In July 2022, the inaugural class of the Arts and Social Justice Fellowship presented their culminating projects in a fascinating multi-media experience.
The fellowship's first year centered around Strathmore and Woolly Mammoth’s co-presentation of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower. Over six months, eight high school fellows engaged in study, discussions, and creation at the intersection of arts and social change.
Their research and reflection covered Butler's Parable novels, as well as many other works and creators including Audre Lorde, Sonic Youth, Terence Trent D’Arby, Danez Smith, Robin DiAngelo, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, the film Sorry to Bother You, TV show American Gods, and more.
2022 Projects
Salon Appointment by Rahimah Hagmagid
A series of multi-media paintings and collages that explore forgotten, unacknowledged, and discredited elements of Black American history. Told through the metaphor of hair, this series delves into the themes of self-expression, loss, pain, resilience, and growth. The series gives a spotlight to stories of Black American history that have been left out of textbooks, erased from media, and hidden from memory.
Next Stop, Please by Allison Sweeney
This portion of Allison’s original play, Next Stop, Please, focuses on civil rights-era Louisiana when Black women had begun exercising the right to vote in the mid-1960s. Two young girls, Sadie and Tonya, are just of voting age and have come from completely different worlds. They forge an unexpected friendship caught in the dissonance of the American feminist movement and who it has left behind.
Nightmare the Clown’s New World Order by Corvid Thomas
This project is a combination of Corvid’s three biggest passions: art, storytelling, and music. With each medium Corvid has tried to shed light on its Black nonbinary experience. Too often Black and queer people are left out of gaming. It’s an industry that’s heavily focused on cishet white men, but the art pieces Corvid created seek to erode that norm, by redrawing characters from the white-dominated Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise as Black queer people. Corvid also continued an old art series called the Void Project in the form of a small book, focused on sharing its stories of rage, struggle, and healing through the eyes of fictional characters.
Section 265 by Dani Klein
A part of US Health Law—Section 265 of Title 42—was invoked at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to immorally justify expulsions of southern border refugees on the grounds of public health and disease prevention.
Because of this, 1.8 million refugees and asylum-seekers have been turned away at our southern border since the start of the pandemic. It can be challenging to wrap our heads around a number that huge. Dani created a mosaic-style piece to help people understand the sheer size of the number 1.8 million, and therefore understand how many people were put in life-threatening danger, how many families were separated in order to be able to stay safe, how many people’s processes to legally seek asylum were rendered useless, and on and on. Each bead on this mosaic represents 100 men, women, and/or children seeking refuge from dangers facing them in the Global South who were unjustifiably turned away by the United States in their search for safety.
With & Without/Boy With Pearl Earring by Sophia Hall
Sophia uses a fusion of written word and performance art to explore identity through different lenses. Her two-pronged project consists of both a chapbook of poetry and a play. Her chapbook With & Without examines the concepts of both the universal feeling of absence and the constant presence of anxiety; and it also chronicles the emotions of a teenager in this world of war, poverty, and illness. Her 10-minute play Boy With Pearl Earring focuses on three different aspects of identity—gender expression, culture, and race—and how they conflict and correspond with each other.
Lockdown by Rose Kepka
There have been 27 school shootings this year alone in the US, yet there has been little substantial legislative action to address these violent acts. There is a profound amount of trauma shared by students around the country from these tragedies. However, the psychological aspect of school shootings is often ignored. Many kids do not have the vocabulary to speak about it and youth mental health is only just beginning to be explored by the media. Rose’s painting depicts a child during an active shooter drill (often called a lockdown drill). They will also accompany this piece with a spoken word performance. They hope that by depicting the emotional toll that these shootings have on kids they can provide a new lens for approaching this issue and emphasize the need for stricter gun regulation and planning for emergency attacks.
