A tradition at my high school is for IB Visual Arts seniors to paint a mural for their senior project. The murals typically are associated with the hallway it is placed on. For example, my friend painted a Choral mural on the music hallway. For my final project I painted a mural of my role model, Michelle Obama, on the history hallway. It took a little over a month and consists of a portrait of her face and a quote by her stating “... the only thing people can’t take away from you is your education. And it is worth the investment.” It was by far one of the most memorable parts of my high school experience and I’m happy I was able to leave my mark on the the school while honoring my role model, Michelle Obama. Xan Harris
Music
Joseph "Carlito" Oladimeji has posted Green Room Freestyle on Soundcloud. Listen here.
Students of Hip Hop Legacy (SoHHL) has a music blog full of reviews and recommendations. Check it out! Meetings are Wednesdays at 7pm in Tucker 111.
Poetry
Be You
You are not a sculpture So do not allow yourself to be molded to fit someone else's criteria You are not a statue So make movements Make waves Create change Do not be afraid to shun outdated ways You are not a painting So do not allow yourself to be stuck in a world others have created for you. If you want to change something then do it. You are an artist If you decide the color scheme is not to your liking There are too many greys and blues and not enough fiery oranges Then pick up a paint brush and fix it. Be unapologetically you Make your choices and actions with nothing to lose and if that messes up their painting then so what? Life is too short to mess it up by being a product of a society lacking innovation. So be innovative. If there is not a box or label you fix perfectly inside then forget it Who needs the limitations anyway? Never regret being yourself Because when you look back on your life That's the one thing you can always be proud of Do not be afraid of change As we mature things get put into perspective Priorities realign And if one day someone walks up to you With a sneer on their face Head tilted in disdain and says “Ugh. You've changed” Just smile right back and say “Yeah. It was for the better.” Because college is a game of hide and seek In which we both hide from and seek ourselves Scared to be found because what if we don't fit in? What if the box isn't big enough? Font on the labels not large enough to wrap around us? Hide and seek in the dark. But out in the world are flashlights And no reason to be scared to find yourself Because out there are billions of fish And your school is waiting for you to join them Do not restrict yourself to the ordinary Because each of you is extraordinary whether you believe it or not And if you stumble if you fall Just remember who you are Because a crack cannot break the foundation of ourselves They can always be sealed Loni Wright
The Face of the Workplace Also Know As The Workplace in “Post-racial” America Loni Wright
Am I your equal? Though we are both homosapien, we are not considered equal parts human, equal parts intelligent, nor equal parts worthy. Regardless of whether or not my qualifications can run circles around yours, I am still the unworthy party. Although the worth of my people has been raised from ⅗, I am still considered just ⅔ of you.
You, being the straight white male whose future entails a story of privilege; of being worth more than every coworker whose skin does not match your fairness, or whose genitalia is not of your likeness. You, who sees no fault in asking who you would rather work beside. As if a skin tone is a reflection of character, morals, or merit. As if it is something you pick to wear if you'd like others to know your worth at a glance. As if the blacker the berry, the fouler the juice. As if it is something a person can choose. As if you are a hospitality worker whose microaggressions have taken the better of you. Check yourself; your privilege is showing.