New Releases: Episodes 7, 8, & 9 from the 2017 WERQ/Radio Interns

Episode 7: A WALK DOWN RAINBOW LANE
In this episode, the hosts discuss how the LGBTQ+ community is excluded from the current school curriculum. This episode challenges the educational system to implement a diversified course of study for all students all year long.

Episode 8: THE MASC WE WEAR
In this episode, hosts discuss the pressures of toxic masculinity and its effect on a community at large. This episode aims to encourage individuals to embrace all of their identities each and every day!

Episode 9: MEDIA VS REALITY/THE QUEER LIFE
In this episode, hosts explore the misrepresentation of the LGBTQ+ community on the silver screen!

Article: T.A.G. You're It! [8th Annual Educators Conference]

T.A.G. You're It!

May 2017

written by: Bruce Bennett, Miya Ingram, Julia Jones, Timmy Lawrence, and Justin Newsome

The 8th Annual Educator's Conference, hosted by T.A.G. (Teacher Action Group), was held at the Folk-Arts-Cultural Treasure Charter School located at 1023 Callowhill Street Philadelphia, PA. It served as a melting pot of inspirational figures to share experiences, opportunities and enlighten the gathered audience on school related issues. The theme of the conference was “Crawl Spaces for Liberation” and it was fascinating how every attendee found a way to be engaged. Despite the focus being geared towards educators, the event found various ways to ensure that all participants gained new knowledge by the end of the day. The conference began with a contemplative air as the hosts presented their speeches about life, the nation’s current civil unrest, and the power of activism. While wrapping up introductions, the hosts called upon the audience to think about what impacts they’ve made in their respective communities. After vibing with the audience for a few minutes, the hosts let the panel lead the way. Panelists, Jalyssa Ortiz, Isabel Dalakishvili, Mari Morales, Lillian Hentz, Katrina Clark, Imani Sanders-Rasul, and TS Hawkins had the task of self-introduction and explaining how they create their own “crawl spaces”. To say the panelists lit a fire in the hearts of the spectators would be an understatement; it was an inferno of hope and motivation. 

There was an array of workshops to attend during this one-day conference but we decided to sit in on “Queering the Classroom Through Everyday Actions” led by the wonderfully charismatic Maddie Luebbert. Maddie Luebbert is a Philadelphia based graduate student who worked as a student-teacher this year. The workshop began with a free-write guided by questions surrounding anti-queer language and our reactions to it. Next, we introduced ourselves and were asked to give one word to summarize our feelings about anti-queer language in the classroom. We heard a variety of emotions including anxiety, frustration, and disgust. Some felt powerless, conflicted, concerned, and surprisingly the word reflective was mentioned. After talking about our individual classroom encounters, we re-enacted three scenarios in which students in the classroom used anti-queer language or inquired about queer related topics. Through this activity, everyone could rotate within the positions of the student, the teacher, and the observer. After each scenario, we talked about how it felt and what we could have done differently. Throughout this workshop, everyone learned different techniques and ways to incorporate LGBTQ+ language into the curriculum. Additionally, we learned not to rush to judgement when other students use anti-queer language. Some students may not be aware of how negative language impacts the LGBTQ+ community. Thus, when a critical moment arises, the collective school community should take the time to guide each other through the process of understanding how to treat each other respectively. These scenarios set the tone for the rest of the workshop. A freeform discussion arose amongst the educators, student-teachers, and youth about intentionally incorporating LGBTQ+ history and language into the classroom without making it “stick out” from what the curriculum mandates. It was refreshing to feel more equipped to return to our communities and educate others on crafting a holistic curriculum. 

