Centering Our Cultures and Experiences How do we, as BIPOC, identify and center our own cultures and lived experiences & support one another?

Part of Mosaic Lifespan Curriculum

Open

To the People Who Have Mistaken Freedom for Liberation by Rev. Julián Jamaica Soto

“To be free, you must embrace
the breadth of your own existence
without apology, even if they try to take
it from you. You must know, not that you
can do whatever you want; you are not
a kudzu vine, eating entire hillsides for
the purpose of feeding your own lush life. You
must know instead, that you are entire
Universes - milky blue, magenta, and gold -
expanding. But to actually be free, you must
know and you must fight for the entire
Universes inside of everyone else.
Being free is not a license, but
A promise.”

“Spilling the light: Meditations on Hope and Resilience,” Skinner House Books This should be read aloud by a single speaker.

Before this session begins, lay out various craft supplies: crayons, play-doh, pencils, paper, markers, glues, popsicle sticks, cotton balls, buttons, stickers, etc.

Read

How Internalized White Supremacy Manifests for My BIPOC Students in Art School—Aram Han Sifuentes

This text highlights how students of color and other marginalized identities struggle in the art world because their identities and perspectives are challenged by white supremacy to maintain white comfort in and control over the art community. It also underscores the invisible work Sifuentes engages in to help students confidently center themselves in their art and develop strategies of resilience against white supremacist critique.

Watch

My Identity is a Superpower- - Not An Obstacle (YouTube)—America Ferrera (14:03)

Do

Using the craft materials available, create an image, object, statement, or other piece of art that symbolizes your superpower.

As participants work on their art, ask the following prompts for them to consider:

  • How does your superpower serve you?
  • How can your superpower serve other BIPOC folks?

Close

Yuri Kochiyama—Blue Scholars (3:51)

Ask one check out question before playing the song (choose one):

  • How will you use your super power going forward?
  • What small changes will you make to the system to center and support your own and other BIPOC identities?

Take Home

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