MIDTERMS: VISUAL ESSAY

COURSE CODE: D02

COURSE TITLE: Civic Media

Prepared by: Anthony Salatto

Submitted to: Professor Mukhongo

Introduction

I chose to walk around Manayunk to observer different types of street art in the community. There are many different murals located around this part of Philadelphia that are all uniquely different and have there own meanings. Some are focused on social issues others and focused on things that bring the community of Manayunk together. 

Murals

The first Mural I looked at was dedicated to the Philadelphia Guild of Handweavers. The Philadelphia Guild of Handweavers was founded in 1952 when a group of weavers in the Philadelphia area began to meet to become stronger with there profession. Through education and the exchange of ideas, they hoped to inspire others to greater proficiency as weavers. It is a  is a non-profit organization that strives to teach new members the art of weaving. The Mural depicts a group of people weaving baskets and other items . The design of the building is intended to mimic the pattern of something being weaved.

A view of the Mural from Main Street.©2011 Kathryn Pannepacker.

The second Mural I went to see was abbot the Philadelphia Marathon. The Philadelphia Marathon Mural was created to celebrate the history of the Philadelphia Marathon. The extremely famous race that has attracted thousands of runners to the city every year since 1994. It is located along the race route, the mural features sights from throughout the course and expresses the diversity of racers who participate each year. Many famous Philadelphia land market are featured like China Town, the Rocky Steps, and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

A view of the Mural from Main Street.©2019 Kala Hagopian.

This is the third Mural I looked at in Manayunk. This mural is a mosaic that is constructed of many different tiles to create the image. The piece depicts eighty three different bird species found in Fairmont Park. The project was funded by 11 different funds and foundations from all over Philadelphia. It was also mostly built by seventh and eighth graders from the Gesu School located in Philadelphia.

A view of the Mural from Main Street.©2001 Josey Stamm and students of Gesu School.

The fourth mural I looked at was the mural for the The Philadelphia international championship. The site that was chosen is at the end of Main Street in Manayunk, under a rail trestle at Leverington Avenue. The location was chosen due to the it being a popular spot for cyclists leaving the city area to bike up Umbria street. It is designed to be a welcome sign to let cyclists know to turn on level roads back into Manayunck. The path at one point was the U.S. National Championship race, it featured a men’s and women’s pro race. To honor of those races the mural is titled The Philadelphia International Championship.

A view of the Mural from Leverington Ave.©2019 Eleanor Dalker.

The fifth mural I looked at was Sandy’s Dream. The 69 x 50’ mural was the first wall painting work to raise cancer awareness in the United States. Created in collaboration with members of the Sandy Rollman Foundation, Mural Arts Philadelphia and others. In 2005 the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation, Mural Arts Philadelphia and others, came together to create a mural offering awareness and support to those afflicted with Ovarian Cancer. In 2014 the mural was restored and had a ceremony. The ceremony was marked by a moment of silence in memory of all women lost and in honor of all women still fighting. Also many Manayunk businesses came together to donate a portion of their proceeds toward the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation.

A view of the Mural from Main Street.©2005 and ©2014 Ann Northrup.

The last Mural I saw was this one underneath a bridge by my house. This mural was started by SplashLab Arts. SplashLab Arts is a Montessori inspired art center in East Falls, Pennsylvania. SplashLab’s goal is to offer fun and creative arts experiences to all children and families. What is unique about this mural is that it is an active public art presence in the Philadelphia community. SplashLab Arts joined forces with The Manayunk Development Corporation to create a “collaborative community mural” that encourages people in the area directly contributed to.  So in this case there is not one specific artist as many citizens of the community have added there own unique touches to the mural.

Views of the Mural from Cresson Street. ©2017 SplashLab Arts

Conclusion

I overall really enjoyed this midterm assignment. It honestly have driven up, down, and all around Manayunk and didn’t really take the time to notice all the beautiful works of art located in the community. With this assignment I really got to appreciate the community and it was interesting to research all the different murals and their meanings behind them.

Work Cited

“Art Workshops & Private Parties for All Age: Phila.” SplashLab Arts, http://www.splashlabarts.com/.

“Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation.” Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation, sandyovarian.org/.

Tucker, Alexus. “Homepage.” Mural Arts Philadelphia, http://www.muralarts.org/.

