After Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as president and vice president, Amanda Gorman, 22, became the youngest female to deliver a poem at a US presidential inauguration, reciting her poem "The Hill We Climb."

The poem captures the country's wider past, including the fight for and against civil justice for all citizens, as well as more modern history. The poem contains references to the assassination of George Floyd, as well as other police killings in recent years and decades, as well as the insurgency at the United States Capitol. The poem has been published and is available for purchase. This source is a great example of how someone can use their art to bring attention to social issues.

Trans women of color are often found on the sidewalks or in low-income housing on the periphery of society. Some are sex workers, a career that is already threatened with abuse.

This week I chose to binge watch season 1 of the show "Pose" on Netflix. I chose to watch this show partly because I was in need of a new series to watch, but also because I wanted to become more educated on the subject matters discussed in this show. I have seen the film "Paris is Burning" in film school but I wanted to view a modern take on this topic and how it has changed over time.

Pose is a TV show set in the 1980s and 1990s that deals with the danger of crime and HIV/AIDS. It's also a TV show in which almost every episode revolves around the time period's ballroom culture, which revolved around over-the-top appearances by trans and gay people dressed up in extravagant costumes and doing dance routines set to famous songs.

Trans women of all races are vulnerable to abuse, but trans women of color are especially affected. It is important for educators to familiarize themselves on important topics, such as the themes explored in "Pose", so that we may relate to our trans student population and understand the unjust actions trans individuals has faced in the past as well as in today's society.

This year, I joined a Facebook group called "Art Teachers for Antiracist Curriculum". The group is filled with an abundant amount of resources that I have not had the time until now to deep dive into. One post specifically caught my attention of a peer asking for assistance rewriting curriculum for their district that included artists of color. Another art teacher commented with the link to the website below. I explored the artists on the page and learned about new artists who I can relate to a lot because of my Asian/Hawaiian heritage.

Art21 has some great resources on contemporary artists of color. Each artist has a biography and a video interview. It's great to hear the artist discuss their work in their own words.

I specifically pulled this page from their website because it highlights Asian American and Pacific Islander Voices. I love referencing contemporary artist in my classroom and holding discussions regarding the art of today and the negative social constructs artist attempt to dismantle.

This week I wanted to explore social constructionism in more depth. I also wanted to view more Ted Talks because I am a fan of this resource. This discussion focuses on the conception of what identities are and how they are constructed.
I never really given much thought regarding my identity. My boyfriend jokes that I am "racially ambiguous" because it is hard to pinpoint my ethnicity solely based on my appearance. I view myself as a mutt most of the time, which really affects my mentality. I remember my college professor assigned a self-portrait sculpture assignment and I had so much emotional conflict with the assignment. Most students were able to draw on their family's culture and practices whereas I did not have much to look towards for inspiration. I am not Hispanic enough, I am not Hawaiian enough, I am not Asian/Pacific Islander enough, I am not White enough...
Seeing young people begin this dialogue early can help others facing this conflict.
Identity is important but it should not define a person.

I am an avid bookworm and love the excuse to put down my electronics and get lost in a story. I normally read fiction but this course has given me the opportunity to expand my library into new genres. This week I chose to finally read The Other Wes Moore. This novel has been sitting on my bookshelf since my undergraduate orientation at the University of Central Florida. The book was given to all students as a gift and we were encouraged to read it independently. Like most freshman, I brushed it off and left it on my shelf to collect dust. When thinking about another resource to deep dive into regarding a new cultural perspective, I immediately thought of this story.

The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore was published on April 15, 2010. The book follows along the story of the author as well as an individual named Wes Moore. Both have the same name, were raised in Baltimore, had difficult childhoods, and are African American. However, their upbringing and family dynamics are completely different, resulting in two completely different outcomes. One Wes Moore overcame his disadvantages to life a successful life as a decorated combat veteran whereas the other Wes Moore ended up in prison for his involvement in a murder. This novel delves into Wes Moore, the scholar’s, journey and discovery of friendship and perspective.

This novel contains themes such as racism, systemic racism, absent fathers, factors that hinder or help African American boys’ upbringings, fat, and breaking the cycle.

I found from this book that diversity is not just about race or culture; it is everywhere around us. We are all complex, which means that we are all distinct. Communication, I believe, is the answer to this dilemma. People often speak in hushed tones about topics with which they are uncomfortable. Familiarity is another approach to the racial dilemma. Most people are afraid of or mistrust what they are unfamiliar with. Bringing awareness to these solutions to our students is the first step to fix the problems discussed in this novel.

10/10. Due to this book, I may need to begin reading more memoirs so recommendations are appreciated!

I knew I wanted to watch a film for one of my resources this week and I called my mom and asked her for some advice. I told her I wanted to watch a film that discussed racism. She immediately recommended the film "Stand and Deliver".

Jamie Escalante, a math teacher, came to Garfield with the goal of changing the system and pushing his pupils to greater levels of learning. Escalante found it difficult to encourage uninspired teens, yet he was able to achieve his objectives through perseverance and determination.

This film actually brought me to tears. This year has been really difficult teaching unmotivated students and there have been times that I just wanted to give up and stop putting as much effort into my lesson plans because only a few amount of students seemed interested. The film helped to show me the greatness that can come out of hard work and making your students feel heard.

