“Made from upcycled materials. Was originally a painting of a clover. Includes scrap paper, pieces of a disposable mask, and old paint.” - Alivia Romaniuk February 26, 2021
“Flowers epitomize peaceful protest–amid chaos and darkness, people look to color and joy. I hope that eventually, with continued encouragement and motivation, we can achieve a future of justice together.” - Michelle Lu March 27th, 2021
“My Social Justice Zine submission is about women’s rights and treating women as equally as men.” - Aanya Addepalle January 27th, 2021
Below, I’ve attached my Social Justice Zine submission in the format of a letter. The theme is women’s rights, and the letter is from a mother addressed to her 18-yearold daughter who would like to study science. The mother gives her daughter several pieces of advice on how to navigate the world as an aspiring scientist, addressing the issue of marginalization and social injustice. - Ally Horwitz March 28th, 2021
“I designed protest posters for LGBTQ+ rights, Black Lives Matter, and Women’s History Month. For my Women’s History Month, I included some female characters from “Attack on Titan.” While for the other two, I chose for a simple message with the appropriate flag or logo.” - Hiba Asad March 16th, 2021
“This poster is to honor Women’s History Month. The quote “women belong in all places where decisions are being made” by Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a very powerful quote done by a very inspiring and powerful woman. Using RBG on my artwork was very important because she has done so much in terms of the feminist movement and it’s a great way to keep honoring her. The hashtag at the bottom “women’s rights are human rights” is so that others acknowledge this statement and that one gender’s rights is not above or below another.” - Camila Cantu March 31, 2021
“For this project, I made a dish to celebrate another culture. The dish I made is called “Chivda”, and it is a common Indian dish. It is a snack, and it consists of a variety of spicy dried ingredients including flaked rice, fried onion, fried lentils, and peanuts. An interesting fact that I found about this dish is that it can be very healthy or unhealthy depending on the ingredients that are used. If the ingredients are dried and baked, the dish is usually healthy. However, if fried potato chips are used, the dish can be very unhealthy. I just ate the dish and I loved it! - Srisanth Malpeddi February 24th, 2021
“This is a dish I made for my family. It is shrimp rice with vegetables. It celebrates another culture because it uses rice and other foreign spices that make the dish special. This is one among many dishes that originates from Asia and represents heritage.” - Pragathi Arunkumar February 3rd, 2021
This image that I photographed was the dinner I prepared for my family, one night. To many people that aren’t Asian, this food could possibly look unpleasant or even disgusting due to culture. I’m sure many Asians remember the elementary school lunches, where we’d bring food that we believe is absolutely delicious but other people will claim that the food smells bad, looks disgusting, or even just question the food then laugh at it, making us, as Asians, feel bad about eating food that is “disgusting” or “smelly”. I wanted to remind everyone that all cultures are different and it’s okay to like or dislike certain types of food, but do not blatantly tell someone that their food is disgusting or stinks because of your shielded view of the variety of cultures in the world. Not only that, we must constantly remind the next generation that it’s not okay to make someone feel
bad about their culture as this could eventually lead to a division in families because of how “disgusting” something is. We’re constantly told that diversity is important but barely anyone has made the step towards accepting diversity. Diversity doesn’t just mean someone’s skin color or race, it means accepting someone as a person, no matter their skin color, race, ethnicity, beliefs, gender, etc. And everything else. Accept who they are, as a person, before claiming that you accept diversity. - Anonymous January 11th, 2021
Flowers for Handcuffs - Chloe Sun January 11th, 2021
The poem is about how reaching peace or even an agreement in general can take a lot of time. As young adults, we have so many dreams and goals to make a change in this world, however it will never happen in the snap of a finger. My poem is to be an example of how we can take small steps as individuals to impact change, whether it be related to Women’s Rights, Black Lives Matter, or the LGBTQ+ community. The first thing you can do is spread love to those around you. - Anonymous February 24th, 2021
“This piece was inspired by the National Center for Civil and Human Rights mural designed by Paula Scher and Pentagram, which depicts a raised hand and several posters from historic civil rights movements. This graphic is similarly composed of symbols and images associated with civil rights efforts today.” - Emily Hao March 31st, 2021
For the teen activism writing, I wrote this from the heart. I truly believe that teens have the power to make change because of how many people they know. This is a strong and powerful generation, ready to make a difference, as I highlighted throughout the short essay. - Sarah Canaley March 9th, 2021
In support of Black History Month and the Black Lives Matter Movement, I created a collage including six civil rights activists throughout history. My goal with this piece was to bring attention to these leaders, as well as countless others, who have fought for social justice.