“None of Us are Free Until We are All Free” was the second workshop we attended with two energetically hilarious facilitators, Hazel Edwards and Gianna Graves, from The Bryson Institute at The Attic Youth Center. The Bryson Institute focuses on providing trainings to the city to educate the community about the oppression of minority groups. The theme of this workshop seemed to be a “call to action” for Intersectionality; the ultimate key to liberation and equity for all. Hazel and Giana broke down the complexities and social dynamics of oppression, by presenting three diagrams they created to explain each concept with simple terminology. First, The Tree of White Supremacy focused on racism --which led to white privilege-- and colorism --which led to light skin privilege and oppression. From one of the tree’s trunks was a branch labeled "White Folks". The "White Folks" branch split into two other branches labeled "Racism" and "Color Blindness". Hazel and Giana explained that racism and color blindness are effects of white privilege. This tree metaphor helped the workshop participants understand that racism was rooted in white privilege. Eager to learn more, it was then, Hazel and Giana handed out their second diagram, The Heterosexism Power Grid. This graph had roads of oppression and privilege but focusing on society’s disparity on sexuality. "Heterosexuality", the title of the power plant, had two main roads titled "Oppression" and "Privilege". The road to “Oppression” had four sub-roads labeled "Biphobia", "Queerphobia", and two "Homophobia" routes all leading to the “House of Sexuality”. The "Privilege" road led to the “House of Heterosexuality”. Brimming with all this newfound knowledge, Hazel and Giana unleashed their final diagram, The Patriarchy Pipeline which focused on sexism and cissexism. Both concepts go through a huge "Patriarchy" pipe, but one side is titled "Privilege" leaking trails of "Cisgender Privilege" and "Male Privilege" into the bucket of "Cisgender Men". This means that cisgender males receive privilege from the patriarchy. The opposite side of the "Patriarchy" pipe titled "Oppression" trickled to "Transphobia" and "Misogyny" followed by an adjacent pipe labeled "Transmisogyny" depicting the additional path of oppression that transgender women traverse in society. Unfortunately, all the water from these routes drip into the buckets of "Transgender/Genderqueer Folks", "Transgender Women/Transfeminine Folks" and "Cisgender Women" highlighting that those identities are oppressed by the patriarchy. These diagrams were very innovative and got the creatives juices spinning for all the workshop participants! Flowing with the high-octane energy of space, Hazel and Giana had us play a few rounds of a newly constructed version of Jeopardy. After being split into three groups to answer questions like, "What's pink-washing?", "Who's Bayard Rustin?", "What's whitewashing?", etc. the room exploded in a cacophony laughter, determination to learn more, and spontaneous teamwork across all identities. Caught up in the joy, it felt like game only lasted for a few seconds. We didn’t want the fun to conclude but Final Jeopardy was the last section to complete. On the edge of our chairs, the whole room awaited the final jeopardy question. After a few seconds of good spirited teasing, Hazel finally asked the group, "What was the exact date of the Stonewall riot?". The answer: June 28, 1969! The Team B was the only group to answer the question correctly and they were extremely ecstatic. Since they bet all their points for double or nothing shot-in-the-dark, they won the game with a score of 9,800 triumphing over the A and C teams. Team B was an all youth team, so this was a very noble victory!

After all the workshops were complete, everyone was asked to gather in the common room where we began the day. The T.A.G. hosts asked for individuals to stand in a circle while stating their favorite overall moment of the conference as well as what they gained from the experience. After listening to all the inspiring responses, it was clear that people accumulated a bunch of knowledge. From garnering a new outlook on society to collecting tools to create our own “crawl spaces” to liberate ourselves from the chains of oppression and ignorance, it was honor to be in an environment of progressive academic game-changers!

Article: The Preservation of Justice

The Preservation of Justice

February 2017

written by: Bruce Bennett & Julia Jones

On February 8th, The University Community Collaborative POWER Internship hosted a Social Justice POWER Panel that took place at Temple University. The panel consisted of Mike O’Bryan (advocate of youth rights and project manager of SMASH), TS Hawkins (international author and facilitator for the WERQ Radio and Podcasting Internship at the Attic Youth Center), Shani Akilah (Liberationist and co-founder of the Black and Brown Workers Collective), and Koby Murphy (Youth Organizer with the Philadelphia Student Union), who are avid proponents of social justice. 

