Jennifer White-Torres GD MFA Thesis Statement

Black To Our Roots
Current Elevator Pitch:
Exploring The Contemporary Youth Pan-African Movement

If someone asked me why I want to go to Africa when I was 15
my first response would be: I’m not a teenager with an attitude, I just want to go to Africa. I’m Anti-Teen Angst, Pro Africa!

How have past African Diaspora movements impacted contemporary movements and ideals? Is a pilgrimage at a young age effective? What impact will it have? Will it be long lasting? Is it just a trend? How will design play a role? How will I visually communicate the journey of a 15 year old that is about to embark on a heavy life changing experience? The key will be to assist them to incorporate effective design into their fund-raising ideas and to realize how significant their visual language is essential to impact their community. The youth are the inheritors of the future so the ties must be maintained long after they return.

As part of my thesis I have researched their goals and what they really want to get out of the journey. Will it bring them to consciousness? Pan-Africanisms major academic goals are reexamination of African history from an African perspective as opposed to a pro-European perspective and a return to traditional African concepts about culture, society and values. Pan-Africanism gave rise to the civil rights movement in the US and to independence and anti-imperialist movements in Africa. Will the fundamentals of Pan-Africanism continue to be abstract?

Visual Graphics and exhibition ideas:

Installation of the shape of Africa created from physical and found objects collected from the Black To Our Roots youth & community. Objects will be African and Baltimore City themed. They can consist of African handmade jewelry, fabric, pieces of musical instruments, photographs, speakers, records, etc.

The installation can be located on the wall with the other option of suspending it from the ceiling so it can be viewed from all angles. Possible experimental posters featuring portraits and words will accompany the exhibition. A visual timeline will also be apart of the exhibition showcasing how the Back to Africa movement came to pass and how it is influencing contemporary ideals and organizations such as Black To Our Roots.

The Atlanta initiative began in 2002 with group of families in Atlanta who encouraged their friends and kids to join. It has since turned into a national movement called Habesha Inc. (Helping Africa by Establishing Schools at Home and Abroad). The organization has merged into a youth leadership program that instills cultural education, sustainable agriculture, and much more that pushes youth to become bright ambassadors. They have continued to take a group to Ghana each year.

Habesha has developed 6 chapters in New York, The Virgin Islands, Washington, DC and, most recently, Baltimore city. The organization that is now preparing a special 3-week trip for African-American youth ages 13-18. The trip includes overnight stays in family villages, initiation ceremonies and visits to the original slave dungeons. 52 original slave dungeons still stand as tourist attractions in Africa; 48 of those are located in Ghana. Staggering fact.

I have interviewed and documented the Baltimore chapter as they prepare to take their 1st journey this summer. As a part of their initiation into the organization they each had to submit an essay answering if they considered themselves African and why they want to go to Africa. The responses were intriguing and thoughtful. They are also encouraged to think of fun engaging ways to fund their trip. Many of them are fully aware of the cultural Diaspora that has weighed down their culture and are open to the opportunity to connect.

Download the pdf for visuals:
JT_Thesis Presentation_feb_2010

In preparation for their journey the Black To Our Roots youth were given the assignment of asking themselves these questions. Their responses were written in their recruitment essays and some in portions of video that I took. The content used in their essays can serve as insightful material to generate fundraising that exceeds far beyond just your average “bake sale”. Once they begin telling their personal stories those narratives can be a primary source for their funding. The community will be drawn into the shape of their world. And their understanding of themselves will become genuine and worth exploring. Here are a few portraits taken by myself of some of youth who are participating in the Black To Our Roots program. Also is a portion of their recruitment essay that will be transformed into fundraising letters.

Chanel Eaton, Age 15

Babatunde, Age 17

Jocean, Age 15

Here is a rough video experiment I shot asking a few of the youth why they want to go to Ghana and if they considered themselves “African”

Black To Our Roots Interview from Jennifer White-Torres on Vimeo.

Jennifer White-Torres

Graphic Design

Current Thesis Subject: Cultural Heritage and Identity

Current Thesis Focus: New Funding protocol, amplified story telling using design to raise funds and bring awareness to Black To Our Roots Program.

How can a cultural organization sending a group of 40 Baltimore city youth incorporate design to influence their community? And how can they use design to increase their funding?

The context of my thesis will try to answer these questions. I will be attempting to create and incorporate new funding models to prepare the Black To Our Roots Baltimore City chapter youth for their 3-week trip to Ghana.

I want to be able to use the most feasible and resourceful material to help fund their travels. Using graphic design to solve this problem will be a challenge but it will help bring a more reputable and credible sense of stability to an already fertile organization.