I have been utilizing The Art of Education's website as a resource for my classroom for years but I have never set aside the time to listen to their podcast. I found one episode (How We Address Race in the Art Room, Ep. 225) and thought that this would be the perfect addition to my deep dive. 

Tim Bogartz, Lena Rodriguez, Jen Russell, and Dr. Wynita Harmon address cultural appropriation, inclusion, and representation in the art room in this episode. They covered a number of useful tips for instructors, including doing more study on cultures, appropriation, unconscious prejudice, and just examining oneself first to have a better understanding. Also, when it comes to your pupils, you must understand that relationships are quite vital. 

They also talked about how essential it is to teach children about artists from the past, as well as current artists, varied artists, different genders, and representations, and how to include it into the classroom.

I really enjoyed the format of their podcast and can see myself tuning in for another episode in the near future.

In my classroom, I highlight a different contemporary artist weekly. I have seen the positive affects that this has had on my students by not only seeing the art of today in action but by also seeing contemporary artists from various backgrounds being successful. 

I was pleasantly surprised to stumble across this article by Elle magazine regarding Black, contemporary artists. I think that it is a great thing for such a large media outlet to use their enormous platform to support and bring awareness to this topic. I especially like how they are encouraging their audience to not only learn about them, but to encourage their journey and support them by liking their social medias and buying their work. 

The 7 Black artists featured in this article are Hank Willis Thomas, Kehinde Wiley, Kara Walker, Theaster Gates, Carrie Mae Weems, Lorna Simpson,  Derrick Adams. Their Instagram accounts are linked in the article and a photo of one of their artwork is accompanied by a brief biography.

It would mean a great deal to the world of more publications saw the benefit in highlighting social issues such as this.

This week I chose to take a virtual tour of the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. This museum, which opened in 1964, is dedicated to the archaeology and history of Mexico's pre-Hispanic culture. There are 23 display rooms featuring ancient relics, some of which date back to the Mayan civilization.

I really was not that familiar with Mexican art history, specifically anthropology, so I thought the best way to expand my knowledge of this would be to take a tour of the museum. This museum has the world's biggest collection of ancient Mexican art, as well as ethnographic exhibitions regarding today's indigenous populations in Mexico.

During the tour I was able to see a variety of items, including the Aztec Calendar, a reconstruction of Pakal's tomb, and a Zapotec Bat God Jade mask. The civilizations that arose in Central Mexico are shown in the rooms on the right, and as you travel through the museum, the civilizations reveal how they have evolved through time, culminating in the Mexica (Aztec) display, which is rich of massive stone sculptures. I really liked how the museum was set up in chronological order to make it easy for the viewer to comprehend the real timeline of events. 

I learned about the culture of Mexico through the art in this museum and can't wait to share this resource with my students!

This collection of essays is intended to help educators humanize Black people in curriculum, teaching, and policy while also relating learning to the lives of young people.

This book is full with materials that show instructors how to relate curriculum to students' lives and how to ground their concerns and everyday experiences in what is taught and how classrooms are set up. It also emphasizes the beauty and optimism of student activism and group action.

This collection of writings provided me a lot of ideas on how to improve my teaching skills, not just for black kids, but for all kids. The essays covered a wide range of topics, including classroom tactics and lesson plans, how to better understand racial dynamics in schools, and the national background of race relations and racism.

The National Education Association who's aim is to believe in the ability of public education to transform lives and build a more equitable and inclusive society for all children. I actually did not seek out this article, it was emailed to me and I thought it would be a great resource to include for this week's deep dive.

The main takeaways from this article are that some politicians in at least 15 states around the country are lobbying for outmoded and erroneous teaching, redlining historical truths to excuse current damages. Also, many educators confront individuals who wish to overlook the oppressive structures that have affected people of color in our country. This attack on public education is not being taken lightly by educators.

I want my students to think about what they see in the world more deeply. Educators need to utilize critical race theory, prevent disguised censorships, independently research racial injustices, and act accordingly in order to be an effective teacher with a lasting impact on students.

"Teaching Visual Culture" by Kerry Freedman discusses curriculum, aesthetics, and the social life of art. 

I found this resource through Britney Thomas's blog post when I was researching material regarding social reconstructionism in art education.

According to Freedman, our educational process and the individuals who educate us are critical to the world's destiny. She also emphasizes the value of visual culture and viewing the world in a student's education. Education is strong, and it has the potential to alter the world if students are properly educated.

In the final chapter of the book, Freedman emphasizes the need for peer assessment, portfolio development, and direct observation. As an educator, I will make sure to head her advice in my practices.

This website compiles a number of frameworks for describing the stages of racial and ethnic identity formation.

I explored the shared FSU padlet to find this resource and I am so glad I stumbled across it. While it is a short and concise read, it did allow me the time to explore the other resources within that shared padlet that I never had the chance to do before.

This resource summarizes the stages of racial identity development and categorizes people into the following three categories: people of color, biracial people, and white people. 

Reading through the processes enveloped within the integration model helped me understand the crucial point of when to integrate awareness.