“I infiltrate "white" spaces", starts Hawkins, helping to set the tone for the panel. She stated she studies how they operate, turns it on its head, and teaches the youth varying ways to navigate in the world. Akilah follows up with “There’s is an art in dismantling what does not serve freedom.” Initially, Akilah went around dismantling systems of oppression but soon learned that “you cannot dismantle without talking about what you are going to build.” Hawkins and Akilah both had very different responses but they’re working towards the same goal. O’Bryan stated “If I'm absent, the uniqueness that I can contribute to you is absent"; that’s why he believes that our personal health is so crucial to any movement we seek to be a part of. When asked what he does to serve social justice in his community, he stated he uses mediums such as photography and music to convey a message. Murphy, also, thinks that creativity is the key to keep people listening to what you have to say. 

Whilst discussing prominent social justice issues dealing with the chaotic and changing environment of today, the panelists touched on the current president. For O’Bryan, the world shifted once Donald Trump became a presidential nominee. He says that he was raised in a time where “All of the big lies that covered the world started to crumble…and now we are at a reckoning point.” Hawkins disclosed that she came from a long line of educators and has known for a while that the world is nothing but propaganda, but the recent presidential election reaffirmed some things. “The lowercase KKK were always in place and now they have a mouthpiece.” Everyone on the panel agreed that in these trying times one of our biggest concerns is us; brown folks being resold. Hawkins says “I’m tired of black and brown bodies being sold under different language”, and echoing that same note O’Bryan retorted that “it’s our human capital that’s always been in the hands of other people.” They all agreed that somehow we have to take ourselves back from the systems we’ve been thrown into that continue to oppress.

When the question, “What advice do you have for your students?” was posed, everyone on the panel had something to say. “My advice to you is that for those of you that are for social justice put yourself squarely first.” O’Bryan said. Through his life he learned that his personal health was very important, and without that intact it’s hard to get things done. Hawkins said “My advice is always to honor your worth, and I say honor your worth because you already know it...you are Kings and you are Queens.” Her biggest goal is first and foremost, keeping us alive in a system that is so against us. Then, Akilah stated “Be kind to each other because…imma say it, patriarchy, misogyny, colorism... we are fish swimming in a fishbowl of dirty water, I challenge you to once a day spit that water out.” Akilah continues to connect it to how they found sisterhood in black women even though white supremacy pushes against it with negative images of when black and brown women gather. Murphy’s advice was more goal-orientated, he wants us to constantly ask ourselves “Where is it that I'd like to be?” and constantly work towards trying to get there. In other words, find the light at the end of the tunnel, and claw your way there to make your life worth the struggle!

Article: Socially Aware of Injustice

Socially Aware of Injustice

February 2017

written by: Miya Ingram & Justin Newsome

On Wednesday, February 8th, 2017, the University Community Collaborative POWER Internship hosted a Social Justice POWER Panel at Temple University at 3:00 pm. The panel consisted of four captivating facilitators that help black and brown young people from Philadelphia through art, liberation work, and literature while also advocating for social justice. The panelist were Mike O'Bryan, an advocate for youth rights; TS Hawkins, a well-known author, poet, and educator; Shani Akilah, a liberationist; and Koby Murphy, a youth organizer, and musician. 

Building up people of color has always been a passion for Shani Akilah and TS Hawkins. As black, queer women, they have always felt the need to give back to their own people. “I grew up in a lineage full of educators", says Hawkins. Using her Education background, she has traveled around the world as a poet, using her voice to send messages about black rights.  Akilah was on the same path forming The Black and Brown Workers Collective to “work toward giving a voice to minorities of color and using art to express yourself in a way that has an impact on the world.” Gathering other people with the same passion, she plans to build up places where black and brown people can work together.

Koby Murphy and Mike O’Bryan both have used their creativity to show the hardships of their life. As an underprivileged child, O’Bryan had but no choice to educate his mind. Being the only one in his family to graduate high school and college, he has used music to show and tell the stories of youth throughout the city. Murphy has been involved with The Philadelphia Student Union since high school. He remembers recording mixtapes and handing them out to different students across the city to spread positive messages. Now being employed by the program that helped him become the artist he is today, he tries his very best to give inner-city kids a platform to be creative and showcase their talents and to stay off the streets.

