fantastic workshop, followed by 3 months of mentoring compassionate social justice youth leaders and a Writing Contest on Safety and Respectability Politics with students from South High School. The school and Art to Change The World helped the students plan a school celebration where the three finalists performed. Speakers included Ed Graff Superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools, Jill read a beautiful letter in support of the students from Andrea Jenkins, first African American transgender Minneapolis City Councilmember, and representatives from our partnership at the unveiling of the completed eight-foot-tall painted collaborative Post for Peace and Justice created with 50 participants, The Post is installed permanently at the school!
Compassionate ARTS, Art to Change The World & South High Documentary (15 min. Documentary) contains Safety and Justice fears and passion expressed by students, teachers, police and artists involved in the Compassionate ARTS Conversations at “See. Say. Do! Exhibition” sponsored by Art To Change the World, at Squirrel Haus in Minneapolis In Oct. 2018.
Our videos, Essay Contest Winners on Safety and Justice and Responsibility Politics. and Completed Post for Peace and Justice Installation at the school, shows how listening to Black and Brown youth in “Compassionate Conversations” on “Safety and Justice” can really impact feelings toward law enforcement and civic engagement with high school students, police, teachers and artists (from Minn. and CA)
Compassionate ARTS in Action always works in partnership with nonprofits, schools, communities, etc. Co-founders and facilitators are Kira Carrillo Corser and Felecia (Fe Love) Lenee.
We usually partner with the Posts for Peace and Justice Project. See this website for 4 years of our work! Postsforpeaceandjustice.org
Special thanks to Art to Change the World artists/facilitators who helped make this possible: Barbara Rodgers Bridges Founder and Director; Candy Kuehn, Sandy Gillespie, Jill Waterhouse, Craig Harris, Dennis Sponsler, Isabel Rodriguez.
Special thank you to our sponsors: The Givens Foundation for African American Literature, The Minnesota Humanities.
WINNING STUDENT WRITINGS
Compassionate Arts Essay
(written to perform)
Civic Engagement, boom. What comes to mind when you think of “Civic Engagement? ”
For people who aren’t civically engaged it probably doesn’t make sense, it would be fair to say the same for those who are engaged. Imagine if this one confusing term could be the cure for injustice in our nation and profoundly change the narrative of American intellect.
Communities of color are the first stop on the campaign trail, but the last stop for change. Why is it that politicians can get away with ignoring problems facing Americans of minority racial groups and low income whites in rural areas?
My answer is because a vast majority of members from these communities haven’t realized the full potential of civic engagement not only through protests but through votes. They are unable to secure the resources necessary to keep up to date with facts and are unable to take the time to research the issues and voting records. They must rely on human nature. Voting for someone because of the way they smile or because of how they felt about that meticulously crafted soundbite. It’s why people from those communities who have “woken up,” find they can never surpass or even meet their turn out goals persistently during elections. This is why respected voices from these disenfranchised communities scream the message to “wake up” or “stay woke.”
Ghandi said “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” So that’s one of the things I’ve done to aid this problem. I’ve gotten politically active on several campaigns and have spent as much time as I can studying the issues. My intent was, and still is, to help lift communities of low socioeconomic status from the chains of misinformation and poverty by endorsing candidates that have made pledges to help through strong unconventional representation.
When I have conversations with community members ,I never tell them to outright vote for the candidate I think will best suit them. I give them in depth info. on the issues they face and how that candidate has fought similar issues, or what that candidate can do in the office they want.
I’m currently working with community organizers to push for more diverse community meetings and I want to start “Know Your Rights Tours” soon in communities that have a high police/ICE presence. It’s my hope that through these efforts, community engagement will skyrocket to solve the problem of poor civic engagement.
In conclusion, I hope, you, the judges can take a new sense of understanding my views and maybe adopt some of the ideals that not only me, but my fellow competitors propose in their essays.
— Tiger K. Worku —
My Story
Growing up, I always saw on the news racial profiling from authorities against minority groups. But going more deeply into this issue, and getting involved in Compassionate Arts, now I’ve got a better understanding of what surrounds me and a closer connection with local authority.
I’ve seen in the media the practice by law enforcement officials targeting individuals based on the race, ethnicity, religion or national origin. I could see the impact of this information on the community generating fears and stereotypes. Even myself, feeling mistrust towards authorities from stereotypes.
For example the incident when Oscar Grant was shot dead by Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer Johannes Mehserle in 2009 in Oakland, California. Mehserle and other police officers had been responding to reports of a fight, and arrested and handcuffed Oscar and several others in a subway station. Oscar was handcuffed, unarmed and lying on the ground when officer Mehserle pulled out his gun and shot him in the back. In court officer Mehserle claimed he thought his gun was his taser. He was sentenced to two years in jail and let out on parole in June 2011. This created fear towards the police department. Which as a result, the connection between authorities and the community was broken.
Through Compassionate Arts, Posts for Peace and Justice and Art to Change The World. I got the opportunity to talk to an officer. I got to know him well. He was a really respectful human being. And he was there to listen to us, the youth, the people, the students. I got to learn more about him, his role in the community, and his purpose. I would say it was an eye opener to me. That mistrust that was inside of me just disappeared. i’ve come to the conclusion that actions of certain individuals are not always similar, with the same purpose as others.
So I’m proposing a solution, this solution would be to have officers communicating with the youth, we have to let our voices be heard, and have someone who would listen to us because communication serves five major purposes: to inform, to express feelings, to imagine, to influence, and to meet social expectations. Each of these purposes is reflected in a form of communication. Technically, communication is the key for everything. This is about teamwork. Hopefully this would build better relationships. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
— Carlos Ortiz —
Black Hate
Black hate, a disease with no remedy. In their eyes we’re all young thugs facing time for felonies and they still have the right to justify their confederacy. They can’t accept our black excellence and the words that poor from their mouth‘s man they are venomous. As we try to seek leadership in our community, they see it as an opportunity to discriminate ruthlessly. You know unless we playing ball or rap like Biggie Smalls we ain’t good enough. Might as well have never left the hood now it’s done for us. We look you eye to eye and stand tall but this nation wasn’t built for us all. I have no doubt because I know my people. I know where we stand and I know where we kneel. My ancestors taught me right, Martin, Malcom, Kaepernick they all passed on the light. We stand with love and unity. You can’t take away our community.
My brother right beside me, he has something that you don’t see. He’s so talented and he speaks his mind. You’ll never see him slacking cause he always on that grind. He gets straight A’s and that’s not something I can downplay.
As for me, I’m a young and creative. My words are so smooth they almost meditative. My heart is filled with love and my brain with wisdom. Pain and oppression is what I overcome. The joy in me and my peers is overwhelming. We put our heads together and we can do anything. The power we carry comes built-in. We are capable or more than you imagine.
— Adriana Carreño —
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