Varrone, Faith. Philadelphia Guild of Handweavers, http://www.pghw.org/.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go awayWe just wanna party
Party just for you
We just want the money
Money just for you
I know you wanna party (yeah)
Party just for free
Girl, you got me dancin’ (girl, you got me dancin’)
Dance and shake the frame
We just wanna party (yeah)
Party just for you (yeah)
We just want the money (yeah)
Money just for you (ooh)
I know you wanna party (yeah)
Party just for free (yeah)
Girl, you got me dancin’ (girl, you got me dancin’)
Dance and shake the frame (ooh)This is America
Don’t catch you slippin’ now
Don’t catch you slippin’ now
Look what I’m whippin’ now
This is America (woo)
Don’t catch you slippin’ now
Don’t catch you slippin’ now
Look what I’m whippin’ nowThis is America (skrrt, skrrt, woo)
Don’t catch you slippin’ now (ayy)
Look at how I’m livin’ now
Police be trippin’ now (woo)
Yeah, this is America (woo, ayy)
Guns in my area (word, my area)
I got the strap (ayy, ayy)
I gotta carry ’em
Yeah, yeah, I’ma go into this (ugh)
Yeah, yeah, this is guerilla, woo
Yeah, yeah, I’ma go get the bag
Yeah, yeah, or I’ma get the pad
Yeah, yeah, I’m so cold like yeah (yeah)
I’m so dope like yeah (woo)
We gon’ blow like yeah (straight up, uh)Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, tell somebody
You go tell somebody
Grandma told me
Get your money, black man (get your money)
Get your money, black man (get your money)
Get your money, black man (get your, black man)
Get your money, black man (get your, black man)
Black manThis is America (woo, ayy)
Don’t catch you slippin’ now (woo, woo, don’t catch you slippin’, now)
Don’t catch you slippin’ now (ayy, woah)
Look what I’m whippin’ now (Slime!)
This is America (yeah, yeah)
Don’t catch you slippin’ now (woah, ayy)
Don’t catch you slippin’ now (ayy, woo)
Look what I’m whippin’ now (ayy)Look how I’m geekin’ out (hey)
I’m so fitted (I’m so fitted, woo)
I’m on Gucci (I’m on Gucci)
I’m so pretty (yeah, yeah)
I’m gon’ get it (ayy, I’m gon’ get it)
Watch me move (blaow)
This a celly (ha)
That’s a tool (yeah)
On my Kodak (woo, Black)
Ooh, know that (yeah, know that, hold on)
Get it (get it, get it)
Ooh, work it (21)
Hunnid bands, hunnid bands, hunnid bands (hunnid bands)
Contraband, contraband, contraband (contraband)
I got the plug on Oaxaca (woah)
They gonna find you like blocka (blaow)Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, tell somebody
(America, I just checked my following list and)
You go tell somebody
(You mothafuckas owe me)
Grandma told me
Get your money, black man (black man)
Get your money, black man (black man)
Get your money, black man (black man)
Get your money, black man (black man)
Black man (one, two, three, get down)Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, tell somebody
You go tell somebody
Grandma told me, “Get your money, ” black man
Get your money, black man (black man)
Get your money, black man (black man)
Get your money, black man (black man)
Black manYou just a black man in this world
You just a barcode, ayy
You just a black man in this world
Drivin’ expensive foreigns, ayy
You just a big dawg, yeah
I kenneled him in the backyard
No proper life to a dog
For a big dog

