Walls of Demand… Murals for a voice for the Parkland victims

/ margyburnsknight / Leave a comment

wall demand

WALLS OF DEMAND is a nationwide art project, and a way for Manuel Oliver’s son, Joaquin, to have a voice. These murals have a very powerful image so it’s hard to look away, and hard to ignore. These walls trigger people to think about gun violence, and the need for change. And we want you to a part of it as well…come see Manuel Oliver’s live activism graphic art and your chance to leave your mark on it as well.

The Loss of 17 lives on February 14th, 2018 at MSD High School in Parkland, Florida due to yet another mass shooting, caused a conversation to erupt in our country and around the world and a youth movement to be born. Change The Ref, a Non-profit Organization, was formed to empower our Future Leaders. Change The Ref gives the kids of today the tools they need to be empowered to make changes to critical issues that affect our nation, through education, conversation, and activism. CTR is an organization created to fuel the youth of today, empowering them to lead the way and make impactful changes happen.

Founded in the memory of their son Joaquin who was one of the 17 victims, Manuel and Patricia Oliver are committed to making sure that their son’s life and the lives of the other 16 victims are never forgotten and that real change happens to prevent future tragedies like this from happening ever again.The only way that will occur is if we have the ability engage the next generation and the generations after to get involved, fight for their values and beliefs and have their voices heard!

https://changetheref.org/

How do you define WALL?

/ margyburnsknight / Leave a comment

 

Jacquelyn Martin/AP

“The wall” has become a powerful symbol for both sides of the political aisle. And a symbol, rather than an actual wall, is harder to negotiate.

– Eva

Will the government shut down again in three weeks? That might depend on what the meaning of the word “wall” is. Democrats are firmly opposed to a physical wall. But they are open to spending for replacement fencing, levees, bollards, and electronic barriers. President Trump has insisted on an imposing Great Wall-type structure, but at various times he’s said that would be concrete or could be steel slats or maybe even based on drones, sensors, and other “smart wall” technology. Upcoming talks thus may be as much about semantics as about stuff. In this they could be a symbol for American politics in a polarized age, in which the fight is about messaging as much as policy and winning means the team on the other side should lose. The upshot: The “wall” has become what political scientists call a condensation symbol, something that stands for schism, frustration, fear of immigrants, and a lengthening list of other positions and feelings. “All of these things are embodied by the wall itself … all of this cultural symbolizing is packed into the wall,” says Dr. Jennifer Mercieca, a historian of American political discourse at Texas A&M University.