New Monuments—Proposals from Ms. Fisher’s 4th Grade Class

NEW MONUMENTS

A Proposal from

Ms. Fisher’s 4th Grade Class at Ypsilanti International Elementary School

FIRST EDITION 2021 PRINTED AND BOUND AT 826MICHIGAN

NEW MONUMENTS Memorials That Matter

826 National’s Commitment to Inclusion As an organization committed to encouraging youth in their creative expression, personal growth, and academic success, 826 National and its chapters recognize the importance of diversity at all levels and in all aspects of our work. In order to build and maintain the safe, supportive 826 environment in which great leaps of learning occur, we commit to inclusion: We will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, nationality, marital status, English fluency, parental status, immigration status, military service, or disability.

826michigan Staff Dr. Naimah Wade, Executive Director Judy Tipton, Development Director Catherine Calabro Cavin, Education Director Frances Martin, Operations Director Megan Gilson, Program Manager Ariel Kaplowitz-Hahn, Volunteer Engagement Associate Josi Evingas, Development Associate

Copyright © 2021 by 826michigan and Blotch Books.

All rights reserved by 826michigan, the many whims of Drs. T & G Blotch, and the authors.

The views expressed in this book are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of 826michigan. We believe in the power of youth voice and are thrilled that you picked up this book. No part of this book may be reproduced without express written permission from the publisher, except for small excerpts for the purposes of review or scholarly study.

Many thanks to Ypsilanti International Elementary School and our volunteers for their participation in this field trip.

By purchasing this book, you are helping 826michigan continue to offer free student programs. For more information, please visit: 826michigan.org

Table of Contents New Monument Proposals A Monument to Animals......................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 A Monument to Vegetable Gardens........... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 A Monument to Homer Plessy.................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 About 826michigan.. ....................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

A Monument to Animals

Group One

Did you know that humans kill a lot of animals every day?

Humans cause animal extinction and endangerment. Even the rabbit you saw last week could be hurt. Humans are impacting animal life.

Animals are so important to our lives. We should not kill animals because they are in the wild. Some animals (like pets) help us feel better. Some animals have special jobs (such as the dog Laika who was sent to space). Other animals are experimented on. Animals do a lot for us every day.

We should create a monument for animals because so many animals help us in everyday life. If you want to learn more information about animals, read new books! Almost all of them have information about animals.

New Monuments | 1

A Monument to Vegetable Gardens Group two Imagine a garden with green cucumbers and mint, red and orange tomatoes, and yellow, orange, and red peppers!

Vegetables are healthy. If we didn’t have vegetables, we would have nothing healthy to eat. Vegetables help us grow taller. You can grow them in a garden and make all sorts of food like veggie soup!

Our monument would be a metal collage with a big pile of different vegetables. It would be put on top of a yellow stone. If you want to learn more about vegetables and vegetable gardens, you can look on the internet or read a book.

2 | Ms. Fisher’s Class

A Monument to Homer Plessy Group three While Homer Plessy broke the law, it was for a very good reason.

Homer Plessy sat on a white-only train, but to make a change for everyone. He believed what was happening was wrong and he wanted to make a change. He was probably scared, but confident and proud of himself, too. We think that it was very scary to do.

It was a small act with a big impact. Many think that breaking the law is a bad act, but Plessy broke the law in a good way to make a big impact on other people.

The title of the monument should be “Broke the Law, But for a Good Reason.” Our monument will be of Homer Plessy standing in front of the white-only train that he went on. It will be a single train cart and Plessy. The plaque about him will be in front of the monument. The monument will be made of copper and will be located near train tracks in New Orleans, where the event happened. It will be at the intersection, Press and Royal.

Homer Plessy not only made an impact for himself, but for the community. He broke the law for them! His actions were so brave.

New Monuments | 3

inspires school-aged students to write with skill and confidence in collaboration with adult volunteers in their communities.

Our writing and tutoring programs uphold a culture of creativity and imagination and support students in establishing strong habits of mind. Through publication and community engagement, we provide students with an authentic and enthusiastic audience for their writing.

Our programs provide an energizing creative outlet for students and meaningful volunteer opportunities for community members.

ONLINE LEARNING LAB For the 2020–21 school year, our programs will remain virtual. When is it safe to return to our in-person programs, we plan to continue to offer virtual program opportunities as well!

SCHOOLWORK SUPPORT The program formerly-known as tutoring has been given an updated name, but the same great foundations remain. We organize trained volunteer tutors to work with students one-on-one with their homework after school. Schoolwork Support is available for all subjects, for students ages 8–18.

WORKSHOPS We offer a number of free workshops taught by professional artists, writers, and our talented volunteers. From comic books to screenplays, bookmaking to radio, our wide variety of workshops are perfect for writers of all ages and interests. One of the most popular workshops we offer is our weekly Wee-bots program for elementaryaged writers.

IN-SCHOOL PROJECTS Our trained volunteers go into local public schools every day to support teachers with their classroom writing assignments. Based on the teacher’s curriculum, assignments range from writing tales to crafting college essays to exploring poetry.

FIELD TRIPS Students come as a class to our writing lab to join a group of volunteers, interns, and staff in order to help solve a problem through writing—whether that is our editor Dr. Blotch’s insomnia, our looming story deadline, a mystery in need of solving, or one of the many others we encounter. Our field trips always end in a finished publication of original writing that students take home.

OUR STORES Our Robot Supply Co. stores are one-stop shops for robots, robot owners, and enthusiasts alike. They are designed to inspire creativity and bring awareness of our programs to the community. Please visit us online at onwardrobots.com. All proceeds from our stores directly fund our free student programming. Onward robots!

WRITING IS

A way to figure things out by ourselves

We create a safe place to be ourselves and try new things We support the ways that writers work (like thinking, sketching, talking)

A way to help us connect to our world

We study the writing we want to do so we can try it We learn how to change our writing for genre, audience, and purpose

A way to help us learn who we are and who we will become

We work with a group of writers who help and support each other

A way for us to use our power to make changes and build a better world

www.826michigan.org

826 National was inspired to take a stand on issues of inclusion and diversity in light of the many events that spotlighted social and racial injustices throughout the country. We as educators, volunteers, and caring adults need to be aware of the wide range of issues our students face on a day-to-day basis. We need to support these young people as they navigate through and try to make sense of the world and their own identities.

We need the support and the feedback from our community to ensure 826 is living up to these standards.

Through our inclusion statement, our internal diversity and inclusion group, cultural competency resources provided to staff and volunteers, and partnerships with other organizations, we are always working towards being a more inclusive and supportive organization.

We at 826 have the privilege of working with the next generation of scholars, teachers, doctors, artists, lawyers, and writers. It's our job to make sure they are able to take their own stands.

As an organization committed to encouraging youth in their creative expression, personal growth, and academic success, 826 National and its chapters recognize the importance of diversity at all levels and in all aspects of our work. In order to build and maintain the safe, supportive 826 environment in which great leaps in learning happen, we commit ourselves to inclusion: we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, marital status, English fluency, parental status, military service, or disability.

The 826 National network is committed to encouraging youth to express themselves and to use the written word to effectively do so. We encourage our students to write, take chances, make decisions, and finish what they start.

And 826 strives to do this in an environment free from discrimination and exclusion.

by Gerald Richards, CEO