SOCIAL JUSTICE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY 2019
Transformative political education, arts, and healing to build a more just world.
Ages 13 - 19 | Monday - Friday 10am - 3pm | July 8 - August 8, 2019
From July - August 2019, 34 teenagers joined us for the sixth year of our Social Justice Leadership Academy! Each year the Social Justice Leadership Academy (SJLA) combines transformative political education and hands-on arts programming to support young people in developing their visions and voices for change. SJLA’s mission is to support the creative power, collective leadership and joy of young people in our community, including youth of color, immigrant youth, queer youth, low-income and court-involved youth. Scroll below to see photos from the summer, hear our songs, see our art, and learn more about who we are. This program was made possible in part with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Arts Education Program.
Our 2019 Theme: #TheMarathonContinues
#TheMarathonContinues was our theme this summer, in honor of the powerful legacy of Nipsey Hussle. We are inspired by his dedicated artistry, fierce innovation, and relentless advancement of Black and oppressed peoples, and specifically within his own hood, Crenshaw in LA. His final album, Victory Lap, signifies the completion of a cycle in which we accomplish all that we set out for and more.
The struggle for liberation and creation of new worlds is an on-going, long and committed journey, but we know that in unity, love, and respect for each other, we can manifest what we put our hearts into. Rest in Power Ermias Joseph Ashgedom, aka Nipsey Hussle.
The Marathon Continues With Us...
ART EXHIBITION
This summer, SJLA youth were the artists-in-residence at the Basilica Back Gallery.
On August 7th, we held a public art exhibition at the gallery:
PHOTOS & highlights FROM OUR SUMMER
WEEK 1: HIGHLIGHTS - KNOW YOURSELF, ACTION SYMPOSIUM, THE MARATHON CONTINUES
Keynote Welcome with Kamal Johnson.
Youth-Led Orientation - ice-breakers, and trust-building games.
Know Yourself Fair - exploring our archetypes, identities, representation.
Visit to the River City Garden with the gardIN team, and an introduction to our zero-waste campaign.
ACTION Symposium, featuring these issues and guests: Immigrant Rights (with Jarin Ahmed and Juan Flores, Columbia County Sanctuary Movement), Housing Justice (with Michael Chameides, 4th Ward Supervisor), Prison Reform (with Cedric Fulton, Katal Center), Policing (with Joan Hunt & Kamal Johnson, Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood), LGBTQA Rights, Gun Violence, Climate Justice, Food Justice/Reparations, and Reproductive Rights.
Film Screening - Knock Down the House.
The Marathon Continues - Teach-in on Nipsey Hussle & the Marathon, building an altar for our loved ones and ancestors, followed by our own marathon (relay races & water-slide kickball).
WEEK 2: HIGHLIGHTS - FOUND SOUND MUSIC / FREEDOM FOOD / ART RESIDENCY
Songwriting for social change workshop, with Taina Asili and Gaetano Vacaro
Spoken word poetry share
A full week of music production, with Found Sound Nation
SJLA teens as artists in residency in the Basilica Back Gallery
Art visit to Basquiat x Warhol at The School in Kinderhook
A full week of food justice activities - growing food, identifying plants, making medicines, and a visit to Harmony Land Project
A visit from poet & activist Ian Manuel, from Found Sound Nation’s Juvenile Justice Project
WEEK 3: HIGHLIGHTS - CLEARWATER, MARCH FOR JUSTICE, VOX POP
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater boat trip! - with the Hudson Youth Department
Youth Skill Share - with workshops on songwriting, improv theater, adventure walk, baking, art-making, and photography hacks
Self-care day
Immigration Teach-In with Ingrid and Bryan from Columbia County Sanctuary Movement
Meeting our Representatives - Visit with Congressman Antonio Delgado and Assemblymember Didi Barrett at their new office in Hudson
March for Justice - teens designed a creative action and rally to protest family separation and the inhumane conditions at the border, including a drum brigade, music and signs, and a public art piece to draw attention to border conditions.
A trip to the historic Pine Street African Burial Ground with the Kingston Land Trust
Vox Pop Radio with the Kingston YMCA Farm Project teens
WEEK 4: HIGHLIGHTS - BRO SIS, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS, 4 DA CULTURE
Bro Sis Connection - Meet-up with teens from Brotherhood Sister Sol in NYC and trip to Lake Taghkanic
Gender “Let’s Talk About It” - Breaking down gender stereotypes, the difference between sex and gender, the gender spectrum, and going deep about our own experiences of gender.
Know Your Rights with Attorney Anthony Pastel
Mock Council with Tom DePietro (Common Council President) - and attended city Common Council meetings
Action time - writing our reps
4 Da Culture - rooting our actions in culture and lineage, sharing about our families and cultures
Presented a new LGBTQA policy at the Hudson City School District Board of Educators meeting
Boating and swimming trip to North South Lake
WEEK 5: HIGHLIGHTS - PROJECT LAB, COMMUNITY EVENT, APPRECIATIONS
Project Lab - preparing our final event, and working on our art projects, speeches, songs, dances, radio broadcasts, multi-media pieces, etc.
Our Final Event - featuring our art gallery exhibition, an immigrant rights photo documentary, “A Case for Reparations” skit, a speech about housing justice, music and poetry performances, dance choreography, and an incredible meal for 150+ community members. Watch the performances here.
