This interview is part of a documentation of the experience of the artists who contributed to the Black Lives Matter mural in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Deonna Craig, one of the eighteen artists, is a professional artist and a teacher of after-school programs for elementary students. In this interview, Deonna discusses her realization of her calling as an artist, her painting of the letter “V” in “Lives”, and what the mural means to the community today.
This interview is part of a documentation of the experience of the artists who contributed to the Black Lives Matter mural in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Gary Gee, one of the eighteen artists, is a full-time professional artist. In this interview, Gary discusses his long path to becoming a professional artist, his painting of the letter “I” in “Lives”, and the history of racism in the Indianapolis community.
The overall objective is to create a deeper understanding of the Black Lives Matter Movement during the Summer of 2020 through the lens of modern Christian practices and ideals, with the hope of better understanding the motivations of those involved in the Black Lives Matter Movement and to evaluate the connection between religion, politics, and human rights. It should be noted that this interview took place in the year 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic with a remote interview process. The interview took place shortly before a contentious presidential election, and discusses a highly politicized social movement that (as of October 2020) peaked in the Summer of 2020.
This interview is part of a documentation of the experience of the artists who contributed to the Black Lives Matter mural in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Rebecca Robinson, one of the eighteen artists, is a professional artist whose other past projects include other murals, fashion design, and other art pieces. In this interview, Rebecca discusses how she came to be involved in the mural project, her painting of the letter “L” in “Black”, and the community of the self-titled “The Eighteen” artists.
Sheena Styles works at a public school in Washington DC teaching 4th grade math and science. In this interview we discuss her early experiences with education, how she became a teacher. She discusses the significance of teaching demographics and how systemic shifts in DCPS have increased the amount of white women in teaching and reduced the number of teacher of color. She also discusses the kind of impact the national Black Lives Matter protests had within her classroom and the importance of anti-racist teaching practices. She tells her story of how the Covid-19 virus shut down her school, how the school addressed issues with equity, and the ways she has had adapt to teaching virtually. She shares her thoughts on teacher and student safety in the face of Covid-19 and the importance of teaching as a profession and the significant work teachers do within society.