Using facts from the organization like “48/52 African slave dungeons are located in Ghana” partnered with a youth’s personal story will serve for a strong graphical funding model. Exploring the strong messages that this organization represents will be an essential part of the overall thesis narrative. For the past 3 weeks I have been dissecting why the Black To Our Roots youth want to go to Africa in Using and finding how design can amplify those feelings and discoveries will be remarkable discovery since design isn’t a fundamental part of their overall platform.

My future goals will be to conduct more design experimentations such as posters that will amplify portions of their recruitment essays/fundraising letters into strong typographical fundraising posters. I will also develop a tabloid brochure that specifically highlights their preparatory cultural journey and their need for funding. A possible theme for the brochure could focus of “Fund a Dream” or Why Should I go to Africa?” I also see a strong potential web presence being incorporated into their funding. If funders can be directed to a specific location to allocate funds, this might help the youth manage their funding needs more precisely.

As an organization Black To Our Roots already has realistic but often-idealistic fundraising tools. Most of their current fundraising models are holistically based. They consist of community clean-ups, garage sales, art auctions, video diaries, and community surveys, book making and dance classes. My role will be to find a cohesive design component that will magnify what the youth will be participating in once they get to Ghana.

I believe sharing with others what exactly their journey will entail and the specific reasons they are going will help bring the community and the corporate sector closer to their story and will make it more real. Although I will be helping the organization with some of their essential design collateral I don’t want it to be misconstrued as a typical pro bono client/graphic designer relationship. I see this thesis as the ultimate design challenge. I believe this organization and the story behind it serves as fertile ground for design revitalization.

Ah, thesis. Since my last post I have continued to dive more into exploring the compelling organization called Habesha Inc. & The Black To Our Roots Education Program.

Habesha stands for Helping Africa By Establishing Schools at Home and Abroad. Its a Pan African organization that cultivates leadership in youth through practical experiences and in-depth cultural education, sustainable agriculture, holistic health and technology. According to the Habesha handbook– its their vision to be an organization that is committed to excellence and social responsibility.

Their passion is to prepare youth for leadership in their communities and lives as they are taught about their African identity.  The Black to Our Roots (BTOR) educational program is a component that I will be focusing on for my thesis. The culminating component of BTOR is an educational and cultural enrichment 3-week tour to Ghana, West Africa.

The Youth are recruited-from public and private schools, community centers, and places of worship. They must be of African decent and between the ages of 13-17. They also have to write a 500-word essay or creative piece based on theme “What Africa Means to Me” to even be considered into the program.

2 letters of recommendation is required and their report cards! (tsk tsk) This program means business! Once selected they are invited to an orientation/reception that is held in their honor.

2 weeks ago I had the privilege and delight of attending this reception with over 40 young people in attendance! I was asked before hand to snap a few shots of the ceremony to capture the moment. After introductions and a meet and greet each Habesha youth was asked to stand before their peers and clearly state why they want to go to africa.

I was blown away by the flawless eloquence most of them possessed. They each had thought provoking answers to share and their peers and parents cheered them on in full support. The orientation was a success and I felt more involved and aware of my role in the program than ever before. Right away I knew that I wanted to use my design skills as a way to tell their story and help these kids get to Africa.

What’s next? – Helping the kids create fundraising ideas with design! Helping them focus on the true purpose of their journey. Helping them to identify how it’ll change their life. Helping them identify why its important to articulate those ideas to people beyond their reach in order to get the funding they need. In order to bring a sense of confidence to these kids they need to know that what they are doing is life changing! Being able to articulate that will not only get them to their destination but will teach them valuable skills and life lessons.

They are going to spend the next several months learning about Africa.  They will attend workshops that will help develop their voices, participate in community service events and even take a trip to New York to take a tour through the streets of Harlem for a Harlem Renaissance Tour!

I definitely didn’t get a chance to do that when I was in middle and high school. The only time the Harlem Renaissance was during Black History Month! The organization is self funded and each child is required to raise their own airfare! There is definitely a lot of collective fundraising that will take place. This week was pretty busy for me. I read all 40 essays submitted by the youth. I wanted to read their words and know their thoughts. If I’m going to tell their story Its important for me to know their history and why they are who they are.

I also visited Connextions Academy, a public charter public art school in West Baltimore. A lot of the youth attend that school and were influenced by their concrete african cultural classes (drumming, dancing) to get involved. I got a chance to conduct some raw interviews with some of the students.

Each interview lasted about 5 minutes since a few of them were in dance class. It was nice to see them in their element and most of them talked about their love of african dance and african drumming which ultimately inspired to make the move to join the BTOR program. The first official workshop since the orientation will be this Sunday. The youth will be given the task to revisit their essays and create a video or photo diary based on their essays. Some of these can be used as potential fundraising material! More to come!