Throughout the panel, the POWER interns asked a series of questions regarding social justice within the community and how each facilitator connected their own art to making a difference in the youth community. One of the questions to the panelist was, "How do you use and connect your art with social justice topics/issues?" Hawkins responded by saying she "infiltrates “white” spaces"; learning the jargon and mindset while passing it on to black and brown youth so they can know how to navigate throughout the world." Murphy said that using his talents with hip-hop and rap can bring students together and spread positive messages around the city are ways he continues to make a difference.

Although the conversation was based on social justice, each facilitator shared ways that we as black and brown teenagers can make a difference, while also sharing life changing experiences that made them the person they are today. The final question of the panel was, “What advice you would give to the young people?” “Know your worth”, Hawkins said. “Remember your purpose", said Akilah. “Find something and learn something you like”, said Murphy. And finally, “Put yourself and your health first", said O’Bryan.

In summary, the event was perfectly balanced with a spoken word from Hawkins, social justice commentary, and Q&A’s from the audience that toggled between this past election to college. The event opened the eyes of many inspiring artists, photographers, film producers, and journalists. With the advice given from the panelist, there should not be anyone, that was in that room, that left feeling uninspired and not driven for success. 

Article: Unjust Times Call For A Just Panel

Unjust Times Call for a Just Panel
February 2017
written by: Timmy Lawrence, Julian Maestre & Keyarah Murphy

On Wednesday February 8th, 2017 the University Community Collaborative POWER Internship hosted a Social Justice POWER Panel at Temple University. The panel was for people to ignite an intellectual conversation about the current plight of minorities living in the United States. On the panel was TS Hawkins, an international poet and author/facilitator of the WERQ/Radio Podcasting & Youth Making Media Internship at The Attic Youth Center; Shani Akilah, co-founder of the Black and Brown Workers Collective (BBWC); Mike O'Bryan, an advocate for youth rights and social change; and Koby Murphy, a youth organizer with the Philadelphia Student Union.

To start off the panel, Hawkins performed her poem, #SuiteReality; this poem spoke about the struggles of young black girls in society. After Hawkins’ performance, the moderators began to ask the panel questions. The first question posed to the panel was for them to explain how they used their art form to bring awareness to social justice. Akilah answers, in their big and powerful voice, “I dismantle what does not bring freedom. To dismantle, I practice the art our ancestors had of drumming, to hold on to my history and culture."  The audience applauded to their answer. Hawkins responds, "As a black, queer, woman living in this nation, I knew the world was filled with propaganda but I didn’t realize how complacent I had become until Trump was sworn in. What gets me through this time is channeling my art to be a protector for my students and motivating them to paint the world the way they want to see it.” 

Another short answer quote from Hawkins was, “I love to infiltrate “white” spaces…” We took this to mean she wants to show society what she's really capable of. She's tired of having to prove herself over, and over again to go through an unnecessary amount of steps to get to where she has to go, only to be shut down solely due to her skin tone.  Akilah, further mentioned that they “cannot dismantle without talking about what you are going to build; there is art in dismantling.” They said growing up that they “did not feel like they had a tongue to speak, like it was snatched.” Akilah wanted to build a space where minorities can speak freely and take a direct action against white supremacy in a positive way; that's why they created the Black and Brown Workers Collective. In conclusion this social justice panel was developed by great youth role models; giving an immaculate sense of acceptance and leadership for other youth of color.

Event: Black Lives Matter Week Panel [LGBTQ+ Youth of Color Discuss "Moonlight" & "Pariah"]

The WERQ/Radio Podcasting & Youth Making Media Interns at the Attic Youth Center partnered with the Caucus of Working Educators/Philadelphia Federation of Teachers for Black Lives Matter Week! Speaking on an array of topics regarding black and brown youth portrayal in media, these interns unearthed tons of knowledge for the masses to feed on!

Video: #AmericanApocalypse Team Asks "America, What Happened?!"

The #AmericanApocalypse Team

of the WERQ/Radio Podcasting & Youth Making Media Interns

at the Attic Youth Center

discuss the aftermath of the 2016 Presidential Election,

Donald Trump, and the Republican Party.