With all due respect
I don’t have pity for you black niggas, that’s the way I feel
Screamin’ “Black Lives Matter”
All the black guys rather be deadbeats than pay your bills
Yellin’ “nigga this” and “nigga that”
Call everybody “nigga” and get a nigga mad
As soon as I say “nigga” then everyone react
And wanna swing at me and call me racist ’cause I ain’t black
Well pound that then
Talkin’ about slavery like you was around back then
Like you was pickin’ cotton off the fuckin’ ground back then
Like you was on the plantation gettin’ down back then
Aight, look
I see a black man aimin’ his gun
But I’d rather see a black man claimin’ his son
And I don’t mean just for one day and you done
I mean, you still trapped in a rut
And I work my ass off and I pay my taxes for what?
So you can keep livin’ off free government assistance?
Food stamps for your children, but you’re still tryna sell ’em
For some weed and some liquor or a fuckin’ babysitter
While you party on the road ’cause you ain’t got no fuckin’ goals?
You already late
You motherfuckas needa get your damn priorities straight
Wait, it’s like you’re proud to be fake
But you lazy as fuck and you’d rather sell drugs
Than get a job and be straight, and then you turn around and complain
About the poverty rate? Fuck outta my face!
You can’t escape problems
You can pray for some change but can’t break a dollar
Got nobody else to blame, so you blame Donald
“They fuck the world with a Make America Great condom”
My voice been back
I’m not racist, my sister’s boyfriend’s black
I’m not racist, my sister-in-law’s baby cousin Tracy
Got a brother and his girlfriend’s black
My head’s in the cloud
Heard there’s not enough jobs for all the men in your house
Maybe we should build a wall to keep the Mexicans out
Or maybe we should send ’em all to the ghetto for now
I’m not racist and I never lie
But I think there’s a disconnect between your culture and mine
I worship the Einsteins, study the Steve Jobs
But you ride 2Pac’s dick like he was a fuckin’ god, oh my god
And all you care about is rappin’
And stuntin’ and bein’ ratchet, and that’s the nigga within you
Music rotting your brain and slowly start to convince you
Then you let your kids listen and then the cycle continues
Blame it all on the menu, blame it on those drinks
Blame it on everybody except for your own race
Blame it on white privileges, blame it on white kids
And just blame it on white citizens, same with the vice president
Bunch of class clowns
Niggas kneelin’ on the field, that’s a flag down
How dare you try to make demands for this money?
You gon’ show us some respect, you gon’ stand for this country, nigger!
I’m not racist
I’m just prepared for this type of war
I heard Eminem’s rap at the awards, who’s he fightin’ for?
Y’all can take that motherfucker, too, he ain’t white no more
It’s like you wanna be so famous
You’ll do anything for attention and a little payment
I can’t take you nowhere without people pointin’ fingers
Pants hangin’ off your ass, you ain’t got no home trainin’?
Put your fuckin’ pants up, nigga! Put that suit back on!
Take that du-rag off! Take that gold out your mouth!
Quit the pitiful stuff
And then maybe police would stop killin’ you fucks
Yo, what the fuck? I’m not racist
It’s like we livin’ in the same buildin’ but split into two floors
I’m not racist
But there’s two sides to every story, I wish that I knew yours
I wish that I knew yours
I’m not racist, I swearWith all disrespect
I don’t really like you white motherfuckers, that’s just where I’m at
Screaming “All Lives Matter”
Is a protest to my protest, what kind of shit is that?
And that’s one war you’ll never win
The power in the word “nigga” is a different sin
We shouldn’t say it but we do, and that just what it is
But that don’t mean that you can say it just ’cause you got nigga friends
Nigga, that word was originated for you to keep us under
And when we use it, we know that’s just how we greet each other
And when you use it, we know there’s a double meaning under
And even if I wasn’t picking cotton physically
That don’t mean I’m not affected by the history
My grandmama was a slave, that shit gets to me
And you ain’t got no motherfucking sympathy, you pussy nigga!
I’m sorry you can never feel my life
Tryna have faith, but I never felt alright
It’s hard to elevate when this country’s ran by whites
Judging me by my skin color and my blackness
Tryna find a job but ain’t nobody call me back yet
Now I gotta sell drugs to put food in my cabinet
You crackers ain’t slick, this is all a part of your tactics
Don’t talk about no motherfucking taxes, when I ain’t making no dough
You think you know everything but you don’t
You wanna copy our slang and everything that we know
Try to steal black culture and then make it your own, whoa
Fuck, I’m exhausted
I can’t even drive without the cops tryna start shit
I’m tired of the systematic racism bullshit
All you do is false shit, this the shit that I’m force fed
And you don’t know shit about my people, that’s what bothers you
You don’t know about no fried chicken and no barbeque
You don’t know about the two-step or no loose change
You don’t know about no 2 Chainz or no Kool-Aid, you don’t know!
And even though Barack was half as black
You hated president Obama, I know that’s a fact
You couldn’t wait to get him out and put a cracker back
And then you gave us Donald Trump and now it’s payback for that
I’m not racist, I never lied
But I know there’s a disconnect between your culture and mine
Yeah, I praise 2Pac like he was a fuckin’ god
He was fighting for his life way before he fuckin’ died, nigga, die nigga!
And all you care about is money and power
And being ugly and that’s the cracker within you
Hatred all in your brain, it slowly start to convince you
And then you teach it to your children until the cycle continue
Blame it on Puerto Rico, blame it on OJ
Blame it on everybody, except for your own race
Blame it on black niggas and blame it on black citizens
Aim at the black businesses, I ain’t saying I’m innocent
But, I might be any day now
Treatin’ everybody how you want and any way how
I swear North Korea ’bout to bomb us any day now
And now I’m duckin’ everytime I hear a fuckin’ plane now, shit
You know I make a lot of sense but you just can’t admit it
When Eminem went against Trump, that was the illest
‘Cause even though he’s white, he let us know he standin’ with us
I’m not racist, but I cry a lot
You don’t know what it’s like to be in a frying pot
You don’t know what it’s like to mind your business
And get stopped by the cops and not know if you ’bout to die or not
You worry ’bout your life, so you take mine
I love you but I fuckin’ hate you at the same time
I wish we could trade shoes or we could change lives
So we could understand each other more but that’d take time
I’m not racist
It’s like we livin’ in the same buildin’ but splittin’ the both sides
I’m not racist
But there’s two sides to every story and now you know mineCan’t erase the scars with a bandage
I’m hopin’ maybe we can come to an understandin’
Agree to disagree, we could have an understandin’
I’m not racist