Additional next steps:

Attend more workshops, focusing on creative tools that can be implemented for fundraising.

Create donation booklets

Serve as official marketing/graphic facilitator

Conduct more interviews–Wash DC chapter attending Ghana last summer and will now help newly formed Baltimore Chapter fundraise.

Black To Our Roots Program in Ghana, Summer 2009

So the Habesha Inc. Baltimore Chapter and the BLACK (Building Lives through African Cultural Knowledge) To Our Roots program is preparing to Baltimore City youth to Ghana this summer. I’ll be documenting their orientation meeting on Sunday at the Seventh Metro Church in Charles Village. I’m interested to see and hear the parents and kids view points about taking an amazing 3 week trek to Africa! Photos coming soon!

Wow. This talk came at the right time in my thesis research/development phase. Its always inspiring to hear how individuals are continuing to mobilize the Baltimore City youth. And when celebrities or people with prime access put their talents to good use, it changes the entire dynamic. I’m definitely glad to see that beyond the essence of “The Wire” essential community outreach is prevailing.

Rewired for Change was created and targets Baltimore Cities high risk youth to strengthen their critical thinking skills through poetry. Empowering youth is something we often hear but definitely not enough!

Sonja Sohn at the Rewire for Change Lauch Party

Here is her TEDx talk that she gave at MICA last week:

http://www.tedxmidatlantic.com/live/#SonjaSohn

and here is the link for Rewired for Change

http://rewiredforchange.com/

Thanks to a recent convo with fellow Baltimore artist, gallery owner & community organizer, Shawn Holmes I found out about WombWork Productions, Inc, and Nu World Art Ensemble.

Since 1997 they have been reshaping the role of youth in Baltimore city. It almost makes me wish I had grew up in Baltimore just to be apart of this troup! Sure I was involved in musical theater while in high school and church but I also had two left feet which meant I had to work extra hard just to show off my vocal skills.

But how cool would it have been to write and direct my own urban musical. These kids did it back in March under the care of 3 amazing women, Rashida Forman-Bey, Program Director, Kay Lawal Muhammad, Artistic Director, and Nataska Hasan Humminbird, Cultural education and musical director.  (Who I’m finding out have helped raise some of the most talented and creative people in Baltimore community today. (I’m not kidding)

No, the kids you see below aren’t going crazy, and their wii wasn’t just thrown out the window. They are Nu world Art Ensemble. Started by WombWork Productions, they use theater to heal the community. They take real life social issues and often situation from their own lives and turn them into theatrical productions.

Nu World Art Ensemble

Their stories are translated into performances and showcases how growing up in Baltimore has effected their life. Some of their success stories have been simply keeping kids of the streets.  The organization is also a mentoring program that trains youth to become mentors to others and mostly to their younger generation.

Most of the kids that are attracted to this program are recruited during a seen performance and some come into the program already suffering from various social issues such as depression, domestic violence, gang violence, and substance abuse.

The success stories have come into play with kids who have been apart of the organization since day one and kept true to their performance roots in and outside of the organization.

They have performed all over the east coast and in Baltimore’s own American Visionary Museum. The progress lies within the power the youth have to change the behavior of the following younger generation.

Nu World Art Ensemble "Birth of Piece" Urban Musical

Check out this cool video about Wombwork Productions, Inc. in contains amazing interviews with young people from the ensemble, some who have been apart of the program for 8 years. (click the link below)

“When We Lay Hands” – An Introduction to Wombwork Productions, Inc.

Habesha Inc. Black To Our Roots Trip to Ghana July 2009

Currently listening to: Happiness is a Warm Gun- The Beatles

Yes, I’m missing out on duck pin bowling with the gang to write this blog…

This week has been super busy. I’ve been conducting interviews and documenting all the great talent that the Baltimore community has been blessed with! My role as a graphic designer and grad student at MICA is turning into quite a journey. I can’t seem to get away from researching family & youth centered community programs and Baltimore has a lot of them. I’m thankful for all the recent people that I’ve met that have given me tastes of what the Baltimore Arts community is all about.

Black To Our Roots is a spiritual, cultural, and educational experience where youth of African descent learn about themselves through extensive research on African history and culture, which culminates in a journey to Ghana, West Africa. This week I conducted a phone interview with Ethopian-American, Chicago raised, recent Baltimorean filmmaker and film professor Ras Tre Subira, former Director of the Digital Center for the Urban Experience at LaSalle University.

Spike Lee might be the father of modern black filmmaking, But Ras Tre isn’t too far behind. Ras Tre Subira, is the founder of Black Mission Media partnered with Black To Our Roots program that produced the award winning film Black To Our Roots. I had a chance to attend a film screening in September and I was blown away. (sorry for the cliche, Elizabeth) I couldn’t believe that the film was his undergraduate thesis project!