Video: #UnitedWeStand Team Asks "America, What Happened?!"

The #UnitedWeStand Team

of the

WERQ/Radio Podcasting & Youth Making Media Interns

at the Attic Youth Center

discuss the aftermath of the 2016 Presidential  Election,

Hillary Clinton, and the Democratic Party

Episode 6: Dear Congress, Where's My Seat?

In this episode,

hosts discuss the lack of congressional seats available for intersectional voices

and how that negatively shapes the progression of the future!

or CLICK HERE!

Episode 5: Black Women vs. The Media

In this episode,

hosts discuss the plight of black/brown womyn bodies

within the current media climate

in addition to their erasure/ownership of their inherent cultural identity.

or CLICK HERE!

Article: #FreeCeCe! TRANScending the [un]Justice System

#FreeCeCe! TRANScending the [un]Justice System

August 2016

written by: Nabrayah Jones; Media Arts Summer Intern

I had the honor of being Youth Press Correspondent on behalf of The Attic Youth Center for the 5th Annual BlackStar Film Festival. When I walked into the International House where the festival had taken place on August 7, 2016, located on Chestnut Street in West Philadelphia, the ambiance was more than welcoming. A beautiful woman who wore a tag labeled “BlackStar Volunteer” directed me to a table where I was given my very own  ticket to one of the best films shown at the festival, “Free CeCe.”

Free CeCe is a documentary film directed by Jacqueline Gares and co­-produced by trans actress, writer, and LGBTQ+ advocate Laverne Cox. This film is about the life of then 23 year old CeCe McDonald; a young transgender woman of color who survived a brutal attack around 12:30am on June 5th, 2011 in Minneapolis, Minnesota while walking to the supermarket with a group of friends. While in route they passed a local bar, The Schooner Tavern. A group of white, cis-gender males and females were standing outside the bar and began yelling transphobic and racist slurs at CeCe and her friends. They called them ‘f*ggots,’ ‘n*ggers,’ and ‘chicks with d*cks.’ CeCe chose to stand her ground and fight back. The situation at hand did not turn out pretty. One of the men who attacked CeCe and her friends, Dean Schmitz, was stabbed and later pronounced dead at the scene. A pair of scissors CeCe pulled out for protection had been determined to be the murder weapon. Not only did she leave the scene with glass in her cheek [from one of the female attackers smashing their drink into her face] but CeCe left in handcuffs. She was taken to the hospital after her arrest where she received 11 stitches. CeCe was left in a room alone for three hours waiting to be interrogated then placed in solitary confinement in Minnesota Correctional Facility-St. Cloud; a men’s prison. CeCe refused to accept a first­-degree manslaughter charge, so the prosecutors charged her with second-degree intentional murder which held a 40 year sentence. With the help of her legal team and protesters, CeCe was able to accept plea bargain of second-degree manslaughter; a deal that only held a 41 month prison sentence. CeCe, as said in the film, “had to do what she had to do.” Fortunately, CeCe served only 19 months in prison and was released on January 13th, 2014. 

In this film, I learned about CeCe McDonald’s struggle with being mistreated in the justice and penal system. Her act of self ­defense against a man who was presumed to be a racist, violent, and transphobic turned into an unnecessary trial. The community came together without hesitation forming protests. Chants and signs reading “Free CeCe” and support for her spread world­wide; Berlin, Paris, Italy, Bangalore, India, Glasgow, Scotland, and Canada, were truly inspired by CeCe’s story.

