What do Activist Literacies Look Like?
“I am very aware of how pieces of art- visual, musical, and written- throughout time have been greatly influenced by political movements. Every time I join a rally, go to a march, or spread information about the undocumented movement with my groups, GUYA, and #Undocufiles, we include some kind of visual art.”
Images, Energy, and Action
“JoLLE enabled me to take part in an ongoing dialogue of how to make meaning through diverse formats: paintings, hand-drawn pictures, music, digital texts, video, and still images.”
ac∙tiv∙ism \ˈak-ti-ˌvi-zəm\
“In the lobby of the Georgia Center, JOLLE set up an Activist Photobooth. One of our most popular activities, everyone who attended our opening night gala took photos with both friends and strangers, with signs that shared their thoughts on reading, literacy, and activism."
Discomfort and an Identity Shift
"What I found at JoLLE was a necessary discomfort…. I realized I needed to rethink my comfort zone and my identity as a teacher.”
Who do You Want to be in the World?
“Dear Jack, ...Through this conference, you learned that art and music are valid ways to be in the world, to communicate, to demonstrate understanding, to communicate, to inspire, to contribute, to maybe one day change the world.”
Challenging Immigration Policies
“Presenting Boalian scenarios to those who traditionally hold power allows students to have voice and dialogue with existing power structures. .”
A 2nd grader reflects
“It made me think about art. It represents most of the things in the world and people’s imagination. It makes us heavy thinkers.”
Community Literacy Collaborations
““Our main participation came in having three adult learners come to share their story of how literacy affects their lives. Two of them have obtained their GED and the third is lacking the last test of five. They told their stories in a powerful video.”