May 6th
Speeches at St. John the Devine
Lunch in Central Park
Meet with Jamal Joseph at IMPACT Theater
Great Migration Exhibit at Brooklyn Museum
Dinner at Hunter’s Point with Singer / Songwriter / Historian Tom Shaner
Speeches on the peer at Hunter’s Point
Jamal [Joseph] smiled the entire time, no matter what he was talking about, he could always find joy in it. Everything he said was important, joyous, soft, powerful, kind, funny, and excited. He was so happy about us, and being able to work with us, and help us change the world through knowledge. – Matrix
I knew that meeting with Jamal Joseph would be so rich and inspiring, but I didn’t realize that in every single sentence he spoke there would be so much wisdom and power. – Ciana
When Jamal talked about how listening is the most important form of activism, it really resounded within me. Change shouldn’t just be something for your ego, but you have to really hear everyone’s needs. This reminded me how I felt when Linda Machuca was saying how stories are really powerful, and that really is the same with listening.- Lyla
My favorite thing [Jamal] said was, “the foundation of happiness is in the moment”. – Lydia
Jamal was such an amazing and inspiring person, and I realized he was also just like you and me, he just made the decision to become an activist. He really showed me that anyone can make change….after that, we went to meet with [Tom Shaner], Finn’s friend, which was super duper cool. He is an amazing guitarist and lyricist. – Wycke
Today we visited Columbia University. We walked past [one of the buildings on the quad] building, and Ani talked about how it shows power. This made me contemplate how, at the Tenement Museum, the apartments were small and simple, but at the University and at St. John the Divine cathedral, they were big, and intricate. I think this ties into gentrification. – Isabel
Going to the Brooklyn Museum gave me a fresh perspective on modern art, and also the ways that humans have recorded history. It is not just books, archives, memories, and word of mouth, it is every single form of art out there. – Ezra K.
I feel like, right now, there are only a few people who try to lock up everyone’s power for themselves only. These people are greedy for power and dominance. [I think that] people whose power was ripped away from them have been subconsciously taught to be scared of those who stole that power for themselves. I will say this, though…greedy people only think that power is theirs to hold. – Ava
