Art & Action for Ahmaud

Poster designed by Nicole A., Brooklyn Friends School Class of 2020, with contributions by Beau S., Youth Speak Justice

Since Ahmaud Arbery’s life was unjustly taken from us on February 23, 2020, those closest to him, as well as young people across the country, have been organizing and seeking justice. Now, six months later, three organizations, Students Unite!, Youth Speak Justice, and the 2:23 Foundation are calling youth worldwide to come together and create various forms of art that express your feelings and experiences during the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.

This call-to-action is an effort to raise awareness, inspire change, and honor the memory of Ahmaud and all black and brown bodies who have died at the hands of racial violence. Your artwork can be any type of medium, including visual art, creative writing, spoken word, photography, music, and all performing arts. Art submissions will be showcased beginning on August 23, to commemorate the 6 month anniversary of Ahmaud’s death.

Selected submissions will be featured as part of a virtual exhibition hosted by Savannah State University's Fine Arts Gallery and on the 2:23 Foundation social media sites. In addition, all submissions are shared below and on the Youth Speak Justice site.

We as youth across the globe can do the work to create reform and active change in our communities.

Featured Submissions

#iRunWithMaud

Martha W.

Social Justice Sewing Academy
Antioch, California

Fabric, sewing machine

24" x 20"

The Names of America's Betrayed

Kaia M. , 15,
Avenues: The World School, New York

colored pencil

9" x 12"

Katie H., 24,
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland

Savannah P., 18,
Seattle Academy, Seattle, Washington

acrylic paint

Aminta M., 17,
Seattle Academy, Seattle, Washington

Emily M., 13,
The Hockaday School, Dallas, Texas

Matisse I., 13,
Brooklyn Friends School , Brooklyn, New York

Maurice B., 24, Georgia State University , Atlanta, Georgia

IMG_0840 - Ashley Bryant.mov

Black Lives

Olivia S., 14, Fleming Island High School, Florida

"When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something,” - John Lewis. The Black Lives Matter movement is what people are protesting for as of this moment. People fight for what they think is right whether it is for or against "Black Lives Matter". What is supposed to be a peaceful protest is sometimes reflected through anger and frustration even though it shouldn't be. The world is watching our every move. We can't see them watching our gestures and actions, but we all should they are staring at their TV with their mouths open while we don't even notice or maybe we don't care. It should be dawning on us that maybe we should consider this as a reminder that we are the country of freedom, liberty, equality, and justice. But lately our country of so called equity has fallen off the railroad tracks that were leading us to greatness. Some of us just sit back and watch as Americans are harassing each other and some of us are those harassers. Tell me, is this the example we should set for young kids all over the world? Ahmaud Arbery was a 25 year old black man who lived in Georgia. He was out on a run and 2 white men, one a retired police officer and the other the son, got out of a van with a gun in hand. Ahmaud was an innocent man but they shot him...shot him just because he was a black man. His family has long been in America, for over 200 years. If anyone belonged here, it was Ahmaud. America has come along way from the past and why should we pause and rewind? I am not saying we should all think the same because different opinions are what encourages growth in this country. But we shouldn't go back to previous years to find answers. America needs to move forward. We are supposed to be the nation that stands out from the others, to show them how good we are at fixing our own mistakes and how amazingly gracious and empathetic the people of this nation are. Right now, we aren't the ones being the role models our Founding Father's wanted to be...but we should be. That's why we left Britain isn't it? To show the world that we can run a great country on our own without England's help? The USA is suffering and if you can't see that you need to put you glasses on and watch as continues to crumble down slowly. Michelle Obama said in the Democratic Convention "This is not who we want to be...Sadly, this is the America that is on display for the next generation. A nation that’s underperforming not simply on matters of policy but on matters of character." Do we really want to be judging innocent people by the color they were born to live their lives in? Colors are what make up the world today. "Your missing every color if you're only seeing black and white," -Kane Brown. It is a beautiful thing that not everybody can understand. If what makes up a person's life (religion, race, likes, dislikes) makes them happy, let them be. Let them enjoy life at the fullest because they are just like you, a creation made not to live in dread and misery, but a life in compassion, empathy, and happiness. Us kids are standing up and protesting. We are the future and we plan to make it bright. America needs to stand together and work concomitantly to build this land up again without being set back by our differences. Kane Brown wrote a song, Worldwide Beautiful, saying "Tell me how you're going to change your mind if your heart's unmovable." I know I can't make you reconsider, I can only influence and inform your way of thought. The Black Lives Matter movement is not a violent protest. It is a peaceful reminder that we stand in conjunction. Kids need you, America needs you, the world needs you to stand up and join us in this reconstruction to mend the railroad tracks and hop aboard on this new expedition to a better future for every one of us.