Both of these songs had to deal with the political climate the country was in in 2017 and 2018. They both mainly discuss the flaws in Trump and how he leads his supporter to be racist. They both show how there is a new kind of racism. It is not all out and in public like it was in the past. Now racism shows itself through ignorance of social issues and being politically correct. Both songs also discuss Trumps flaws in immigration. They both reference the wall in satire and both display how cruel and disgusting that idea is. It also discusses the violence the African American community is facing. That Trump doesn’t care what is going on in impoverished communities in the country. Theses songs tho very different style of rapping both share a unified message.

In this week of class we discussed and looked at young women activists. It was quite inspiring to hear the many stories of young women who made huge impacts for important causes they are fighting for. Emma reports on labor issues for an independent, public access television show in Vancouver. Nenetzin stands in the center of the plaza, she sings a song about remembering those who have died due to poverty. Pitu a member of a youth group, a subsection of the organization where youth participants gather together to talk and learn from each other, and to work on their own projects or assist in the various facets of the organization’s operation. Lisette’s dedication to fighting against environmental racism and for community health and safety finally paid off in the summer of 2001. Sunaina Maira and Elisabeth Soep refer to as “youthscapes.” They organize around a wide variety of issues.

We also presented about more famous young activists like Malala Yousafzai, Sophie Cruz, and Marley Diaz. Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban after publicly speaking out about her fight to protect girls’ education. After surviving the attack  she went on to share her story around the world and launched the Malala Fund in 2013 with her father to raise awareness. In addition to being an activist, 20-year-old Yousafzai is a published author, a United Nations Messenger of Peace and in 2014 she became the youngest person ever to receive a Nobel pice prize the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 2015, 5-year-old Cruz broke through security to give Pope Francis a letter in which she asked that her parents, who are undocumented immigrants, not be deported from the United States. In the letter, she asked that Pope Francis speak with the President and Congress about the issue and said that she would soon be sending a letter to President Obama.

At 13 years old, Dias is the founder of #1000blackgirlbooks, a campaign that she started in 2015 with the goal to collect and donate 1,000 books to her peers that featured black girls as the main characters. To date, she has collected more than 10,000 books and spoke alongside Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey at the United State of Women Summit in 2016. This past January, she released her own book, “Marley Dias Gets it Done and So Can You”. The book features opening remarks and praise from Hillary Clinton, Ellen DeGeneres and filmmaker Ava DuVernay.

In this weeks classed we discussed various terms and ways social media is important for activism. We discussed ways how using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and blogs can be used as tools for activism. We discussed in groups how Facebook can be used for contacting and communicating with high level government officials in the local community. It is a great place to spread and send messages to them. We also discussed how Facebook is also great for finding other people who share similar ideas of activism through groups. Twitter is a great medium to spread word and awareness about certain issues. You can create hashtags that can be shared among large groups of people and possibly go trending. Instagram is a great way to show evenidance and physical images of the work being done. Sense it is all about images you can post powerful phots that can be shred with large groups of people to inspire others. Youtube is great for making videos and giving a closer look that integral can’t really provide. Blogs finally, have the benefit of being able to organize and educate individuals who want to make a change about something.

A total of 16 faculty and 64 staff were approved to leave St. Joe’s as part of the Voluntary Separation Program offered by the university. Staff who accept the offer will leave on March 31 while faculty will finish the spring 2020 semester:https://t.co/BoXLeA99zq

— The Hawk (@sjuhawknews) February 19, 2020

Also during the week I went to a Day of Dialogue event. The Day of Dialogue was meant to build upon conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion that have already begun throughout the campus community by providing practical, participatory, and action-oriented sessions. I attended was the Language/Vocabulary concurrent event. It was run by Stephanie Tryce and Chris Heasley. It was a really great learning experience for me and I felt like a learned a lot.