Black To Our Roots is an inspirational story that follows Atlanta 17-year- old teen Sylvia Dorsey. Sylvia, encircled in a life of violence and substance abuse is determined to free herself of this hostile environment. She finds herself on a soul-searching 3-week mission as she travels with other Atlanta youth to Ghana during the summer of 2007.

Not only was I blown away by these bright kids and their willingness to travel to Ghana (they had to raise all their travel funds) I was intrigued that a program like this exists for young people.

17-year-old Sylvia Dorsey, in Ghana during the film of "Black To Our Roots"

Sure Marcus Garvey protested and wanted Black folks to go back to Africa and surge themselves in their African roots. But how many young people possess the cultural lust for knowledge. These days when you ask an average kid what they think about Africa what do you think they’ll say?

Some might be excited and interested in taking the journey to the motherland and others might feel they have nothing to gain or learn from their cultural heritage. The kids in this film were itching to go, to learn and to dive into the culture.

A lot would await them once they hopped off the plane. The film primarily focuses on Sylvia. The filmmakers conduct interviews with her family before she goes on her journey. Sylvia’s mom is doesn’t really have a solid point of view on Africa and she doesn’t seem to adamant about her daughter going.

Once Sylvia and the others arrive in Ghana they are challenged head on with the pressures of being in a different environment. Its interesting because many local Ghanians were open to receiving their displaced African-American brothers and sisters. And others had many questions as to why these kids made the journey in the first place.

The youth visited the original slave dungeons and become engulfed in the culture and people. Sylvia once I shy and reserved girl faces her fears and emerges as a confident and articulate young woman. When she arrived at the slave dungeons she stated “The air still smells like they are here, like they were waiting for us” This is her coming of age story. Once she she returns to the US will she be able to take all she’s learned and apply it to her environment? Will her family members and friends take her experience as true and valid?

Ras Tre behind the camera shooting a daily Twi (local language) lessons on the bus while in Ghana

Partnered with Habesha Inc. (Helping Africa by Establishing Schools and Home and Abroad) Ras Tre Subira is currently starting a Black To Our Roots Program Baltimore chapter and is preparing to take another group of youth and mentors to Ghana in July 2010. He believes strongly in using media as a creative tool to change the lives of young people.

Here is a little of my interview with Ras Tre:

JT: Black To Our Roots? How did it begin?

Ras: Black To Our Roots started off as a project putting the camera in the hands of young people so they could take their visual experimentations to Africa. The Black To Our Roots documentary is what came out of it. The kids would film their own video journals and they essentially became an integral part of the film.

JT: What positive impact/outreach has Black To Our Roots/ Black Mission Media had on the community so far?

Ras: The fact that kids want to get involved with this program validates their desire for something bigger. They are channeling themselves, life is becoming the classroom.

JT: Any amazing success stories that have helped shape this organization into what its become and becoming?

Ras: Well Sylvia is our most quoted success story. She came from an environment that wasn’t very African centered. Not cultured. She wasn’t being pushed to participate in this program from her friends and family. Her family was dealing with several issues such as HIV, substance abuse, etc. Although she seemed interested in the program her home life really didn’t give her the motivation to stay involved. She almost quit the group.

JT: She really makes a strong transformation throughout the film. I can tell that being apart of the program has changed her life. I was intrigued by her new found passion to want to help people in her neighborhood once she got back to the US.

Ras: Another success lies in the fact that we’ve been a self funded organization for 6 years-no grants, we’re self sufficient. All the youth raise their own funds, including the mentors and volunteers to attend the trips as well. There are definitely more success stories to come since the Baltimore chapter is on the rise!

Sylvia Dorsey is currently attending Savannah State University, where she is studying Africana Studies.

Thanks to awesome Habesha Inc. facbook page for the great photos! You can see more here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?page=1&aid=98915&id=86474118886

Black To Our Roots was released in 2007 and profiled on CNN’s “Inside Africa” It has been the recipient of numerous awards for Best Documentary – American Black Film Festival, Spaghetti Junction Film Festival, San Diego Black Film Festival and received the Audience Choice Award – International Black Docufest

Find out more about Black to Our Roots @ http://www.habeshainc.org

Quote of the week:

“We make our world significant by the courage of our questions, and the depth of our answers” -Carl Sagan-

Steps

Begin to showcase the cause and effect of these community organizations I’m researching. The focus will cover successful stories about how these organizations are impacting and touching the lives of many in the local Baltimore area.

Categorizing Data

Series of visual experiments exploring connections I’ve discovered in becoming apart of the research process and community dialogue.

Interesting find: sub organizations that have flourished from their larger mother organizations.