PROJECT PRODUCTS & COLLABORATORS
Poetry
Author, Jason Dyba
May 27, 2020
I grieve for my black friends and the ongoing murder of black men.
In my life, I have been outraged over much lesser things, while staying silent on things that truly matter.
I admit I have been defensive when others were just asking me to care.
I'm grateful that I've been given grace while I'm learning to love.
I wrote this piece, both remorseful for what I have contributed to this tragedy, and hopeful that we could all change.#GeorgeFloyd
~Jason Dyba
Kneel
we weren’t mad
that Trayvon’s hoodie was left with a bloody stain.
we weren’t mad
that a van kept driving with a comatose Freddie Gray
we weren’t mad
when Walter Scott ran for his life on our 4th screen.
… but we were mad
when Kaepernick took a knee.
we didn’t pity Botham Jean
guilty of being-home-while-Black.
we didn’t mourn
the slumped Philando with a 4-year-old in the back.
we weren’t enraged for Samuel DeBose or Alton Sterling
or Oscar Grant headed home after New Year’s Eve.
...but we were mad
when Kaepernick took a knee.
we didn’t learn ‘bout Emmett’s mama
and all the tears that slowly crushed her.
we didn’t care when the chopper hovered
over the lifeless Terence Crutcher.
we didn’t even pause when Ahmaud’s run was gunned down
in broad daylight on a Georgia street.
...but we were mad
when Kaepernick took a knee.
we weren’t moved by Eric Garner
we forgot that he couldn’t breathe.
we outlawed the fatal chokehold
but had no outrage for his dying plea.
we were too busy hating Kaepernick
hating the implicit gesture that this land wasn’t truly a land of liberty.
...we were so mad
we hardly noticed
George Floyd dead beneath a knee.
Artist-Anissa King
Multimedia Video
Artist, Anissa King
My name is Anissa King and I’m 17 years old. I graduated from Oswego High School this year and am currently a freshman studying film and animation at Savannah College of Art and Design. My passion for filmmaking began when I was about 8 years old. I’ve always known what I wanted to do in life - to inspire and share my voice with people through my films. I devote most of my time working on stop motion animations for my YouTube channel (BlueFlowerAGstudios) and learning more and more about my passion. I am a proud Puerto Rican and African American and feel so blessed to be given the opportunity to work on this project. I want to reach many people with my video in hopes to help spread the word about the injustice that is happening against people of color.
This program contains news footage that may be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
Visual Art, "Still We Rise"
Artist, Edo
A Note from Rachel Maxwell
The intention of the music is not to tell the story of racial injustice from a Black perspective. It is to ask; how can we, as people of privilege, know better, do better and come to terms with the terrible history that we have benefited from? How do we educate ourselves and students to be honest and aware, have open hearts, and move toward social justice? The burden has been placed, unfairly, on people of color to educate and enlighten all of us. If a person of color wishes to share their perspective and their story then it is appreciated but they are not obligated to also be responsible for our learning and growth. So many people are tired from this unfair burden.
It is time for all of us to do the research, ask the questions, search our souls and make a plan. This piece asks, How Do We Right Our Wrongs?