During this week in class we looked at the power and affect street art can have on poor communities. First we looked at street installations in Baltimore to battle the city’s problem with vacant building. The art installations purpose was to put pressure on the land lords and raise awareness abandoned building have for a community. Next we looked at the street art of Buenos Aries. These where especially important as the whole entire country was behind the art as it posted the corrupt government. It showed how beauty can also be used to protest and inspire people to do the same. We also looked at Philadelphia street art. What was really special about the Philadelphia is they have various different murals to combat other types of social issues the city is facing. One was to raise awareness for the homeless children population in the city. They painted houses bold colors and got the local community to help paint the houses. The other was to protest the incarceration problem they city is having. This was really cool as most of the murals depicted victims of the process. Another mural purpose was to benefit the environment while also giving youth in poor areas an activity to do after school. This really helped the kids in the area stay out of trouble and put there energy towards something beneficial.

Did you know the Guild plays a huge part in some of your favorite murals? Here are a few examples of the murals The Guild cohorts of the past have worked on. Learn more about this branch of our Restorative Justice program at the link below! https://t.co/iMUR7Ybjo6 pic.twitter.com/PmHq4e4Qjg

— Mural Arts (@muralarts) February 13, 2020

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mural Arts Philadelphia (@muralarts)

This is my example of culture jamming to raise awareness that Apple is funding paramilitary groups in Colombia. Violent paramilitary groups have infiltrated every level of the supply chain, extorting prospectors, gold traders and some of the country’s top mining officials.

During this week in class we discussed about to major social issues and their awareness campaigns. We read and watched the Invisible Children’s awareness campaign against KONY and than compared that to The Spring – Charity Water. One was great example of how to use viral awareness for good the other was a great example of clicktivism. Kony 2012 was a great viral success, but there was very little true activism and no change for the cause they where fighting. The Spring – Charity Water was maybe not as successful virally, but the overwhelming support with donations and true activism lead to the change they were fighting for.

With The Spring – Charity Water they saw a problem that needed to be fixed. Millions of people in the world where not getting access to fresh drinking water and they wanted to make a change. After all the donations and volunteers came through they went to action a made wells and water pumps to give these people access to a basic human right. What made them so much different than the KONY 2012 campaign is that actually had a solution to there problem. What was even better was no one took a profit and they had proof of the change they where making. It was quite emotional to see the sad, sick faces of the children and people walking sonar for dirty water. It was amazing to see them playing in the water pumps and the smiles on their faces that they don’t have to walk miles to get it. This also added a great thing to the campaign because the donators can view where and how there money is helping the cause.

Transparency has always been important to us—and we know it's important to you, too. It’s why we began with the bold promise we still live by today: 100% of all public donations bring clean water to people in need. Watch The Spring film to learn more: https://t.co/64tV1tkxrL pic.twitter.com/K11S1nGEwj

— charity: water (@charitywater) January 21, 2020

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by charity: water (@charitywater)

During this week of class we discussed the many different types of social theories. Understanding these theories are crucial to the overall learning in Civivc media as we can use the theories and apply them to really world scenarios. Structural conduciveness, structural strain, the growth of generalized belief, precipitating factors, the mobilization of participants for action, operation of social control. These all six factors for the Theory of Collective Behavior, is relatively spontaneous behavior that follows from the formation of a group or crowd of people who react to a common influence in an ambiguous situation. It is a type of social behavior that occurs when people are influenced by others and take action toward a shared goal. For example, the protests in Hong Kong are due to oppressed college students and young people who want social change in their country. They banded together in large numbers to show their distaste for there government.

Another theory we discussed in class was the Mass Society Theory. This collective behavior theory views collective behavior as an extreme response to social isolation. Critics have been harsh with this theory however and say isolated individuals who are most likely to be drawn into social movements, but the opposite. Another theory we discussed is the Relative Deprivation Theory. This theory was based on the observation that people often rebel when things are improving. This theory is also heavily criticized as there are many examples that disagree with that observation. Like the protest in Iran, they are protesting because their government regime is stuck in its old religious ways and there is very few women and almost no LGBTQ rights in the country. They want those right to improve there nation. Another theory we discussed in class the interested me is symbolic interactionism. Symbolic interactionism social psychological theory that focuses on how actors construct meanings through social interaction.

Lastly, during this week we had to choose a social issue we are passionate about. In society today, I feel like there are a lot pressing social issues that I think are important. Equal pay, LQBTQ rights, immigrant safety are things that come to mind but what I think is most stressful is Climate Change. Climate change affects all people and doesn’t discriminate on race, gender, status, or sexuality. It affects all humans and some more than others. There are poor ares in India, China, and Africa where clean drinking water is not accessible. It is the social norm for it to be a challenge to get drinking water whereas here in a America we just turn a knob. I feel like this is extremely important and that all humans have the natural right to clean water.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.