I was very eager to see the film and hear the full story from CeCe herself aside from what I researched. Watching this film drove me to think more of the lives of trans women and understand the law enforcement's lack of understanding and respect for transgender citizens. It was eye opening to see the lives of trans women of color and trans people in general being brought to light . In the film political activist, scholar, and author Angela Davis spoke with CeCe McDonald and stated “Trans people are caught in violence between binary genders.” As said on the official Free CeCe documentary website http://www.freececedocumentary.net/, “FREE CeCe! is hugely significant for its indomitable spirit and bold confrontation of the systematic injustice that lingers throughout America (and the rest of the world).” Thus, the one concern I had with the film was the lack of conversation on allyship; more information on how to adequately support and educate each other on how to improve the institutional oppression of the trans community.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to ask CeCe McDonald questions because she had to rush to another event. If given the opportunity I would ask, "With the way she sees trans woman’s murder cases handled, if she had been murdered that day, would the perpetrator have gone to prison? Why or why not?" I also wanted to ask more about her experience in the men’s prison. The film talked about the way they wouldn’t let her wear certain clothing and dictated the way she wore them. I wanted to know if she received transphobic slurs from the correctional officers or other inmates and how that made her feel. My last question for her would have been, “When she found out about the worldwide protest that was going on, how that made her feel? Did that release a great amount of depression and stress off her shoulders?”

In light of trans lives not being supported in the media, I strongly feel everyone should educate themselves on transphobic cases they may hear about to help spread awareness. People should actively support not only the lives of  trans women of color but all trans lives and work on better understanding the oppression that trans women face. I’d like to thank The Attic Youth Center Media Arts facilitator TS Hawkins for selecting me as the Youth Press Correspondent; giving me the opportunity to see the mind altering, Free CeCe film, and giving me a new point of view on the unfair imprisonment and injustice for trans woman.

*More about CeCe McDonald

Chrishaun ‘CeCe’ McDonald born May 26th 1989 is an African American Trans Woman from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her name came to light after her inspiring story on an attack she survived but received unfair treatment within the criminal justice system. CeCe and her story intrigued many activists such as Laverne Cox, Angela Davis, Janet Mock, Marc Lamont Hill for Ebony.com and many others.

In The News: Philadelphia Youth Network Likes Us...

They like us!!!

They really, really like us!!!!

Thank You...

PHILADELPHIA YOUTH NETWORK

Thank You!

In The News: G.O.A.L. Press Conference with the Media Arts Summer Interns!

The Media Arts summer interns at The Attic Youth Center

completed their 1st Press Conference with

Jo Mason and Greater Philly G.O.A.L.

at the 6th Precinct.

Press articles coming soon!

‪#‎staytuned‬

Episode 4: Without a Filter: A True Gaze on the LGBTQ+ Community

In this episode, hosts discuss if it does "get better"

for the LGBTQ+ community after "coming out".

From homelessness to unemployment,

these millennials chat about the possibility of a questionable future.

or CLICK HERE!

Episode 3: Dresses Are For Guys, Too!

In this episode, hosts discuss gender equity in clothing options.

From celebrity to the everyday,

this conversation is definitely fashion forward!

or CLICK HERE!

Episode 2: Mark My Gender: Legalizing a Third Gender Option in the US!

In this episode, hosts discuss legalizing a third gender option in the United States.

Other countries are on board with understanding the growth of humanity,

so why is the United States behind the times?

or CLICK HERE!

In The News: PhillyBOOST Mentions The Attic Youth Center & The OST Experience!

​

“For me, the importance of afterschool is being able to have something to do. All that I partake in after school keeps me busy. It does get hectic at times, but it keeps me focused. It helps me clear my mind.”-A. Branin, Youth Radio Intern at the Attic Youth Center

“Here [at the Attic Youth Center], we are learning to develop our voice. I appreciate that it is letting me acquire these skills.” He notes that it is important learn to become a confident public speaker: for professional presentations, conducting interviews with others, as well as for job interviews. -J. Kleiner, Youth Radio Intern at the Attic Youth Center READ MORE HERE

Article: Philly’s Gay Samaritan!

Philly’s Gay Samaritan

March 2016

written by: Lucas Borschell, Angelica Owens, Jabrea Reid and Christian Williams of the Gender Benders Squad in the WERQ/Radio Podcasting & Youth Making Media Internship at The Attic Youth Center

On March 30th, 2016, from 4-5:30pm, we, the WERQ/Radio Podcasting Youth Media Making Interns at The Attic Youth Center, had a private press conference with Nellie Fitzpatrick, the City’s Director for LGBT Affairs in Philadelphia. The conference took place in the Mayor’s Office of City Hall. The purpose of this meeting, curated by our internship facilitator, TS Hawkins, was to help us develop strength of character, as well as to learn how to utilize our voices from a high profile figure in the world of rainbows. She was also happy to answer any questions we had about what the office does, how it works, and about things we can do to have a voice in our daily lives.

