Content And Learning Objectives: We All Can Be A Leader
The main objective of this unit is to look deeply at how artists have used their craft to convey messages of social justice and advocacy for a cause and how we, as humans of diverse backgrounds and different ages, use our art as a vehicle for societal change and the spread of positivity.
As with all my projects and units, we will also be focusing on the importance of sustained effort, intentionality, and routine. As an adult who has struggled with task planning and attention, I have seen the benefits (both for my students and myself) of strategies that incorporate routine and perseverance. And even though this is a common thread across all my units and projects, it does take a more prominent role for this unit since so many of the writings from this seminar discuss the importance of perseverance and sustained effort. Building a movement takes calculated, intentional, and routine planning to be effective. From the Young Lords,[24] to the Fort Hood Three,[25] to the Black Panthers,[26] all these movements were the result of planning, intentionality, perseverance, and routine.
Historian Robin D. G. Kelley even discusses this in his writing about the right’s constant battle against black and minority studies on all levels.[27] If we are to take our place as artist activists, we need to play the long game just as social justice and civil rights activists play the long game. Whether it is with our activism, honing our craft, or a combination of both, we should always be thinking about and working towards our goals, knowing that we will be lifelong learners and will be forever honing those skills.
“Don’t talk about it,
It’s not a show.
Be about it,
It’s ‘bout to blow”
-The Coup, “The Guillotine”[28]
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