Join us March 21, 2020, from 2 - 5 p.m.
By breaking down the microaggressions that center on the ascription of intelligence for minorities, the Spring 2020 Artivism project will dive into the youth’s relationship with the written word.
How? Altered books.
Glue it, cut it, tear it, paint it, sew it—however the youth wants to reimagine the book they are holding or the text they are reading, the process of altering books inspires a deeper examination of “don’t judge a book by its cover” and encourages the youth to reimagine themselves in narratives that may have previously felt unapproachable.
Why is this important?
In 2018 and at an 86% literacy rate, the United States ranked 125th globally. When comparing the percentage of adults with a high education and the percentage of those without, Texas lands 50th in the nation. And while Dallas ranks 37th when comparing cities nationally, San Antonio, El Paso, and Corpus Christi are all ranked in the 70s. When jumping into the massive amounts of research dedicated to this topic, one of the most frustrating is the availability of books when comparing low-income communities and affluent ones: 1 book for every 300 children as opposed to the average 12 books accessible in communities with quality resources. So, for marginalized youth, exposure to stories, let alone stories that reflect them and draw their engagement is nearly non-existent.
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