My people are everything to me. They ground me. Some because they remind me of where I come from, and some because they push me to see what I can become.
One of these people, whose friendship has resulted in so much of my personal and professional growth, is Steph Balon. If any of you caught the Webinar- 5 Ways to Raise Anti-Racist Kids Through Art yesterday or today, you got to hear from her (recording is still available if you missed it). Steph and I met in grad school for Expressive Art’s Therapy almost a decade ago. She is a second generation Pinay American and Expressive Art’s Therapist working to build culturally responsive mental health support and a space for intergenerational healing for the Fillipinx community.
As Steph and I planed the webinar and shared stories from our lives of where the arts had been important entry points for deepening anti-racist work, we realized that the way we first got to know each other was actually a perfect example of this very thing. Here are Steph’s words:
“Grad school, was were I first connected with Jen and was where our “love story” began. It started with me not having the words right away to speak my truth about how I was feeling marginalized, invalidated, and silenced in a classroom that felt like a microcosm of systemic oppression. It was re-traumatizing as I was expecting to walk into a space of higher level consciousness in academia but soon found that wasn’t the case. I had to reflect on all the stress and anxiety that was coming up that was rooted in oppression—and the way I did that was through poetry. I mustered up the courage to share a poem in class to get my voice heard. And it was then that I felt seen because I wasn’t the only one noticing the racial micro-aggressions and inequity in the room. By sharing and being vulnerable through my art—not only was it healing but it also opened up deeper conversations and connections to allies such as Jen. She reached out to me and then here we are almost a decade later—soul sisters doing this social justice work to dismantle racism and raise our children together to be anti-racist…and through art.”
The Webinar was just the beginning – Steph and I will be co-facilitating a longer 6-week-class called Raising Anti-Racist Kids Through Art that takes a deeper dive into using art to explore identity, connect, reimagine, interrupt the status quo and build ongoing sustainable community.
This class is designed for educators, parents and caregivers who wish to:
- Learn tangible ways to use creativity to create a unique plan of action for anti-racist parenting/educating
- Take proactive measures to raise kids who are empowered to use their voice when they see injustice
- Connect with a like-minded community of other parents, caregivers and educators interested in using the arts to address racism
- Experience a more profound connection with the children in your life
Classes begin next week and run through mid March on
Tuesdays @8pm PST, Wednesdays @5pm PST, or Thursdays at 12pm PST
Early Bird prices end Friday!
There are three payment options (and scholarships) to make this class accessible for all. 10% of proceeds will be donated to Eastside Arts Alliance & Cultural Center which presents free youth art classes, cultural programming, public art projects, and ongoing gallery exhibitions.
Learn more here or sign up here. Be in touch with any questions. Here’s to those that push us to evolve into fuller versions of ourselves. Here’s to community.