Right of Revolution by Ambar Condori-Boughton
The issue of climate change is becoming more and more prevalent as its effects are intensifying all around the world. With images of more frequent catastrophic natural disasters and frightening projections of the future lighting up our screens, it is easy to feel as though there is no hope for the future. In this work, Ambar challenges the sentiment that nothing can be done to work towards a healthier planet as well as uplift the community.By carving linoleum blocks, Ambar creates simple, clear images illustrating the power of using the chaos around us as motivation to change. Illustrating herself battling and taming the strongest force of nature we encounter on Earth, the Sun, Ambar illustrates the power we all have within ourselves to enact change despite the obstacles we may face. The rope tethered to the sun is on fire but it stands strong, not fraying or breaking. This represents that the power is in our hands both literally and figuratively, when we use our voices and democratic rights. The use of only black and white shows the idea that direct, strong, and decisive action is needed from the government to create change and prevent the damage that can be done by climate change both locally and nationally.
Rise by Emily Liu
“Rise” explores different mediums, along with the intersectionality of climate change and systemic issues like racism. It emphasizes the power and resilience of the affected communities, and the strength they hold. The performance includes excerpts from Praeludium and Allegro by Fritz Kreisler, Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 by Max Bruch, The Girl With Flaxen Hair by Claude Debussy, and Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64 by Felix Mendelssohn. Featuring Ashley Chan, voice actor
Meet the 2022 Fellows
Corvid Thomas
CORVID THOMAS (it/its/itself) is a 9th grade Black and nonbinary artist who advocates mainly for Black and queer communities, specifically Black nonbinary people. Corvid enjoys an array of activities such as singing, songwriting, creative writing, drawing, theatre, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and creating wearable artwork, among many others. The young artist’s drive for activism is channeled through art which displays the struggles of facing racism and transphobia, as well as the joy of being Black and queer.
Sophia Hall
SOPHIA HALL (she/her) is an 11th grader at Holton Arms School and has been recognized by the Scholastic Writing Awards, the Library of Congress, Write the World, Worldwide Plays Festival, Writopia Lab, Bethesda Writer's Center, and Ringling College. Sophia views poetry as a tool for social justice and creating societal change. An ambassador of the Harvard Undergraduate International Relations Scholars Program, she cares about foreign policy and public health. She is the news editor of her school newspaper and produces the weekly satirical school news show Screen; has performed violin at Strathmore as part of the Levine School of Music Chamber Orchestra.
Ambar Condori-Boughton
AMBAR CONDORI-BOUGHTON (she/her) is an 11th grader at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC. She was the runner-up of the 2022 Jazz Appreciation Month poster contest in association with the Smithsonian and works in many mediums–including painting, drawing, photography, and mixed media themes. Her artwork revolves around her background, personal experiences, and social and environmental justice issues about which she is passionate. Recently, Ambar was selected by global healthcare company Organon in partnership with Duke Ellington School of the Arts to create an artwork for the upcoming “The Art of Women’s Health” exhibition at the Renwick Gallery.
Emily Liu
EMILY LIU (she/her) is an active and motivated 11th grader at Wootton High School, with a passion for advocacy and music. She has been playing the violin for nine years and has been the concertmaster of Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra’s Preparatory Strings, Chamber Strings, and Young Artists. Currently, Emily is the Assistant Principal of Second Violins in MCYO’s Chamber Ensemble. She became involved with politics and student advocacy last year and has become a co-coordinator for the Montgomery County Green New Deal Internship. She is a part of the executive board for the Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association (MCR- SGA) and serves on the Maryland Association of Student Council’s (MASC) Civic Engagement Committee.
Rahimah Hagmagid
RAHIMAH HAGMAGID (she/her) is a 10th grader at George Washington University Online High School and has always had a passion for all things art. She enjoys painting, drawing, sculpting, writing, and anything else that allows her to use her imagination. She lives in Sterling, Virginia with her large family and can always be found preparing for her next project.
