Thank you for showing up once again for our Reclaim MLK 2021, celebrating the 92nd birthday of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr!
This year instead of print events and art making, we handed out this years’ art and social justice educational materials in screen-printed art swag bags with iconic and inspirational quotes from Coretta Scott King, Sojourner Truth and bell hooks. If you did not receive a packed tote bag, please reach out to us at contact@dontshootpdx.org.
Social Change Matters:
It’s 2021 and it’s more important than ever to strengthen Black voices and Black stories through movement, books and works of art. Please use these materials for research to increase your knowledge of social movements.
Inside your bag, you will find:
- A book by Black artists and illustrators,
- A ‘Know Your Rights’ flyer,
- Art supplies,
- Our Mutual Aid BLM Zine,
- T-shirts,
- Mental Health Resources from Safer Space BLM,
- and our Reclaim MLK 2021 Newspaper, “MLK: The Three Letters”, featuring individual letters from Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, ‘Letter from Birmingham’, John Lewis, ‘Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation’ (Mr. Lewis wrote this essay shortly before his death, to be published upon the day of his funeral) and Fredrick Douglas, ‘To My Old Master.’
Educational Resources:
We encourage everyone to keep these newspapers from this years’ March and to research the letters to learn more about the authors. Social justice and education go hand in hand. In some of your bags, you’ll find Woke Notes which we encourage you to use for note taking as you read your book. We’d love to hear back from you and get feedback and reactions to these amazing stories. This year our Spring Break Out programming will be virtual. COVID-19 has changed the way we come together but we plan to continue keeping our focus on your social justice educational needs.
What we are asking you to do is to write a report or make a reaction video that explains how you felt about the items in your bag, especially the book you received. You can discuss this in whichever way you feel comfortable whether it’s sending an email to the Children’s Art and Social Justice Council or sending a video!
Report should include the following:
- Title of your book from ReclaimMLK,
- A paragraph or two about the author.
- Share in your desired medium what you liked about the book.
- Let us know what you didn’t like?
- Did reading this title give you any ideas about a book you would like to write?
Please share and send your report to contact@dontshootpdx.org.
Leadership:
Youth that would like to be more involved with CASJC can sign up to participate in this years education, outreach, legal and finance committees. Volunteering is a great way to gain exposure to the advocacy and outreach work we do! Thank you for making this years Reclaim MLK possible. Tag us on social media by using these hashtags: #DontShootPortland #DontShootPDX #DSP
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The Children’s Art and Social Justice Council began organizing in the Fall of 2017. Community partnerships with local art and education institutions, including ally organizations, gave wings to this effort. Our focus has been to utilize art and history as a vehicle to promote social change. Children are taught about the mechanics of community organizing. We introduce them to historical leaders and policy formed for human rights to support the struggle for the protection of civil liberties. We challenge members of our CASJC to use this grassroots education to create art that promotes their understanding and ideals for necessary policy change and culture shifts from white supremacy and all its forms of inequality.
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PURCHASE ART FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