Appreciation ceremony at Lake Taughkanic
WATCH OUR PERFORMANCES
From our Final Event on August 8, 2019
WHO WE ARE - SJLA 2019
Youth Participants:
Addison Geer, Ariel Harris, Dezjuan Smith, Diego Romero, Dominique Geer, Dominique Wells, Emran Malik, Frankie Boswell, Gabby Xavier, Jazmine Wisdom, Kenold Dorce, Kiara Dandridge, Kyla Woods, Larenz Wells, Lebron Frazier, Melina Jeune, Oziah Stroman, Rihanna Brandt, Serenity Mcgriff, Travis Williams, Ty’Myria Miller, Tysean Laurange and Xyon Haye.
Youth Fellows:
Deja Beauford, Gavin Strickland, Jasmin Ahmed, Mia Justiniano, Terrell Starr, Adonis Oliver-Ragland, Anna-K James, Gabriela Rivera, Pierre Rice and Zia Williams.
Community Partners & Guest Educators:
Thank you to all of our community partners and guest educators: Bryan MacCormack, Jarin Ahmed & Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, Found Sound Nation, The Brotherhood Sister Sol, Hudson Muslim Youth, Anthony Pastel, Casa Latina Pupusas y Mas, Basilica Hudson, Antonia Jimenez, Taina Asili & Gaetano Vaccaro, Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood, Harmony Land Project, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Kamal Johnson, Katal Center, Kingston YMCA Youth Farm, Jason Marlow, Lucy Segar, Natasha Strickland, NY State Summer Youth Employment Program, Scott Langley Photography, Tomm Roesch, Sara Kendall and Michael Chameides.
Adult Staff - Program Directors & Resilience Team
Zebi Williams (Program Director): Zebi is the Educator Director at Kite’s Nest. At the age of 18 Zebi founded the Lil Ragamuffin Summer Camp in Jamaica, which grew to be recognized as one of the top arts programs in the country. Zebi has worked as a community organizer in a range of contexts, and was a founding member of the Sista-2-Sista Youth Summit. Zebi is also a Mom, an artist, a fashion designer, and a UX designer.
Sharece Johnson (Program Director, Chief of Staff): Sharece grew up in Hudson, NY, where she has worked with a number of youth organizations and after school programs. Sharece is an educator, musician, and singer. With appreciation for the counselors and mentors in her own life, Sharece is dedicated to being a source of strength to the young people in her community.
Ingrid Romero (Program Director): Ingrid is an educator, creative, organizer and rebel. She has come up as a young NYC teen organizing and movement-building locally, and continues the cycle of love and liberation in her youth work practices. Currently, she is a worker-owner of the Rebellious Root Collective, a youth work-facilitation cooperative, and involved in local resistance and media projects in NYC and Colombia.
Jalal Sabur (Program Director): Jalal is a farmer, activist, organizer, educator and herbalist. He is a co-founder of Wildseed, an emerging Black and Brown-led, feminine-centered, queerloving, earth-based community and healing sanctuary in Millerton, NY. Previously Jalal has worked with WESPAC Foundation, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, the Freedom Food Alliance, the Victory Bus Project, and Sweet Freedom Farm. This was Jalal’s 6th summer as a lead educator at SJLA.
Dominque Curry (Assistant Chief of Staff): Dominque is a senior in college, where she studies criminology, is part of the step team, is president of the school’s Multicultural Student Association, and is a mentor for incoming freshman. This was her third summer with SJLA, where she brought her leadership skills as assistant Chief of Staff.
Briggin Scharf: (Environmental Justice Educator) Briggin is an educator, farmworker, food justice organizer, and the Greenhouse Program Manager at Kite’s Nest. Briggin has managed elementary school gardens in San Francisco and Poughkeepsie, organized intergenerational family farm visits and cooking classes, and was a founding member of Rolling Grocer 19 - an initiative to increase access to affordable, healthy and locally-produced food in Columbia County.
Chelsea Snider-Katt (Head Chef): Chelsea is our amazing head chef, cooking daily meals for the whole SJLA crew, and leading the charge for our ambitious final event menu!
Kaya Weidman (Resilience Team): Kaya Weidman is a co-founder and Executive Director of Kite’s Nest. Kaya was a co-founder of the Germantown Community Farm, a co-founder of WGXC 90.7-FM, and a founder of the Hudson Chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice. Kaya is the administrative backbone for SJLA, provides resilience support for the staff, is an SJLA photographer and social media content creator, and a logistics guru for the final event. She joins in sometimes to lead teach-ins on movement building and supports teens to attend city council and school board meetings to make their voices heard.
Thank you to those who supported us with food for our summer and final event:
Chelsea Snider-Katt (our head chef!), Briggin Scharf, Applestone Meat Co, Long Table Harvest, Natasha Strickland, Harmony Homestead, The Sylvia Center, Ronnybrook Farm, Samascott Farm and Orchard, Sparrowbush Farm, and White Pine Community Farm.
And thank you to all of our funders who made SJLA 2019 possible:
The North Star Fund, The Dyson Foundation, The Janey Fund, Margot Seigle, Galvan Foundation and the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation’s Fund for Columbia County.