Allison Sweeney
ALLISON SWEENEY (she/her) is a 10th grader at Poolesville High School. An avid musical theatre and Shakespeare enthusiast, she enjoys creating works centered around current issues and youth engagement. Since 2020, Allison been a stage manager and performer with the Free Theatre, a student-led company, learning all facets of theatre-making under the mentorship of industry professionals. As the National Advocacy Director of Innovate X, she's expanded Project Finance, an initiative to equip all students with personal finance education that has several novel branches nationwide. On Generation Ratify, she is a lead organizer in the DMV area to coordinate canvassing events to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
Daniela (Dani) Klein
DANIELA (DANI) KLEIN (she/her) is a 10th grader at Walt Whitman High School. She has a passion for social justice and activism along with an avid interest in art. In addition to spending time with friends, traveling, playing sports, listening to music, and eating good food, she enjoys studying politics, philosophy, history, and current events, and is often found engaged in lively debates with family or friends. She looks forward to learning how to make a difference in the world by expressing her creativity.
Rose Kepka
ROSE KEPKA (she/they/he) is a 10th grader at Montgomery Blair High School in the Communication Arts Program. She is an artist specializing in sculpting, collage, and costume design, and is passionate about filmmaking, creative writing, and performing. A member of the school's documentary program Silver Lens and the school's theatre program, Rose is also a Girl Scouts Cadette of Troop 804 where she volunteers for her community and teaches leadership to young scouts.
2022 Program Facilitators
Amoja Sumler
Amoja Sumler is a nationally celebrated poet, essayist, and one of the preeminent emerging voices of intersectional social advocacy. From his essays discussing the role of law enforcement to the value of capitalism he is best known for fusing the art of the intellectual into the familiar. Amoja has headlined poetry festivals such as the Austin International Poetry Festival, the Bridgewater International Poetry Festival, Write NOLA in New Orleans, and Rock the Republic in Texas. As a resident artist of several southern Arts in Education rosters, Amoja lectures at schools and literacy nonprofits, while teaching creative pedagogy and keynoting at social advocacy conferences like Long Beach Indie Film Pedagogy Conference and Furious Flower, throughout the nation.
Amoja is the main point of contact for participants. He facilitates biweekly sessions, supports students in building relationships with their cohort, and helps participants develop their final projects.
Kita Marshall
Born in South Korea, Kita Marshall is a biracial, queer, Jewish poet who considers herself from a little bit of everywhere due to the experience of traveling extensively during her childhood. This and other myriad tales about their life are present in their poetry along with their passion for community engagement.
As a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+, racial justice, intersectionality, diversity, and accessibility, Kita engages with local activists and community groups around a number of social justice issues.
Kita is a Cave Canem graduate fellow and a graduate fellow of The Watering Hole, whose work has appeared in two anthologies: Multiverse and After Ferguson: In Solidarity.
Amin Drew Law
Amin Drew Law is a Palestinian-American poet, writing facilitator, teaching artist, vocalist, and organizer with a decade-long career in DC’s art’s education scene. As a teaching artist, Amin has created curriculum for Split This Rock, the American Poetry Museum, Poetry Out Loud, DC Scores, DCPS, MCPS, PGPS, APSVA, and in schools and universities around the country. His teaching style has been praised for its youth-centered focus and his curriculum built around “creating a space where people feel safe to become risk takers.” A two-time DC Grand Slam poetry champion, Southern Fried slam poetry champion and 4x member of Busboys & Poets prestigious Beltway Slam team, Amin’s spoken word poetry has been seen on TV One's Verses and Flow, Button Poetry, Slam Find, and All Def Poetry. Each of Amin's poems touch on social justice, and his poem “Unsaid,” a piece that tackles addiction and the prison industrial complex, went viral in 2018 and now has over 125,000 views. His work on Palestine has led him to speak at dozens of universities including Princeton, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, and the University of Maryland. His album Troublesome has been praised for its melodic qualities, subtle lyrics, as well as its poignant political statements.