Some of the discussion topics that were tossed around had to deal with the accomplishments of the office, such as Directive 152; which lays out what an officer is to do upon confronting a transgender person. When asked about her involvement within the police force, she told us it was because she previously was a prosecutor as an Assistant District Attorney in the city. During her time as a DA, she says she handled many abuse cases, including ones involving infants. She is now using that experience as a driving stimulus for work in the police force, even setting up GOAL (Gay Officers Action League) and helping those LGBT in the police force with coming out. Though, this is not the extent of her ambitions, as there are plans for proclamations to the city as well as to improve acceptance of LGBT in our school systems. She even offered herself as a resource to us. We feel that her perseverance to help those who are abused or discriminated is an inspiration, and should be present in all walks of life. “Change comes from within” she says, and we couldn’t have put it better ourselves.

We also wanted to learn more about her and how she got to this position, so we inquired about what challenges faced her in becoming Philly’s Director for LGBT Affairs. “Properly moving forward and keeping to goals was a challenge” she says. Nellie didn’t even know if she would be able to keep the position as Director past the last year of Mayor Nutter’s final term. Though they voted to keep the office permanently, Nellie is still shown to be persistent by doing as much as she could that year to make an impact regardless of how long she would hold office. Which is a great goal for work ethic, if you think about it.

Later in the conference we discussed the condition of our schools in regards to LGBT, as well as what we can do about it. Nellie says that school is a very big project, and has to be done right. To accomplish this, she says that impact is key, and it has to impact both students and teachers. Eight out of ten LGBT youth say they’ve felt severe isolation, which makes this all that much more important to face head on. Youth are too often made to advocate to be themselves in school, which takes away from time they could use focusing on graduating. Nellie says, “Graduating is a student’s full time job, not educating educators on how to educate them”. No statement has ever been so true!

Overall, our conference with Nellie Fitzpatrick had us engrossed in discussion and left us feeling more informed, comfortable, and motivated. We’re so happy to have had this opportunity to speak with another person like us reassuring us that politicians understand the struggles of LGBT youth in society. Through speaking with her, we have a new sense of power in our schools with demanding our needs. We have gained more motivation with informing others on the issues LGBT face in school and in politics. We have become role models for other youth around the city knowing that they have other people backing them up!

Article: Inqueery with Nellie Fitzpatrick

Inqueery with Nellie Fitzpatrick

March 2016

written by: Jack Kleiner, Damien Walker, Lanier Bradshaw & Adrianna Branin of the K.N.D. Squad in the WERQ/Radio Podcasting & Youth Making Media Internship at The Attic Youth Center

On March 30th, the Attic Youth Center W.E.R.Q/Radio Podcasting & Youth Making Media Interns gathered at City Hall to meet the Director of LGBTQ Affairs, Nellie Fitzpatrick. We had a private press conference with her and was given the chance to ask questions plus share concerns about the LGBTQ community. We settled in easily and quickly, immediately feeling comfortable in her presence; this was anything but a run-of-the-mill political interview. We had a blast picking her brain about different areas in the law and legal rights of the LGBTQ community. Additionally, Nellie shared apprehensions she has seen throughout the community and her future plans for the community.

As queer youth, we felt it was important to sit down with one of the queer representations we have in Philadelphian politics, and we were not disappointed. One of the questions brought up by fellow intern Lucas Borschell was, “I’ve noticed that a lot of your work is focused on the police force, and I wanted to know why?” In response, Nellie stated that she began working as a defense attorney for sexual assault victims, some even infants. This past motivated Nellie and helped her do her part in improving the judicial system. Nellie explained that she, along with Joe Mason, are in the works of collaborating with the police force to help LGBTQ officers find acceptance in G.O.A.L; the Gay Officers Action League, a national organization which brings together LGBTQ police officers.

