Firefly
By Mason Kennerly
Bella Baynard, a senior at Los Altos High School, seems to be the individual to use her strong beliefs on prejudice to make a real change in our currently divided country. Bella recalls an incident where these beliefs were tested when she notes an eye-opening experience she had recently. The incident occurred at a political protest of Donald Trump’s presidency. Bella remembers speaking passionately into the microphone in front of a legion of her supporters, when one boy decided to have a little protest of his own. This boy was extremely upset by the huge turnout for the rally against Trump’s presidency. She reflects upon the boy’s feelings when she recalls, “He was talking about how he felt unwelcome and alienated. I think one of the most important things to remember in political activism is using your voice to try to unify people instead of dividing them with words like ‘You’re wrong because of this, and I’m right because of this.’” Bella is quickly evolving into a potential voice of our generation because the energy that she outwardly projects hooks people’s hearts in a way that others cannot. In her fight for political justice, she seems to be gaining support rapidly as her views continue to inspire others around her. “I still can’t even believe that he’s our president, but it’s one of those things we have to deal with and overcome, and we’ll get there! It’s going to be
“I stil can’t even believe that he’s our president, but it’s one of those things we have to deal with and overcome, and we’ll get there! It’s going to be hard but we have to face it.”
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hard but we have to face it,” Bella exclaims with unwavering optimism. Because Bella’s brain works uniquely, she is always analyzing the world in a way that inspires hope over helplessness, so she has the power to rally many supporters. Her following will only continue to grow, making Bella Baynard the next potential leader of a political movement against injustice. Being an African-American female unfortunately means she was exposed to the most injustice of any group in the United States today. However, any individual with the drive and passion to inspire others can do so and can change the world around them. Although Bella is a very independent thinker, all people need support from other people in their lives
in order to truly thrive. For Bella, this support came from her parents, and plenty of inspiration from the celebrities that she idolizes. Her parents’ continued overwhelming support for her in her new career has kept her strong in her beliefs. They grant Bella inspiration through constant discussions of issues and problems that she can help to try and solve through her design. However, the biggest source of inspiration for Bella’s work are those who paved the way for her to achieve her aspirations.“So having those kind of people like in the media and on stage, and um you know performing and being able to use their voice, has been really inspirational for me and guided me, besides my parents,” says Bella with a twinkle in her eye. “I also think that some figures in media, like Beyonce and her new album Lemonade has been extremely revolutionary. These people use their platform and take advantage of what they’re good at to talk about those types of issues.” Bella’s idols and most reliable sources of inspiration for her work include Beyonce, Alicia Keys, and Zendaya. The one thing all of these beacons of light have in common is being African-American females. This common denominator inspires Bella on a daily basis. She uses this inspiration to overcome the prejudice that she suffers being an AfricanAmerican female. By studying those women who came before her, Bella has learned how to inspire others in her own right. These sources of inspiration have fueled her to m o d e l her work after her idols and create her own m o v e m e n t through the use of her art. Of course, every artist needs a studio. For B e l l a , t h i s studio happens to be the
Tech Shop, located in San Jose. As you enter the Tech Shop, the feeling of passion and drive permeate the atmosphere. The wide open space filled with people from all different backgrounds is a nice parallel to the open, creative minds of the individuals who inhabit it. In the heart of this birthing ground for design is Bella, hard at work, creating new designs for all kinds of new patches and shirts for her budding business. At the Tech Shop, Bella can make these creative designs come to life using all of the newest, most useful technology. The Tech Shop is a place where dreams are made into reality, and Bella’s dreams will soon make that transformation. This place where Bella goes to thrive as a designer acts as a sort of safe haven for her from the egregious injustices in our country today. Bella’s social and political identities have been drastically affected
by the injustices she faces in our nation today. Evidently, being an African-American female puts her into not only one, but two targeted groups in our nation’s society. Bella elaborates on this when she says “Injustices and the recent political climate and what’s been going on in the media have affected me because of who I am and who I identify as, both in my race and my gender. Growing up, I was always going to be in a situation where I looked different, or I sounded different, or people were going to look at me differently. They were going to. They might not act like I was different, but it was always going to be that kind of situation, so I’ve always been really aware of it.” Regardless of this adversity that she faces on a regular basis, Bella is looking to build her brand in order to grow and develop her message into something that can touch as many people in our nation as possible. She plans on attending college in New York, where the entire culture is immersed in fashion. Bella feels as though she can use this environment to hone her design skills and hone her craft. As for the future of her company, Bella pronounces, “I want to take Bella Bay Co. and turn it into a major fashion label. Not simply a
fashion brand people buy, but one that actually has a message and voice. A voice for political activism or a message supporting a cause. That’s where I’m looking to go with it” (Baynard). It appears that Bella has found her voice in society, and the role Bella plays in our world can be compared to a useful tool in her arsenal: a sewing machine. The machine sews hundreds of stitches into their respective niches, but every once in awhile, a stitch is sewn out of unison with the rest. This one outlier causes a chain reaction that can change the entire look of the product as a whole. Many people are born into this world and fulfill a rather conventional life, falling into their respective niches, but every once in a generation, one person becomes the outlier that can create a shockwave throughout society. Bella is the shockwave that our generation needs.
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“It’s important for artists who have that platform and who have that design technique to use their voice to share with people. Art is going to be able to speak to people in ways that words may not be able to, so I think that art is important in that way.” (Baynard)
Works Cited -Badea, Monica. Personal Interview. 27 March 2017. -Baynard, Bella. Personal Interview. 7 March 2017. -Friedman, Vanessa. “When Politics Became a Fashion Statement.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 Dec. 2016. Web. 28 Mar. 2017. -Gilbert, Sophie. “Teen Vogue’s Political Coverage Isn’t Surprising.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 12 Dec. 2016. Web. 28 Mar. 2017. -Pang, Hannah. Personal Interview. 16 March 2017. ---. Personal Interview. 24 April 2017. -Wunderlich, Annelise. “What Role Can Art Play in Creating Social Change?” KQED Learning. Web. 28 Mar. 2017. 8
About the Author Mason Kennerly is a seventeen year old student attending both Los altos High school as well as Freestyle Academy. Being a student at Freestyle Academy, Mason works tirelessly to bring his creative visions to life. Mason considers himself to be an innovator, which has been a great contributor to his success as an artist and filmmaker thus far in Freestyle. Mason is using the advantage of Freestyle Academy in order to hone his skills as a performer and artist so that he may one day realize his dream of performing as a professional wrestler at Wrestlemania. Being a performer on the grandest stage of them all always seemed to call to Mason in a way that other career paths did not. This life path is perfectly suited to whom Mason truly is at his core. He is a charismatic, unique individual who is hard to ignore, and he owns a special flair about him that spark the interest of many. With these traits, Mason seeks to make it to the show of shows where he hopes to inspire and change the world with his undying spirit and fiery passion. 9
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