Mural to Expand Social Justice Conversations

Students are participating in an ongoing county wide art collaboration Justice Murals, intended to help students speak their personal truths about social justice.

The initiative was started by sophomore Carolyn Considine, who recently became the Contra Costa County Arts and Culture Commission’s first ever Youth Advisor. Considine has organized many youth art developments, such as a virtual art gallery with over 100 pieces of artwork and art cafes where she interviewed talented youth artists on Facebook Live.

To participate, students will sketch their truths about social justice on a basic blank paper. These submissions will be incorporated into a large Justice Mural that will be displayed at different locations with murals from other schools.

“Our goal is to get multiple Justice Murals created across various schools, and then to have them move from one school to the next. So in this way Acalanes, for example, could see our Justice Mural and understand what we think about social justice, and vice versa,” said Considine.

Justice Murals aims to create more “peace” and fewer “walls” through this collaborative effort and drive awareness about students’ interests in social justice.

“I thought an artistic vehicle would be a new dimension to the conversion. A Justice Mural is about students communicating with each other directly, and sharing these ideas in a unified way with the broader community,” said Considine. “I really believe that art can be provocative, it can raise important questions within society, and it can effect change.”

To get involved, email drawings, words, and ideas onto a piece of paper and email them with your name to [email protected].