Our interview with Nellie wasn't just about the hard hitting questions, she also took time to answer personal questions such as “when you were younger, did you have trouble coming to terms with your LGBT identity?” As honestly as she could, Nellie responded, “It was just kinda hard to express it.” We at The Rainbow Experience know all too well this feeling, and we commend Nellie for sharing that piece of information. This was significant for us because as queer youth, expression can be one of the hardest parts of life.

All in all, the interview with Nellie was one unlike any other. Consisting of thought provoking questions and comedic remarks by both the interviewee and W.E.R.Q. interns, it was one of the most interesting experiences for us. We gained valuable insight on what our voice means and how we should use it, as well as what specific ideas we want to communicate to people with said voices. Meeting Nellie was truly an honor and something invaluable to us all. Without a doubt, we would love to interview with her again; consume more of her insight and views as one of the few LGBTQ Philadelphia politicians who is currently working to help the community. She is truly one of the most unique advocates and politicians we have seen!

Article: Youth Respond to Temple University Social Justice Panel!

Youth Respond to Temple University Social Justice Panel
February 2016
article written by: Adrianna Branin, Damien Walker, and Jack Kleiner of The K.N.D. Squad in the WERQ/Radio Podcasting & Youth Making Media Internship at The Attic Youth Center

On Feb. 10 we were invited as press to attend The Social Justice Panel at Temple University. The Social Justice Panel was created by Nick Palazzalo and the POWER Internship. The panel consisted of TS Hawkins, Kashara White, Ociele Hawkins, Ismael Jimenez, and Dr. Anthony Monterio. The Social Justice Panel handled the social topics such as erasure of black people, standardized testing, and Black Lives Matter.

During this social justice panel, erasure was one of the larger topics discussed by the panel. The first question discussed the whitewashing of African American History, posing, “How do you resist whitewashing as a teacher?” Ismael Jimenez, an African American History teacher at the Kensington Creative and Performing Arts High School, responded with several points about how we don’t learn about the five years between Martin Luther King, Jr's I Have a Dream speech and his assassination. Additionally, he states that we also seem to only learn about slavery being a long time ago, Martin Luther King, Obama, and racism being “over.” We believe that this was an incredibly important point to make because people, especially youth, are not being properly educated about how racism still exists as a system of oppression rather than individual prejudices, even after Martin Luther King, Jr’s I Have a Dream speech.

The Temple University Social Justice panel consisted heavily of the struggles which people of color face in modern society. TS Hawkins, an internationally known performance poet and author, spoke heavily on the intersectionality the concept of examining the interconnection in the oppression of groups of people rather than viewing them separately of being black and LGBTQ. Furthermore, she objected to the term “modern slavery” and how slavery is not “modernized” as it never left, explaining that the system just changed its appearance and language.

An extremely memorable discussion in the panel was Dr. Anthony Monterio’s answer to the question “Why are people of color born suspects?” He explained that the behavior and notions toward brown bodies stems from what blackness symbolizes in society and how the one drop rule, the idea that if

you had an African American family memeber up to four generations back, you were considered black, has allowed certain privileges and separation for the white population. He concluded with the factors of how we’ve come to identify individuals as white, giving people this identity because of the belief that “I’m white because I’m not black.” To clarify, many people may identify as white because they were never involved with the oppression and image of blackness, “that whiteness only exists because the government needed to separate those that would’ve been called slaves from those that would’ve been slave masters.”

In all, the panel was extremely educational and informative, giving the attendants and listeners knowledge that is not often learned in a traditional classroom or by authority figures. Moreover, it included the struggles and documentation from our ancestors and our own experiences today. Marginalization, or social exclusion, was a heavy topic thrust upon the entire panel. What it means to be generalized and silenced as people of color. We, as The K.N.D. Squad, feel as though the Social Justice Panel at Temple University informed us, as well as other people, and youth in the room that topics such as these should be taught on a daily basis, and these topics should be discussed even outside of the traditional classroom and in society in general. Thank you Nick Palazzalo and the POWER Internship for having us as do press coverage at this wonderful event.