- Ali Marble 2021 January 4th,
- Hiba Asad March 16th, 2021
“I created this submission because it is very current in America right now. Our country is experiencing racism and we need to fight for equality and justice.” - Casey Dewitt March 14th, 2021
“An important topic continuing from 2020 is skin color. Large events concerning the color of skin directed many of the conversations of 2020 into 2021, and this art is representing the simple hope that people of color are proud of who they are.” - Joanna Lee March 31st, 2021
In the past year, movements for the attempt of equality for all races have been more common and so have the attacks against minorities too. People aren’t supposed to be judged because of how they look, but by their character. A shade of color should not correspond to a level of safety. - Yuan Heidi Yue March 31st, 2021
Larkey - Shannon th, 2021 January 30
This piece is in relation to the rise of anti-Asian hate crime following the spread of Covid-19 to the US. Anti-Asian sentiment in the US isn’t new, and it was only exacerbated by the pandemic with President Trump referring to the virus as the “Chinese virus.” This piece goes to show that just because the virus came from China does not mean the people are a virus. - Sarah Chen March 30th, 2021
“The year 2020 encompasses the many dark facets of the human race, and the world must suffer for it. Even so, there are always two sides to a story, where the fight for Black Rights, support for the LGBTQ+ community, compassion over COVID-19, and many more have flourished to show what we are truly capable of.” - Joanna Lee January 31st, 2021
“The image of the White House after the Obergefell v. Hodges decision is stunning. Lit up in the colors of the rainbow, it captures the significance of the case as well as the support and validation of the LGBTQ community. I chose to depict this moment in recent history in watercolor and pen.” - Anna Liao March 28th, 2021
- Krishna Kukadia January 13th, 2021
“My Social Justice Zine submission is about, that everyone has the right to have peace in their life.” - Ananya Addepalle March 10th, 2021
“I made a protest sig graphic with a recent pro n and issues of (LGBTQ+ tests behind it Women’s rig rights, BLM, are entire hts). All graphics reflect iss ly my own and about.” - ues I care deeply Anonymous March 31s t, 2021
“For the LGBTQ visual, I wanted to support them by using the rainbow which is a symbol of the group. I wrote “stand up for who you are” which is really important because people need to know they matter.” - Sarah Canaley March 9th, 2021
Arlo Says “The library’s resident gecko, Arlo (he/him), world’s cutest lizard and known LGBT+ ally, has some announcements to make. Of course, he can’t really do a lot of activism on his own, since hardly anyone speaks Lizard... so get out there and do some of it for him!” - Florian Foster January 13th, 2021
“Barack Obama said this in 2014 and it’s still relevant today. With hate crimes on the rise, marginalized groups, like the LGBTQ+ community, are suffering greatly. I made this to celebrate all genders and sexualities.” - Sydney White March 31st, 2021
This artwork shows a few teen activists meeting over a Zoom call. They are a social justice committee and they are discussing ways on how they can make their community a better place for everyone.
- Anonymous March 23rd
, 2021
Social Justice and Teens Today’s teenagers are living in a world fraught with social justice issues encompassing economic, gender, and racial inequalities, gun violence, and climate change. From the Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements to the Parkland student protests, young people are growing up amid these injustices and their actions provide voice for the next generation. While not all young adults may consider themselves teen activists, many of them care about these issues and the people affected by them. Their concern is not necessarily a political choice either, as the vast majority of teenagers aren’t old enough to vote. Rather, their concerns reflect personal choices based on empathy, compassion, and human decency. Today’s students are volunteering in their communities to support causes they believe in and are active in extracurricular clubs focused on societal change. These challenges may seem beyond their control right now, but their efforts to resolve conflicts, improve communities, and speak on behalf of others will determine who they grow up to be. The student submissions in this zine cover different social justice topics and use art as a tool for reflection and critical thinking. From portraits of civil rights leaders to posters and paintings, each work represents a unique and caring voice. As we work towards a better society, it is important to keep in mind our students and younger generations. While they may not have the experiences of older adults, they have a sense of concern and understanding free of those experiences.